Article Analysis: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Access to Substance Abuse Treatment
Article Analysis: Racial/Ethnic Differences in Access to Substance Abuse Treatment
Racial and ethnic discrepancies exist in the health care system of United States of America for a long time. African Americans, Hispanics, Asian Americans are able to access American health care system but they are not able to avail all services and benefits in the same ways as white Americans avail. Racial and ethnic minority groups face various problems in accessing crucial health care services in the United States of America. This disparity negatively affects the health of racial and ethnic minority groups.
Lo & Cheng (2011) in their article describe how substance abuse has emerged as a major health hazard for minority groups and lack of effective treatment further aggravates the problem. Racial and ethnic minority groups are not able to get effective treatment in cases of substance abuse that affects the productivity of these people and many of them have lost their lives. There are various factors that worsen the issue of substance abuse among racial/ethnic minorities. Lack of health insurance, escalating cost of substance abuse treatment, mistrust and discrimination are major factors behind substance abuse deaths among racial and ethnic minorities.
Lo and Cheng have done a thorough research on this issue. The purpose of the study was to analyze how race and ethnicity impacts accessibility to substance abuse treatments. The authors analyzed what major factors contribute towards disparity existing in the substance abuse treatment and how those disparities can be eliminated or reduced. The authors gathered data from various sources and analysis of data present a disheartening picture of the issue of substance abuse. Lo and Cheng have used data from National Survey of American Life (NSAL), Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES), National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), and National Co-Morbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R).
Under the study use of treatment is used as trichotomous variable i.e. specialty treatment, non-specialty treatment and no treatment. These variables considered as independent variables under the study. Independent variables taken under the study is race and ethnicity of the respondents such as Chinese, Asian American, Mexican, Cuban, Hispanic and Puerto Rican, African-American, Vietnamese, Filipino, non-Hispanic white Americans and others. All ethnicities and race were placed in four large categories and Black American, Asian American and Hispanic were coded and considered as dichotomous variables.
Predisposing and enabling factors along with need variables also play a major role is receiving treatment of substance use, hence the authors considered all these factors while analyzing the data. Demographic & social structure such as age, sex, and education were considered under predisposing factor; medical insurance and income-to-needs ratio were considered as enabling factors; and health condition, diagnosis of substance use and mental health disorders were considered under need variables. The authors utilized multinomial logistic regression technique to analyze the data and establishing a correlation between dependent and independent variables and various factors covered under the study.
The study reveals that 24 percent out of total sampled respondents i.e. 204,374, 182 accesses specialty treatment for substance abuse or for mental health. Only 2 percent respondents accessed non-specialty treatment and remaining had no access to the treatment. Around fifty percent respondents were males, and their education level was high school or above. Only 5 percent respondents mentioned about substance use disorder and 33 percent mentioned about mental health disorder. 9 percent respondents talked about both disorders i.e. substance abuse and mental health. According to the respondents their health is good. Respondents’ mean income to needs ratio was 4.35 which is slightly higher than ratio of United States. Overall the study found a positive correlation between specialty treatment variable with 3 lifetime substance use/ mental health diagnosis variables (Lo and Cheng, 2011).
The article is an eye opener and presents a well researched analysis of the health care system of the United States of America with a special focus on racial and ethnic minority groups. Scholars have researched and presented data that is very useful for policy makers. The data and methods, applied in this article, reveal how minorities are deprived of crucial health care facilities. At the same time, they also indicate towards the steps that are required in order to improve the current dilapidated situation of the health care sector.
The study focuses on all racial and minority groups that are inseparable part of American society. It also presents a picture of immigrants and describes how they suffer with the same problem. Health care sector functions normal as a whole but it is exposed when it comes to special cases of substances abuse and also when ethnic and racial minorities are in question. People of these communities are dying in lack of appropriate health care services. The article shows how there is a requirement to look into the matter and take all steps to improve the situation.
Reference
Lo, C.C., and Cheng, T.C. (2011). Racial/ethnic differences in access to substance abuse treatment. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 22 , 621–637.
