Assignment of ethnicity in patients with acute ischemic stroke in northern Israel

The description of various methods for ethnicity classification can be found in the literature, though their reliability still remains unclear. We examined inter-observer agreement in defining the ethnic identification of patients in a bi-ethnic population (Arab-Jewish) in northern Israel, using place of birth and residence in addition to given and family names. Data about 1006 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were gathered from our stroke registry. The data were analyzed by four independent observers (authors MH, TD, HH, GT) aiming to assign patients either as Arabs or Jews. Agreement between all four observers was excellent, as assessed by Fleiss’ Kappa statistic (κ = 0.96). We conclude that the use of given and family names of patients, together with their place of birth and residence, achieved near-perfect inter-observer agreement and a highly reliable assignment of ethnicity in two large ethnic population groups – Arabs and Jews – in northern Israel.