Perinatal mortality continues to be a public health problem in North Carolina. In 1992, there were 1,655 perinatal deaths among North Carolina residents. Blacks comprised only 29 percent of the deliveries, but 48 percent of all perinatal deaths occurred among blacks. Furthermore, the rate of perinatal mortality for blacks was 23.9 per 1,000 deliveries, while for whites it was 10.3 per 1,000 del...

We analyze discrimination in a new type of credit market known as peer-to-peer lending. Specifically, we examine how lenders in this online market respond to signals of characteristics such as race, age, and gender that are conveyed via pictures and text. We find evidence of significant racial disparities; loan listings with blacks in the attached picture are 25 to 35 percent less likely to rec...

PURPOSE To test whether differences in smoking-related lung cancer risks in blacks and whites can explain why lung cancer incidence is greater in black males than in white males but about equal in black and white females, given that a greater proportion of blacks are smokers, but smoke far fewer cigarettes per day than do whites. METHODS A hospital-based case-control study was conducted betwe...

BACKGROUND Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 is related to faster decline in episodic memory in Whites, but the relation is unknown in Blacks. The purpose of this study was to determine whether ε4 has a selective effect on decline in episodic memory in Blacks. METHODS Data are from two cohort studies with similar design. The sample consisted of 1,211 participants [28.4% Blacks, mean age = 78.6 years...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The growing black and Hispanic populations in the United States call for studies of the rates and prognosis for cerebral infarction to help plan more focused prevention programs. METHODS Using the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System, we obtained discharge data for 1,034 patients over age 39, who were hospitalized for stroke from 1983 to 1986, using four z...

Background Racial differences in healthcare are well known, although some have challenged previous research where risk-adjustment assumed covariates affect whites and blacks equally. If incorrect, this assumption may misestimate disparities. We sought to determine whether clinical factors affect treatment decisions for blacks and whites equally. Methods We used data from the Cardiovascular Coop...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Some prior studies have shown that racial disparities exist in intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) use for acute ischemic stroke. We sought to determine whether race was associated with tPA treatment for stroke in a predominantly black urban population. METHODS Systematic chart abstraction was performed on consecutive hospitalized patients with ischemic strok...

INTRODUCTION Preventable hospitalization for hypertension is an ambulatory care-sensitive condition believed to indicate the failure of outpatient and public health systems to prevent and control hypertension. Blacks have higher rates of such hospitalizations than whites. The 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) seeks to implement higher quality health care, which may help cl...

BACKGROUND Alcoholic Hepatitis (AH) is major source of alcohol-related mortality and health care expenditures in the United States. There is insufficient information regarding the role of race and ethnicity on healthcare utilization and outcomes for patients with AH. We aimed to determine whether there are racial/ethnic differences in resource utilization and inpatient mortality in patients hos...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Atherosclerotic intracranial stenosis is an important cause of stroke in blacks, yet there are limited data on vascular risk factors and outcome. We analyzed the vascular risk factors and outcomes of blacks and whites in the Warfarin versus Aspirin for Symptomatic Intracranial Disease (WASID) trial. METHODS Baseline characteristics and outcomes (ischemic stroke, brain h...