People treated worse in health care were less likely to be vaccinated

In 2021 the CDC Director declared racism a serious threat to public health.
This report is one attempt to measure a mechanism.

Across 1,154,347 interviews between 22 April 2021 and 26 November 2022,
adults were asked whether their health care experiences had been worse than
those of people of other races and ethnicities.

And what it tracked with

People reporting worse experiences were **significantly more likely to be
unvaccinated against COVID-19** — overall and within most groups. The
difference in percentage points:

Findings were similar for vaccination intent — so this is not only about
what people did, but about what they were willing to do.

The row that makes the point hardest to dismiss

White adults reporting discrimination showed a 10.5-point difference — the
second largest.

Only 1.6% of white respondents reported worse treatment. But those who did were
markedly less likely to be vaccinated, which says the relationship is not about
who a person is. **Being treated badly in a health care setting predicts not
taking health care advice**, in every group where it happens.

That is the finding with a mechanism attached, and it turns a statement about
disparities into something a clinic can act on.

What is asked

**Increasing awareness by health care providers of patients' potential
negative health care experiences and known historical mistreatment, and
incorporating this sensitivity into their patient interactions.**

The expected effect is specific: **foster patient trust, improve adherence to
recommended health interventions, and reduce some COVID-19-related health
disparities.**

**Eliminating inequitable experiences in health care settings might help reduce
some disparities in receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine** — which locates part of the
vaccination gap inside the health system rather than in the people it did not
reach.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MMWR.