Study: Most research on social determinants of health interventions does not include race data

Less than a third of studies investigating social determinants of health interventions include race and ethnicity in their analyses, and even fewer stratify outcomes by race, a new study found (Source: “Few Studies Assess Social Determinants of Health Intervention by Race,” Patient Engagement HIT, Jan. 20).

According to the study from University of California San Diego Health researchers, the lack of data disaggregated by race stymies any efforts to understand how social determinants of health interventions can address racial health disparities.

“Over the last decade, achieving health equity has been heralded as a key priority for health care delivery organizations,” the researchers wrote in JAMA Network Open. “Achieving health equity requires addressing root causes of health inequities, including inequities in social and structural drivers (determinants) of health.”