Women's Health Issues
Volume 15, Issue 4 , Pages 179-186, July 2005

Ethnic differences in past hysterectomy for benign conditions

  • Lynda H. Powell, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
    • ,
  • Peter Meyer, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
    • ,
  • Gerson Weiss, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Gerson Weiss, MD, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, 185 So. Orange Ave., MSB-E506, Newark, NJ 07106
    • ,
  • Karen A. Matthews, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Departments of Psychiatry and Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
    • ,
  • Nanette Santoro, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Albert Einstein Medical School, New York, New York
    • ,
  • John F. Randolph Jr, MD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan
    • ,
  • Miriam Schocken, PhD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Division of Geriatrics, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
    • ,
  • Joan Skurnick, PhD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health, New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey
    • ,
  • Marcia G. Ory, PhD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Behavioral and Social Research, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland
    • ,
  • Kim Sutton-Tyrrell, DrPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Background

Hysterectomy for a benign condition is common, particularly in the underserved. The objective was to determine if ethnic differences could be explained by known risk factors.

Methods

A phone survey was conducted at random on 15,160 women, ages 40–55, from seven US cities. Subjects were 49.9% Caucasian, 28.1% African American, 12.3% Hispanic, and 9.8% Asian American.

Results

Ethnicity was associated with past hysterectomy (odds ratio [OR]: Caucasian = 1.0, African American = 1.66; confidence interval [CI] = 1.46–1.88, Hispanic = 1.64, CI = 1.29–2.07; Asian American = 0.44, CI = 0.34–0.56), after adjustment for age, education, fibroids, body mass index, marital status, smoking, geographic site, and country of education.

Conclusion

Because the highest rates occurred in the disadvantaged African American and Hispanic subgroups, and could not be explained by known risk factors, disparity in the form of overuse in these disadvantaged groups may exist.

Keywords:  Ethnic Disparity , Hysterectomy , Women’s Health

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 Supported by the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Nursing Research U01grant numbers AG12553, AG12495, AG12546, AG12535, AG12531, AG12505, AG12554, AG12539, NR04061.

PII: S1049-3867(05)00039-3

doi:10.1016/j.whi.2005.05.002

Women's Health Issues
Volume 15, Issue 4 , Pages 179-186, July 2005

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