Affiliation:
1. Ashton Gatewood and Micah Hartwell are with the Office of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine at Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah. Amy D. Hendrix-Dicken is with the Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma-Tulsa School of Community Medicine. Micah Hartwell is also with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa. Ashton Gatewood is an enrolled tribal member of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma...
Abstract
Objectives. To identify how race and ethnicity were reclassified with survey variables for children self-reporting as American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) using the 2021 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS). Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2021 YRBSS. YRBSS collects behaviors and demographics of students in grades 9 through 12, including race and ethnicity via self-report, and then reclassifies data into a “raceeth” variable. To examine the classification of AI/AN in YRBSS, we compared AI/AN composition between self-report and raceeth variables. Results. A total of 816 adolescents self-reported as AI/AN alone (145; 17.70%), AI/AN alone with Hispanic/Latino background (246; 30.15%), or AI/AN in combination with 1 or more race (425; 52.08%). Of those, only 145 were classified as being AI/AN in the calculated raceeth variable. With YRBSS survey weighting, the percentage of AI/AN in the raceeth variable was 13.4%. Conclusions. Misclassification, noncollection, or the use of categories such as “other” and “multirace” without allowing disaggregation can misrepresent disease burden, morbidity, and mortality. Consequently, it is critical to disaggregate data to adequately capture race/ethnicity in self-report surveys and data sources. ( Am J Public Health. 2024;114(4):403–406. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307561 )
Publisher
American Public Health Association