The following is a summary of “Representation of Race and Ethnicity in the Contemporary US Health Cohort All of Us Research Program,” published in the August 2023 issue of Cardiology by Kathiresan et al.
For a study, researchers aimed to measure the inclusion of major racial and ethnic groups in the developing All of Us (AoU) nationwide health cohort and compare it with their respective proportions in the United States population. They analyzed the AoU program’s data from May 2017 to June 2022, focusing on individuals aged 18 and above. They compared this data with the information obtained from the Decennial Survey 2020 (DEC) the US Census Bureau conducted.
Among the 358,705 adults in the AoU, the breakdown by race and ethnicity showed 12,710 non-Hispanic Asian individuals (3.5%), 73,348 non-Hispanic Black or African American individuals (20.5%), 58,488 Hispanic or Latino individuals (16.3%), 205,457 non-Hispanic White individuals (57.3%), and 8,702 who were uncategorized or reported multiple categories (2.4%).
Regarding sex and age data available for 355,413 participants, 61.6% were female, averaging 53.1 years, 38.28% were male, averaging 56.7 years; and 395 reported nonbinary sex, averaging 55.4 years.
Comparatively, the AoU displayed an overrepresentation of non-Hispanic Black or African American individuals by 8.73% and 1.94-fold compared to the US census. Non-Hispanic White participants were numerically underrepresented by 3.54%. The uncategorized or multiracial group was 0.43-fold represented in the AoU relative to the census, showing a difference of -2.19%.
Non-Hispanic Asian individuals were notably underrepresented by -2.54% across most states. Those identifying as Hispanic or Latino were slightly underrepresented by -0.46%. The participation rates in the AoU varied compared to the US census data across different racial and ethnic categories.
The current recruitment patterns in the ongoing AoU revealed a better representation of certain major racial groups, displaying geographic trends. These results emphasize the necessity to enhance and customize recruitment efforts and engagement strategies to ensure increased diversity among participating populations.
Source: jamanetwork.com/journals/jamacardiology/fullarticle/2808413
