Latino, Black and Asian children are less likely to undergo elective surgeries compared to white children, according to a recent study.
The study, published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery, analyzed data on more than 200,000 children from a national health survey of parents. Roughly 10,000 of those children reportedly underwent surgery.
Between 40% and 60% fewer surgeries were reported by parents of Black, Asian and Latino children, and Latino children were more likely to have emergency surgery.
The research shows children of color could be suffering amid delays in important surgical interventions, experts say.
Further investigation is needed and experts aren't certain of the cause of the differences. But the findings add to growing evidence of surgical disparities in children of color and underscore inequities in children's health as the nation continues to reckon with structural racism in health care systems, experts say.
"There's this possible deficit that kids aren't getting the best surgical treatment for medical issues," said lead author Dr. Ethan Sanford, a pediatric anesthesiologist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
What pediatric surgical disparities were found?
Compared to their white counterparts, Black and Latino children were about 40% less likely and Asian children about 60% less likely to report having had surgery.
Systemic factors may be at play, Sanford explained, such as lack of reliable transportation, inflexibility in parents' work hours and language barriers. Sanford said there's little to no data that suggests children of color "need less surgery."
Parents need time off to take their kids to surgery, and often, doctor's appointments and consultations leading up to the procedure require several appointments.
Even when adjusting for socioeconomic factors like poverty, children of color were still less likely to undergo surgery, according to the findings.
Sanford and his team analyzed data from the National Health Interview Survey and the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program.
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What types of pediatric surgeries were reported?
The researchers looked at elective surgeries, which can be scheduled in advance because they aren't considered emergencies. These can be minor procedures such as removing a mole, or more serious procedures such as tonsillectomies or placement of ear tubes to prevent repeated ear infections.
Delaying an elective surgery can hinder a patient's quality of life. For example, a child may need a tonsillectomy to relieve sleep apnea, which causes breathing trouble during sleep, Sanford explained.
"Rather than having that procedure done early before, they're having a lot of the negative side effects of chronic sleep apnea," he said, such as poor sleep and energy and weight gain.
Dr. Olubukola O. Nafiu, an anesthesiologist at Nationwide Children's Hospital, cautioned that the findings don't mean children are being denied surgery.
"We need more studies to try to tease out what's going on ... to continue to shine the light on these health disparities, which didn't just start yesterday," he said. "It starts with hundreds of years of history."
What is already known about surgical disparities in children?
►Death rates: Among healthy children who had surgery, Black children were three times more likely to die within 30 days after surgery compared to white children, according to a 2020 study led by Nafiu published in the medical journal Pediatrics.
►Sleep apnea: Another study found that compared to white children, Black and Hispanic children on Medicaid had higher rates of no surgical interventions for sleep apnea. There is limited data but researchers estimate sleep apnea affects between 7% and 11% of children in the U.S.
►Appendicitis: Black children with appendicitis were more likely to have delayed surgery and to suffer a perforated, or ruptured, appendix, a complication when it is left untreated, according to an analysis published in Academic Emergency Medicine.
Reach Nada Hassanein at nhassanein@usatoday.com or on Twitter @nhassanein_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Pediatric surgery is less common for children of color, study finds
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(2022-12-02 15:30:56Z)Postponing an elective medical procedure can block a patient's personal satisfaction. For instance, a youngster might require a tonsillectomy to ease rest apnea, which causes breathing difficulty during rest, Sanford made sense of.
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(2022-12-04 18:35:28Z)There are a number of factors that play into why children of color are less likely to undergo elective surgery. One reason is that many families lack health insurance, which makes it difficult to afford the surgery. Additionally, these families may not have access to quality medical care, meaning that they are not able to get the necessary procedures done. Additionally, many children of color may not be aware of the option of elective surgery, as it is not often marketed to them. This lack of information can lead to children of color not getting the care they need.
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