TY - JOUR
T1 - Racial inequalities in mental healthcare use and mortality
T2 - a cross-sectional analysis of 1.2 million low-income individuals in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 2010–2016
AU - Medeiros, Sophia
AU - Coelho, Rony
AU - Millett, Christopher
AU - Saraceni, Valeria
AU - Coeli, Claudia Medina
AU - Trajman, Anete
AU - Rasella, Davide
AU - Durovni, Betina
AU - Hone, Thomas
N1 - Funding Information:
Funding This study was supported by the UK’s Joint Health Systems Research Initiative (DFID/MRC/Wellcome Trust/ESRC) grant number MR/P014593/1 and NIHR (NIHR133252 and NIHR150067) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The funders had no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Funding Information:
This study was supported by the UK’s Joint Health Systems Research Initiative (DFID/MRC/Wellcome Trust/ESRC) grant number MR/P014593/1 and NIHR (NIHR133252 and NIHR150067) using UK aid from the UK Government to support global health research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The funders had no role in the study design, in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data, in the writing of the report, or in the decision to submit the paper for publication.
Publisher Copyright:
© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY.
PY - 2023/12/2
Y1 - 2023/12/2
N2 - Introduction Mental health inequalities across racial and ethnic groups are large and unjust in many countries, yet these inequalities remain under-researched, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries such as Brazil. This study investigates racial and socioeconomic inequalities in primary healthcare usage, hospitalisation and mortality for mental health disorders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods A cohort of 1.2 million low-income adults from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with linked socioeconomic, demographic, healthcare use and mortality records was cross-sectionally analysed. Poisson regression models were used to investigate associations between self-defined race/colour and primary healthcare (PHC) usage, hospitalisation and mortality due to mental disorders, adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Interactions between race/colour and socioeconomic characteristics (sex, education level, income) explored if black and pardo (mixed race) individuals faced compounded risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Results There were 272 532 PHC consultations, 10 970 hospitalisations and 259 deaths due to mental disorders between 2010 and 2016. After adjusting for a wide range of socioeconomic factors, the lowest PHC usage rates were observed in black (adjusted rate ratio (ARR): 0.64; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.68; compared with white) and pardo individuals (ARR: 0.87; 95% CI 0.83 to 0.92). Black individuals were more likely to die from mental disorders (ARR: 1.68; 95% CI 1.19 to 2.37; compared with white), as were those with lower educational attainment and household income. In interaction models, being black or pardo conferred additional disadvantage across mental health outcomes. The highest educated black (ARR: 0.56; 95% CI 0.47 to 0.66) and pardo (ARR: 0.75; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.87) individuals had lower rates of PHC usage for mental disorders compared with the least educated white individuals. Black individuals were 3.7 times (ARR: 3.67; 95% CI 1.29 to 10.42) more likely to die from mental disorders compared with white individuals with the same education level. Conclusion In low-income individuals in Rio de Janeiro, racial/colour inequalities in mental health outcomes were large and not fully explainable by socioeconomic status. Black and pardo Brazilians were consistently negatively affected, with lower PHC usage and worse mental health outcomes.
AB - Introduction Mental health inequalities across racial and ethnic groups are large and unjust in many countries, yet these inequalities remain under-researched, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries such as Brazil. This study investigates racial and socioeconomic inequalities in primary healthcare usage, hospitalisation and mortality for mental health disorders in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Methods A cohort of 1.2 million low-income adults from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with linked socioeconomic, demographic, healthcare use and mortality records was cross-sectionally analysed. Poisson regression models were used to investigate associations between self-defined race/colour and primary healthcare (PHC) usage, hospitalisation and mortality due to mental disorders, adjusting for socioeconomic factors. Interactions between race/colour and socioeconomic characteristics (sex, education level, income) explored if black and pardo (mixed race) individuals faced compounded risk of adverse mental health outcomes. Results There were 272 532 PHC consultations, 10 970 hospitalisations and 259 deaths due to mental disorders between 2010 and 2016. After adjusting for a wide range of socioeconomic factors, the lowest PHC usage rates were observed in black (adjusted rate ratio (ARR): 0.64; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.68; compared with white) and pardo individuals (ARR: 0.87; 95% CI 0.83 to 0.92). Black individuals were more likely to die from mental disorders (ARR: 1.68; 95% CI 1.19 to 2.37; compared with white), as were those with lower educational attainment and household income. In interaction models, being black or pardo conferred additional disadvantage across mental health outcomes. The highest educated black (ARR: 0.56; 95% CI 0.47 to 0.66) and pardo (ARR: 0.75; 95% CI 0.66 to 0.87) individuals had lower rates of PHC usage for mental disorders compared with the least educated white individuals. Black individuals were 3.7 times (ARR: 3.67; 95% CI 1.29 to 10.42) more likely to die from mental disorders compared with white individuals with the same education level. Conclusion In low-income individuals in Rio de Janeiro, racial/colour inequalities in mental health outcomes were large and not fully explainable by socioeconomic status. Black and pardo Brazilians were consistently negatively affected, with lower PHC usage and worse mental health outcomes.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179448853&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013327
DO - 10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013327
M3 - Article
C2 - 38050408
AN - SCOPUS:85179448853
SN - 2059-7908
VL - 8
JO - BMJ Global Health
JF - BMJ Global Health
IS - 12
M1 - e013327
ER -
