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I'm excited to share our @CDCMMWR report on #COVID19 among American Indian/Alaska Native persons. If I could convey 1 msg to #epitwitter: please check your missing COVID race/ethnicity data & consider the bias it introduces. DATA QUALITY MATTERS! 1/ https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6934e1.htm?s_cid=mm6934e1_e&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM35683#contribAff
COVID incidence in Native persons was 3.5 times that of white persons. Much of the report is on data quality issues we encountered. Fewer than HALF of states had race data completeness sufficient to report fairly. Pls consider checking that in your own COVID race analyses. 2/
Data were not missing equally. We wanted to analyze comorbidities, but they were only available for 11% of Native vs. 28% white patients & could not be reliably reported. Other hospital data are also disproportionately missing for Native persons. 3/
Accurate measurement/analysis of race is important. This work was a collab among CDC, IHS, & tribal epi centers, who recommended using these best practices for AI/AN data. I highly recommend reading & using these. 4/ https://www.uihi.org/resources/best-practices-for-american-indian-and-alaska-native-data-collection/
This report summarizes some key surveillance challenges. Incomplete data, inconsistent reporting across states, & demographics definitions may seem boring, but they have consequences for health equity and resource allocation. 5/
#medtwitter, please consider how your clinic can improve COVID race data reporting practices. Resources, training, & public health infrastructure are so important for achieving this. This thread is my personal opinion only, not an official CDC statement. 6/
MMWR on AI/AN COVID & data quality disparities: @TheUIHI @JuliaRaifman @NMRelleno @CarlosdelRio7 @drmt @Jlguest @DrOniBee @nataliexdean @SaskiaPopescu @SafAriInTheCity @Theresa_Chapple @lindsistweeting @EpiEllie @bethlinas @choo_ek https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6934e1.htm?s_cid=mm6934e1_e&deliveryName=USCDC_921-DM35683#contribAff
