| Definition and use of the variable "race" by medical students in Salvador, Brazil. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 21120431 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: The lack of a clear definition for human "race" and the importance of this topic in medical practice continue to create doubt among scholars. Here, we evaluate the use of the variable "race" by medical students in Salvador, Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study at a Brazilian federal public university. METHODS: 221 randomly selected subjects were included. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. The results were expressed as means and standard deviations of the mean, proportions and frequencies. The χ2 (chi-square) test was used for the statistical calculations. RESULTS: Approximately half of the students (45.4%) used the racial group variable in their studies on clinical practice. Of these, 86.8% considered it to be relevant information in the medical records and 92.7%, important for diagnostic reasoning; 95.9% believed that it influenced the cause, expression and prevalence of diseases; 94.9% affirmed that it contributed towards estimating the risk of diseases; 80.5% thought that the therapeutic response to medications might be influenced by racial characteristics; 41.9% considered that its inclusion in research was always recommendable; and 20.3% thought it was indispensable. The main phenotypic characteristics used for racial classification were: skin color (93.2%), hair type (45.7%), nose shape (33.9%) and lip thickness (30.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the importance of different racial groups in medical practice, the majority of the professionals do not use or know how to classify them. It is necessary to add to and/or expand the discussion of racial and ethnic categories in medical practice and research. |
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Authors:
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Crésio Alves; Michele Souza Dantas da Silva; Luciana Muniz Pinto; Maria Betânia Pereira Toralles; José Tavares-Neto |
Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: São Paulo medical journal = Revista paulista de medicina Volume: 128 ISSN: 1806-9460 ISO Abbreviation: Sao Paulo Med J Publication Date: 2010 Jul |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-12-01 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 100897261 Medline TA: Sao Paulo Med J Country: Brazil |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 206-10 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. |
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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