In honor of National Minority Health Month, our blog looks at how diversity in clinical trials can improve public health. Clinical trials are vital to medical research to test the effectiveness and safety of potential treatments, so these studies must accurately represent the population they’re serving. Learn more on this relevant topic below!
A Moment of Awareness
It all started with a mission: to raise awareness of health disparities among minority populations in the United States and the need for a focused effort to eliminate them. To honor this effort, National Minority Health Month was launched, but why is observing this month important today? Increased awareness about the diversity of minority backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles helps inform medical practitioners in properly addressing their well-being. Inclusion must remain a foundational factor in curating medical care moving forward to ensure total accuracy in representation and treatment.
Liver and Kidney Disease: Prevalence in Minorities
Over 100 million people live with liver disease in the U.S. alone, while 37 million are dealing with chronic kidney disease. These are significant numbers. Unfortunately, minority communities have increasingly been shown to be more at risk. Research has shown that African Americans and Latinx communities face disproportionately high rates of renal and hepatic illnesses. According to a report by the American Diabetes Association, African American adults are 3 times more likely to be affected by end-stage renal disease than white Americans. Similarly, Hispanic adults are 1.5 times more likely to experience this life-threatening condition.
Other minorities with an increased prevalence include Asian Americans with liver cancer and Native Americans with cirrhosis. Recognizing these trends is essential to ensuring everyone has access to high-quality health care that can avert such conditions. It’s equally important for individuals belonging to minority groups (at higher risk) to routinely check their health. In order to stay on top of any unusual signs or symptoms.
The Importance of Representation in Clinical Trials
Diversity in clinical trials is essential in creating a trusting relationship between participants and scientists. If a study’s participants reflect the population at large, they’ll be more likely to feel comfortable with the process, increasing trust. Diversifying clinical trials also gives us better insights into how medications and treatments work for different demographics, which can further inform our overall understanding of the target audience for many of these medications. Embracing diversity leads to improved credibility and accuracy in all of our research – so let’s make sure that everyone has a seat at the table!
At Clinical Pharmacology of Miami, we want to ensure everyone feels included. Join us in our journey to diversify clinical trials and together make the medical advancements of tomorrow today! Browse our upcoming studies or contact us at (305) 817 – 2900 to learn how you can get involved.
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