To determine if race/ethnicity impacts disclosure of erectile function.
Data on age, education, erectile function, and past medical history were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Response rates to a single survey question regarding erectile function were calculated and compared between race/ethnicity groups. Two subgroups were created by excluding non-responders to questions about hypertension and prostate disease to control for overall non-responsiveness and urologic health literacy.
Our final cohort consisted of 4,694 men. Overall, 3,898 (83.0%) responded to the erectile function survey question. Race/ethnicity was a significant factor in overall response rates to the EF question: 85.2% in non-Hispanic White, 82.3% in non-Hispanic Black, 81.2% in Hispanic, and 64.8% in other subjects (p<0.001). Race/ethnicity remained significantly associated with responses rates among both subgroups. Multivariate logistic regression using the prostate disease subgroup showed that non-Hispanic Black (AOR=2.02, 95% CI 1.01-4.03, p=0.047) and Hispanic (AOR=2.18, 95% CI 1.19-4.00, p=0.012) participants were significantly more likely to not disclose their erectile function compared to non-Hispanic White participants after controlling for age and education.
Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic men were significantly less likely to disclose their erectile function than non-Hispanic White men in an anonymous, nationally representative survey. A better understanding of how cultural differences affect reporting of erectile function is important in improving patient care and accurately studying outcomes of urological procedures.
Urology. 2022 Jun 06 [Epub ahead of print]
Jacob M Gaines, Eric J Macdonald, Aaron J Smith, Michael A Diefenbach, Darius A Paduch
The Smith Institute for Urology, Northwell Health, 450 Lakeville Rd New Hyde Park, New York., The Smith Institute for Urology, Northwell Health, 450 Lakeville Rd New Hyde Park, New York. Electronic address: .