Observational analysis indicates racial microaggressions affect healthcare engagement in American Indian and Alaska Native people, suggesting systemic bias exists.
Objectives. To investigate racism in the health care setting experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native people and its influence on health care engagement. Methods. Data were collected via self-report surveys administered in person at two community powwows in Denver, Colorado in 2021 and 2022. Results. Approximately one-third (29.8%) of American Indian and/or Alaska Native respondents reported having a health care visit where they felt uncomfortable due to their race. Of those, 51% were less likely to see a doctor in the future because of these experiences. Experiences were categorized as racial microaggressions and overt racism. Conclusions. American Indian and Alaska Native people experience racial microaggressions and overt racism during health care visits, leading to decreased likelihood of engaging with health care in the future.
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Kohn et al. (2025) studied this question.
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