FAIR SHARES IN HEALTH-CARE - ETHNIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC INFLUENCES ON RECORDING OF PREVENTIVE CARE IN SELECTED INNER LONDON GENERAL PRACTICES

Objective-To describe the association of ethnic and socioeconomic stat us with recording of preventive care information by selected general p ractitioners. Design-Random selection of people aged 20-64 registered with 43 general practitioners. Ethnic and social characteristics of st ratified samples were determined at interview in the subject's home. R ecording of preventive information was ascertained from general practi tioners' medical records. Setting-Inner London borough of Tower Hamlet s. Subjects-505 out of 739 people confirmed as resident at their home address (190 white, 86 black, 112 Bangladeshi, 105 Chinese or Vietname se, 12 other). Main outcome measures-Socioeconomic characteristics, co nsultation with general practitioner, and recorded preventive activiti es for ethnic groups. Results-Minority ethnic groups were considerably more disadvantaged than white people and five times more likely to be overcrowded (31% v 6%), three times less likely to own their own home (11% v 37%), twice as likely to be in social classes IV and V (54% v 28%) and less likely to be employed (34% v 63%). There were no signifi cant differences between white, black, Bangladeshi, and Chinese or Vie tnamese subjects in recording of smoking, blood pressure, alcohol cons umption, weight, and height in the general practitioners' medical reco rds, White women were more Likely to have a record of mammography (46% v 20%; P = 0.03) and of cervical smears than women in minority ethnic groups. Conclusion-Despite major socioeconomic inequity, equitable re cording of preventive activity for the major causes of death for white , black and Bangladeshi populations is possible. Chinese and Vietnames e people had lower levels of recording and consultation Mammography an d, to a lesser extent, cervical cytology are inequitably recorded and require additional support at practice level.