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Attitudes and Actions Related to Racism: the Anti-RaCism (ARC) Survey Study

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Abstract

Background

Racism negatively impacts health and well-being. Members of the medical community must intervene to address racism.

Objective

To assess whether attitudes about the impact of racism on health or society are associated with intervening around racism.

Design

Cross-sectional survey of a large department of medicine in an urban academic setting.

Participants

Interns, residents, fellows, and faculty.

Main Measures

The primary outcome was the likelihood of intervening around an observed racist encounter or a racist policy. Predictor variables included age, gender identity, race/ethnicity, and attitudes about racism.

Key Results

Although the majority of the 948 respondents endorsed the impact of racism on health and other societal effects, levels of endorsement were lower among older individuals, or those reporting male gender identity or selecting other race. Higher endorsement of the impact of racism on health was associated with increased odds of speaking up about a racist encounter or racist policy, with odds ratios from 1.18 to 1.30 across scenarios. Likelihood of speaking up about racism did not differ by racial or ethnic group, but older individuals were generally more likely to speak up and individuals between 20 and 29 years of age were more likely to speak with someone other than leadership or the source of a racist encounter.

Conclusions

Awareness of the effects of racism on health is associated with increased likelihood of intervening when a racist encounter is observed or a racist policy is noted. Including information on the impact of racism on health and creating safe spaces to discuss racism may increase the likelihood of bystander intervention in anti-racism strategies.

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Funding

Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Medicine

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Endocrine Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 50 Blossom Street, Thier 1051, Boston, MA, 02114-2696, USA

    Sherri-Ann M. Burnett-Bowie MD, MPH

  2. Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Jessica A. Zeidman MD, Alexander E. Soltoff, Aisha K. James MD, Med & Katrina A. Armstrong MD, MSCE

  3. Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Kylee T. Carden

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Aisha K. James MD, Med

Authors
  1. Sherri-Ann M. Burnett-Bowie MD, MPH
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  2. Jessica A. Zeidman MD
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  3. Alexander E. Soltoff
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  5. Aisha K. James MD, Med
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Correspondence to Sherri-Ann M. Burnett-Bowie MD, MPH.

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The protocol was considered exempt by the Massachusetts General Hospital Institutional Review Board.

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Burnett-Bowie, SA.M., Zeidman, J.A., Soltoff, A.E. et al. Attitudes and Actions Related to Racism: the Anti-RaCism (ARC) Survey Study. J GEN INTERN MED 37, 2337–2344 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-07385-1

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