Annual income, age, marital status, and smoking influence healthcare access among American minorities and Caucasians with knee osteoarthritis

This study examined the associations between annual income, age, marital status, smoking status, and healthcare access in American minority and Caucasian populations with or at high risk for knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The Osteoarthritis Initiative provided data on 4674 Americans aged between 45 and 79 years with or at increased risk for KOA. We categorized the participants into American minorities (such as African Americans, Asians, or other non-whites) and Caucasians based on racial and ethnic backgrounds. A multinomial regression analysis revealed that American minorities having an annual income of <$50,000 and who were single, divorced, or widowed were 3.82- and 2.19-times more likely not to have healthcare access, respectively. For Caucasians, age ≥65, annual household income <$50,000, and present or past smoking habit were 2.34-, 1.93-, and 1.50-times more likely not to access healthcare, respectively. American minorities and Caucasians who either had KOA or were at high risk for developing it and had lower annual income had a greater likelihood of not accessing healthcare. Age ≥65 years and smoking history impacted healthcare access in Caucasians, whereas American minorities were more affected by being single, divorced, or widowed.