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An Analysis of Racial Diversity in the Breast Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery Literature.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Chawla, S; Shihadeh, H; Patel, A
Published in: Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open
August 2022

BACKGROUND: Racial disparities in the visual representation of patients in the plastic surgery literature can contribute to health inequities. This study evaluates racial diversity in photographs published in the aesthetic and breast reconstruction literature. METHODS: A photogrammetric analysis of plastic surgery journals from the USA, Canada, and Europe was performed. Color photographs depicting human skin, pertaining to breast reconstruction and aesthetic surgery in 2000, 2010, and 2020, were categorized as White (1-3) or non-White (4-6) based on the Fitzpatrick scale. RESULTS: All journals demonstrated significantly more White skin images than non-White for all procedures (P < 0.05) except blepharoplasty and rhinoplasty. Blepharoplasty was the only procedure with more non-White images (P = 0.02). When examining USA journals, significant differences were not found in blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, and male chest surgery. European journals published a greater proportion of non-White images than USA journals (P < 0.0001). There was a decreasing rate of change in diversity with 15.5% of images being non-White in 2000, 32.7% in 2010, and 40.7% in 2020 (P < 0.01). Percentage of non-White images varied by geographical region and ranged from 3.6% in Oceania to 93.5% in Asia (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Diversity of patient populations depicted in plastic surgery literature has increased over the past two decades. Despite this improvement, the racial diversity seen in photographs published in the literature does not adequately reflect this demographic for aesthetic and breast procedures. Equitable visual representation may promote cultural competency and improve care for the populations we serve.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open

DOI

ISSN

2169-7574

Publication Date

August 2022

Volume

10

Issue

8

Start / End Page

e4487

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • 3213 Paediatrics
  • 3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis
  • 3202 Clinical sciences
 

Citation

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MLA
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Chawla, S., Shihadeh, H., & Patel, A. (2022). An Analysis of Racial Diversity in the Breast Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery Literature. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open, 10(8), e4487. https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000004487
Chawla, Sahil, Hanaa Shihadeh, and Ashit Patel. “An Analysis of Racial Diversity in the Breast Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery Literature.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open 10, no. 8 (August 2022): e4487. https://doi.org/10.1097/GOX.0000000000004487.
Chawla S, Shihadeh H, Patel A. An Analysis of Racial Diversity in the Breast Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery Literature. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2022 Aug;10(8):e4487.
Chawla, Sahil, et al. “An Analysis of Racial Diversity in the Breast Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery Literature.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open, vol. 10, no. 8, Aug. 2022, p. e4487. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000004487.
Chawla S, Shihadeh H, Patel A. An Analysis of Racial Diversity in the Breast Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery Literature. Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2022 Aug;10(8):e4487.

Published In

Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open

DOI

ISSN

2169-7574

Publication Date

August 2022

Volume

10

Issue

8

Start / End Page

e4487

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • 3213 Paediatrics
  • 3211 Oncology and carcinogenesis
  • 3202 Clinical sciences