Black men more likely to follow doctors’ orders if the doctor is black

A new study found that black men who were seen by black male doctors were significantly more likely to follow certain preventive measure when compared with black men who saw doctors who were white or Asian.

The study showed that 63% of the black men assigned to a black doctor agreed to diabetes screening while only 43% of those assigned to a doctor who was white or Asian agreed to the screening. Additionally, 62% of black men with a black doctor agreed to cholesterol tests, compared with 36% of black men who met with a doctor that was not black.

An August 20, 2018 New York Times article noted that only 4% of doctors in the U.S. are black. David Cutler, a professor in the Department of Global Health and Population at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, told the Times that medical professionals should pay close attention to the findings.

“The magnitude of the effect is so huge, how can you ignore it,” said Cutler, who was not involved with the study.

Read the New York Times article: The Secret to Keeping Black Men Healthy? Maybe Black Doctors