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Validation of an Arab name algorithm in the determination of Arab ancestry for use in health research.

Objective. Data about Arab-Americans, a growing ethnic minority, are not routinely collected in vital statistics, registry, or administrative data in the USA. The difficulty in identifying Arab-Americans using publicly available data sources is a barrier to health research about this group. Here, we...

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Published in:Ethnicity & Health Vol. 15; no. 6; pp. 639 - 648
Main Authors: El-Sayed, Abdulrahman M., Lauderdale, Diane S., Galea, Sandro
Format: research tables/charts Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Ltd Dec2010
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
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      dt: Dec2010
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        10.1080/13557858.2010.505979
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        atl: Validation of an Arab name algorithm in the determination of Arab ancestry for use in health research.
      aug:
        au:
          El-Sayed, Abdulrahman M.
          Lauderdale, Diane S.
          Galea, Sandro
        affil: Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Department of Public Health, Oxford University, Oxford, UK, Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Arabs
          Social Identity
          Descriptive Statistics
          Female
          Funding Source
          Human
          Male
          Michigan
          Predictive Value of Tests
          Self Report
          Sensitivity and Specificity
          Female
          Male
      ab: Objective. Data about Arab-Americans, a growing ethnic minority, are not routinely collected in vital statistics, registry, or administrative data in the USA. The difficulty in identifying Arab-Americans using publicly available data sources is a barrier to health research about this group. Here, we validate an empirically based probabilistic Arab name algorithm (ANA) for identifying Arab-Americans in health research. Design. We used data from all Michigan birth certificates between 2000 and 2005. Fathers' surnames and mothers' maiden names were coded as Arab or non-Arab according to the ANA. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of Arab ethnicity inferred using the ANA as compared to self-reported Arab ancestry. Results. Statewide, the ANA had a specificity of 98.9%, a sensitivity of 50.3%, a PPV of 57.0%, and an NPV of 98.6%. Both the false-positive and false-negative rates were higher among men than among women. As the concentration of Arab- Americans in a study locality increased, the ANA false-positive rate increased and false-negative rate decreased. Conclusion. The ANA is highly specific but only moderately sensitive as a means of detecting Arab ancestry. Future research should compare health characteristics among Arab-American populations defined by Arab ancestry and those defined by the ANA.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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