Improving the Collection of National Health Data: the Case for the Middle Eastern and North African Checkbox for Communities in the USA.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is reviewing current minimum standards for collecting race/ethnicity data on federal forms. This review is extremely important for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Americans, who have been overlooked and unable to receive federal funding for their communities for decades. MENA individuals are defined as "White," which is particularly concerning given that research continues to identify that their health and lived experiences differ from Whites. From January to April 2023, the OMB requested public comments on a separate MENA checkbox. The purpose of this research was to describe public comments regarding the addition of the MENA checkbox on the US Census and other federal forms. A public comment period outlining changes to the collection of race/ethnicity data on the US Census and other federal forms opened in January 2023. Public comments were reviewed to determine whether MENA was mentioned, whether comments supported a MENA checkbox, and whether comments mentioned acceptance for health-related reasons. There were 6700 comments reviewed. Most (73.88%) mentioned adding a MENA checkbox. Of those, 99.31% accepted adding the checkbox. Among the comments that accepted adding a MENA checkbox, 29.09% mentioned health, 44.75% mentioned linguistic/language services, and 44.75% mentioned education-related reasons. Overall, the comments reviewed demonstrated strong acceptance of the addition of a MENA checkbox on federal forms. These findings are encouraging, yet further review is needed to contribute to the OMB's final decision on whether to add the checkbox and uncover the health of this population.

Kindratt TB 《-》

Improving the Collection of National Health Data: The Case for the Middle Eastern and North African Checkbox in the United States.

Kindratt TB 《-》

COVID-19 Disparities Among Arab, Middle Eastern, and West Asian Populations in Toronto: Implications for Improving Health Equity Among Middle Eastern and North African Communities in the United States.

Sharif MZ ，Maghbouleh N ，Baback Boozary AS 《-》

Disparities in Health Insurance Among Middle Eastern and North African American Children in the US.

Dallo FJ ，Brown KK ，Obembe A ，Kindratt T ... -  《-》

Middle Eastern and North African Americans may not be perceived, nor perceive themselves, to be White.

People of Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) descent are categorized as non-White in many Western countries but counted as White on the US Census. Yet, it is not clear that MENA people see themselves or are seen by others as White. We examine both sides of this ethnoracial boundary in two experiments. First, we examined how non-MENA White and MENA individuals perceive the racial status of MENA traits (external categorization), and then, how MENA individuals identify themselves (self-identification). We found non-MENA Whites and MENAs consider MENA-related traits-including ancestry, names, and religion-to be MENA rather than White. Furthermore, when given the option, most MENA individuals self-identify as MENA or as MENA and White, particularly second-generation individuals and those who identify as Muslim. In addition, MENAs who perceive more anti-MENA discrimination are more likely to embrace a MENA identity, which suggests that perceived racial hostility may be activating a stronger group identity. Our findings provide evidence about the suitability of adding a separate MENA label to the race/ethnicity identification question in the US Census, and suggest MENAs' official designation as White may not correspond to their lived experiences nor to others' perceptions. As long as MENA Americans remain aggregated with Whites, potential inequalities they face will remain hidden.

Maghbouleh N ，Schachter A ，Flores RD 《-》