Blacks are less likely than whites to trust doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers, a new study says.

A total of 44.7% of blacks and 33.5% of whites reported low levels of trust in their providers, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study was based on 1999 telephone surveys of 432 blacks and 522 whites.

The results could help providers better understand factors that influence trust in different communities and take steps to foster trust, according to the University of Pennsylvania-based researchers. Training to improve communication with patients may be needed to raise the level of trust for blacks and whites, the authors wrote.