Monthly Archive for October 2009
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October 29, 2009
links for 2009-10-29
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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a user-friendly document to help risk assessors understand how children are exposed to pollution.
More information on the documents: http://www.epa.gov/childexpfactors/highlights
A new study by Oregon State University researchers shows that those in poverty in rural Oregon often know what kinds of foods they should be eating, but face tough choices between eating well and spending less money for meals.
Posted by: Staff on October 29, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading
October 28, 2009
Health Disparities Lectures Posted on Website
During this fall semester at Case Western Reserve University, the Center for Reducing Health Disparities has been videotaping lecturers for the graduate health disparities course that is offered for nursing, medicine, public health, social work, epidemiology and biostatistics students. We are pleased to announce that we are posting those lectures to our website at www.ReduceDisparity.org. Please visit the education tab to see the variety of lectures offered including:
- Introduction to Health Disparities
- Evaluation of Health Programs
- Health Disparities in Asthma
- Model Community-Health Programs (breast cancer, re-entry, dental programs)
There are more lectures to come as well. Please visit our website for more information.
Posted by: Staff on October 28, 2009
Category: Breast Cancer; Cultural competency; Dental Care; Disparities; Genetics; Global Health Care Justice; Health Disparities; Health Disparities Class; Health Disparities Course; Hispanic Health; Ohio; Pollution; Public Health; Racial Disparities; Research; air quality; asthma; case western; health care access
links for 2009-10-28
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Three studies presented this week at the American College of Gastroenterology's 74th Annual Scientific meeting in San Diego underscore the growing disparities in gastrointestinal disease, particularly colon cancer and Barrett's Esophagus, among certain ethnic and gender populations, including African Americans, Latinos and women. These race- and gender-specific disparities underscore the need for education and vigilance among these populations and perhaps more aggressive screening tactics than the population in general.
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The study, reported in The Cereal Food Advertising to Children and Teens Score (FACTS) Report, was part funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and was conducted by researchers from Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. It is being presented at Obesity 2009, the 27th annual scientific meeting of The Obesity Society, in Washington on 27 October. One of the findings from the researchers was that not one the cereals targeted to children in the US meets the nutrition standard required to advertise to children in the United Kingdom..
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The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, examined data from national surveys taken from 1988 to 1994 and a second time period, from 1999 to 2004. In both time periods, men had more heart attacks than women. But the rates in men improved from 2.5% in the first time frame to 2.2% in the second time frame while women’s rates increased from 0.7% to 1%.
Posted by: Staff on October 28, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading
October 15, 2009
links for 2009-10-15
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"End-of-life care discussions appeared to be more effective in ensuring that white patients' treatment preferences were honored," said Holly Prigerson, PhD, senior author of the report in The Journal of Clinical Oncology. The study is posted on the journal's web site and will be published in a future print edition.
Posted by: Staff on October 15, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading
October 14, 2009
links for 2009-10-14
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A new study recently published online by the American Heart Journal shows that more than half of all randomized clinical trials, or RCTs, for cardiovascular disease are not reporting vital information about the study populations race or ethnicity.
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The study published in the medical journal Chest, found that among 1,485 asthmatic children from four U.S. states, black children were twice as likely as white children to have gone to the emergency room for an asthma attack in the past year. Overall, 39 percent of black children had visited the ER, compared with 18 percent of white children.
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A study being published today in the Archives of Internal Medicine calculates that people who live in neighborhoods that are conducive to physical activity and healthy eating have a 38% reduced risk of developing diabetes compared with people who don’t.
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Children in Philadelphia who attended public schools and shopped at corner stores before or after school purchased almost 360 calories of foods and beverages per visit, according to new research published in Pediatrics.
Posted by: Staff on October 14, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading
October 12, 2009
Children On Medicaid Still Face Difficulty Getting Dental Care
The Associated Press is reporting on the continuing problem of getting children proper dental care. Medicaid does cover dental care, but finding dentists that accept Medicaid is a challenge.
State officials told the GAO that many children can't find dentists who accept Medicaid, and dental providers cite low reimbursement rates and patients skipping appointments as challenges to treating kids in the federal-state health insurance program for the poor.
Part of the problem is that there is no way of knowing how many of the children on Medicaid actually see a dentist. The Government Accountability Office recommended that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services "develop a plan for sharing promising practices among states and reviewing dental services in states with low access rates."
Click here to read the article.
Posted by: Staff on October 12, 2009
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October 10, 2009
links for 2009-10-10
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Discussion of a new report by the Commonwealth Fund that shows the wide disparities in health care across the U.S. and how each state fares in comparison.
Posted by: Staff on October 10, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading
October 06, 2009
links for 2009-10-06
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"Women's health advocates say issues such as maternity coverage and fair pricing affect far more women, who have received inadequate care and coverage for too long."
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The rates are highest in Africa, but North America follows closely behind, concludes the first part of the report, a collaboration with the World Health Organization. The report, and its implications, are to be discussed this week at a child health meeting in India.
Posted by: Staff on October 06, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading
Breast Reconstruction Varies By Race
Researchers (Amy Alderman et al) at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have published a study on the October 5 online version of the Journal of Clinical Oncology where they found that language barriers in non-English speaking Latinas were a factor in whether or not reconstructive breast surgery occurred.
Receipt of breast reconstruction varied significantly by patient race/ethnicity (40.9% of whites, 33.5% of African Americans, 41.2% of highly acculturated Latinas, and only 13.5% of less acculturated Latinas; P < .0001). Nearly 14% of less acculturated Latinas said they did not know how to get breast reconstruction, compared with less than 2% for all other groups (P<.001).
The lower rates in limited English speaking populations did not represent a lack of interest in reconstruction. The researchers suggest that there should be increased efforts to present breast reconstruction options to patients. Stronger efforts should be made particularly to those who speak limited English.
For more information, you can read a description in Medical News Today or the article at the Journal of Oncology webpage.
Posted by: Staff on October 06, 2009
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October 02, 2009
links for 2009-10-02
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"Before 1990, the mortality rate for both rural and urban communities had been about the same — and both were decreasing. Death rates in rural and urban America have continued to decrease since 1990, but the rate of decline has been much faster in urban areas" reports the Daily Yonder.
Posted by: Staff on October 02, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading
October 01, 2009
links for 2009-10-01
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This 8 page brief uses data from the 2008 Ohio Family Health Survey and identifies disparities in health behaviors, risk factors, family income and other issues.
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Breast Cancer Facts & Figures 2009-2010 was released September 30, and it shows that breast cancer deaths have been falling in the US since the early 1990s, with the biggest drops in women under 50. However, as of 2006, breast cancer death rates were 38 per cent higher in African American women than white women. The report provides possible explanations for that disparity.
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There is rejoicing today at agencies that work with recipients of food vouchers through the Women, Infants and Children program in California. Starting Thursday, WIC recipients -- more than 8 million of them -- will be able to use vouchers to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, under a program revision that has been years in the making.
Posted by: Staff on October 01, 2009
Category: Lunch Break Reading