Health Disparities News and Research RSS Feed - Health Disparities News and Research

Health disparities (also called healthcare inequality in some countries) refer to gaps in the quality of health and health care across racial, ethnic, sexual orientation and socioeconomic groups.
Health disparities not connected to lack of exercise, Vanderbilt study finds

Health disparities not connected to lack of exercise, Vanderbilt study finds

Health disparities between white and black adults in the South are not connected to a lack of exercise but more likely related to other factors such as access to health care, socioeconomic status and perhaps genetics, according to a Vanderbilt study published in the journal PLOS ONE. [More]
New combination therapies with anti-sickling capabilities needed for sickle cell disease

New combination therapies with anti-sickling capabilities needed for sickle cell disease

Pain is an undeniable focal point for patients with sickle cell disease but it's not the best focus for drug development, says one of the dying breed of physicians specializing in the condition. [More]
Research findings could lead to novel approaches for eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1

Research findings could lead to novel approaches for eliminating reservoirs of HIV-1

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered how the protein that blocks HIV-1 from multiplying in white blood cells is regulated. [More]
Study compares clinical outcomes of routine screening mammography with and without CAD

Study compares clinical outcomes of routine screening mammography with and without CAD

A costly and widely used mammography add-on increases detection of noninvasive and early-stage invasive breast cancer but also makes more mistakes than mammography alone, researchers from UC Davis and the University of Washington have found. [More]

Church members view health ministry as more desirable source of health information

African Americans who believe their church is responsible for promoting health in their members and the community are also more willing to attend church-based health fairs, according to a new study in Health Promotion Practice. [More]
ACOEM provides tools, resources to help employers identify and respond to impact of COPD

ACOEM provides tools, resources to help employers identify and respond to impact of COPD

Awareness campaign for the workplace provides tools and information on preventing and managing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease - the third leading cause of death in the U.S. [More]
UTHealth study explores ways to reduce infant exposure to secondhand smoke

UTHealth study explores ways to reduce infant exposure to secondhand smoke

A study to investigate whether a hospital-initiated behavioral therapy program conducted in the neonatal intensive care unit can reduce secondhand smoke in homes with infants at risk for pulmonary problems has been launched by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. [More]
American Cancer Society announces new research, training grants for fiscal year 2013

American Cancer Society announces new research, training grants for fiscal year 2013

The American Cancer Society, the largest non-government, not-for-profit funding source of cancer research in the United States, has awarded 175 national research and training grants totaling $79,073,250 for fiscal year 2013. [More]

Fighting for abortion rights in Ecuador

Writing in RH Reality Check, Heather Sayette of Planned Parenthood Global/Latin America examines how Ecuador's newly re-elected President Rafael Correa this week "voiced unconditional support for contraception, including emergency contraception." [More]
Researcher awarded NIH grant to study drug-related health disparities in African-Americans

Researcher awarded NIH grant to study drug-related health disparities in African-Americans

Your body's ability to effectively respond to stress may be an indicator of your vulnerability to use and abuse drugs. [More]
Brown University professor awarded grant to study childhood obesity among Southeast Asians

Brown University professor awarded grant to study childhood obesity among Southeast Asians

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation's leading philanthropy on health and health care, has awarded Akilah Dulin Keita, Brown University Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, a 24-month grant through the New Connections program. [More]

Global interconnectedness influences population health

In a global health review article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Anthony McMichael of the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University examines the effects of globalization and "international connectivity" on "human health, international health care, and public health activities." [More]
UAB School of Nursing offers health care services in rural communities

UAB School of Nursing offers health care services in rural communities

"If individuals, families, and communities don't have access, then they don't have the opportunity for a better life," asserts University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing Dean Doreen C. Harper, PhD, RN, FAAN. [More]
Research findings could lead to new targets for treating inflammatory disorders

Research findings could lead to new targets for treating inflammatory disorders

Researchers at UC Davis have shown how the innate immune system distinguishes between dangerous pathogens and friendly microbes. Like burglars entering a house, hostile bacteria give themselves away by breaking into cells. However, sensing proteins instantly detect the invasion, triggering an alarm that mobilizes the innate immune response. [More]
Racial disparties in autism treatment

Racial disparties in autism treatment

The need for professional care of African-American children with autism can go unmet. Some of the disparity could stem from cultural differences in parental perceptions of behavior, says autism expert Margaret C. Souders, PhD, RN, assistant professor of human genetics at Penn Nursing. [More]
Smokers trying to quit will have better experience with varenicline, study finds

Smokers trying to quit will have better experience with varenicline, study finds

Smokers have a higher probability of quitting smoking and a better overall cessation experience when taking varenicline compared to bupropion and to placebo - unmedicated assisted smoking cessation -according to a study published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. [More]

Geiger Gibson Program announces recipients of 2013 Emerging Leaders Award

Each year, the Geiger Gibson Program in Community Health Policy of the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services honors young Emerging Leaders in community health. [More]
Study: Hospital culture is major driver of use of intravenous blood clot filtering devices

Study: Hospital culture is major driver of use of intravenous blood clot filtering devices

An evaluation of practice patterns in California hospitals showed a large variation in the use of metal devices called inferior vena cava filters, or VCFs, despite little evidence of their safety and effectiveness. [More]

Research findings could lead to new therapeutic strategy for heart failure

New research from UC Davis published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that blocking an enzyme that promotes inflammation can prevent the tissue damage following a heart attack that often leads to heart failure. [More]

Study reveals how adolescent brain matures as they sleep

New study conducted by monitoring the brain waves of sleeping adolescents has found that remarkable changes occur in the brain as it prunes away neuronal connections and makes the major transition from childhood to adulthood. [More]