Health Disparities News and Research

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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.

Excessive drinking during the pandemic increased alcoholic liver disease death rates

Excessive drinking during the covid-19 pandemic increased alcoholic liver disease deaths so much that the condition killed more Californians than car accidents or breast cancer, a KFF Health News analysis has found.

12 Jul 2023

Pulse oximetry: A 50-year-old device gets an upgrade

A portable device used to detect blood oxygen levels revolutionized the medical field 50 years ago and is now receiving essential updates

7 Jul 2023

Study sheds light on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on minority groups

A new study conducted by researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel has shed light on the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life among different ethnic groups in the country. The study, part of a larger cohort project, highlights a significant discrepancy between Arabs and Druze, and Jews, with the two former groups experiencing a more pronounced decline in quality of life one year after infection.

5 Jul 2023

Ever-growing global diabetes burden exacerbated by large-scale inequity

Despite increased awareness and ongoing multinational efforts, diabetes is pervasive, exponentially growing in prevalence, and outpacing most diseases globally, according to a new Series published in The Lancet and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journals.

5 Jul 2023

Stroke Ready intervention shows promise in improving equity in stroke treatment

The use of thrombolysis, medications to break up blood clots, for acute ischemic stroke reduces post-stroke disability, but it is underutilized.

3 Jul 2023

BMI cutoff for shoulder replacement surgery could lead to health disparities, MUSC surgeon warns

In June, the American Medical Association announced a new policy that encourages physicians not to focus solely on body mass index, or BMI, as a determinant of weight and health.

28 Jun 2023

New Charleston museum nods to historical roots of us health disparities

Maude Callen, a Black nurse-midwife, delivered more than 800 infants across the South Carolina Lowcountry starting in the 1920s, when segregation made it difficult for Black people to get medical care.

27 Jun 2023

$9.8 million NCI grant aims to combat cancer disparities

Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University have been awarded a $9.8 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, to help combat cancer disparities fueled by persistent poverty.

26 Jun 2023

AHA awards $20 million to address health challenges in rural communities

People who live in rural areas of the U.S. are 40% more likely to develop heart disease and have a 30% higher risk of stroke than people who live in urban areas, according to data reported in the 2020 Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

23 Jun 2023

Climate change threatens human health: Urgent action needed to address inequities and reduce carbon footprint

Researchers explore the contribution of climate change to health disparities among susceptible individuals.

22 Jun 2023

Study examines the relationship between pre-existing disease and COVID-19 outcomes in the Midwest

A study of more than three-quarters of a million Indiana COVID-19 cases is one of the first to focus on the disease in the Midwest.

22 Jun 2023

Study identifies socioeconomic disparities in the health behaviors of Japanese adolescents before and during COVID-19

A study by Assistant Professor KYAN Akira (Department of Social Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Kyoto University; while conducting the study, Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University) and Professor TAKAKURA Minoru (Health Promotion & Development / School Health Division, Faculty of Medicine & Graduate School of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus) found for the first time that socioeconomic inequality in achieving recommended physical activity levels among Japanese youth increased while difference in breakfast intake decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to levels before the pandemic.

21 Jun 2023

NCCN guidelines establish an equitable standard of care for cancer outcomes

Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)-;an alliance of leading cancer centers-;convened a policy summit to examine how geography impacts cancer outcomes.

16 Jun 2023

Routine testing may help to reduce health disparities for people with peripheral artery disease

Low-cost, routine testing may help to reduce disparities and health care costs for people with peripheral artery disease (PAD), according to a new scientific statement from the American Heart Association, published today in the Association's flagship peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

15 Jun 2023

New research compiles evidence on homelessness and health in Ireland

Homelessness levels are continuing to rise in most of Europe, but Ireland is unique in the severity of recent national spikes in homelessness.

14 Jun 2023

$78.4 million NIH grant supports Tufts CTSI to advance clinical and translational science research

Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute has received a $78.4 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the NIH, the fourth consecutive grant since its founding in 2008.

10 Jun 2023

Bilingual, automated health tool effective in reducing alcohol use among Latino patients

An automated, bilingual, computerized alcohol screening and intervention health tool is effective in reducing alcohol use among Latino emergency department patients in the U.S., according to a study led by the University of California, Irvine.

7 Jun 2023

Fred Hutch experts highlight research on cancer treatment advances, survivorship and precision oncology at ASCO

At the 2023 American Society for Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting—to be held June 2-6 in Chicago, Illinois—Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center experts will present research spanning survivorship, advances in treatments and clinical trials, how access to cancer care affects outcomes, integrative medicine and more.

5 Jun 2023

Most American Indian/Alaska Native women of childbearing age have suboptimal heart health, AHA reports

Heart health risks emerge early in life in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) women and are increased by social factors -; like high levels of experiencing violence and traumatic life events -; and disproportionately high rates of Type 2 diabetes, smoking and obesity, according to a new scientific statement published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a peer-reviewed American Heart Association journal.

31 May 2023

Physical activity in the afternoon provides greatest improvements in glucose control for patients with type 2 diabetes

Over 37 million Americans have diabetes, and 90-95% of that population are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

25 May 2023