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Greater income inequality associated with more deaths among African Americans

Greater income inequality is linked to more deaths among African Americans, but the effect is reversed among white Americans, who experienced fewer deaths, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

2 Dec 2014

Prevalence of adult smoking is falling in US

The proportion of US adults who smoke has dropped by around 3% (from 2005 to 2013) according to a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

28 Nov 2014

New Drexel study sheds light on the role of socioeconomic environment on diabetes risk

As the linked epidemics of obesity and diabetes continue to escalate, a staggering one in five U.S. adults is projected to have diabetes by 2050.

25 Nov 2014

Study: Disruptions in child care can affect children's social development as early as age 4

A new study from UNC's Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute reveals that disruptions in child care negatively affect children's social development as early as age 4. However, the study also shows that the effects of child care instability are not unduly large--and some types of instability appear to have no negative impact on children.

23 Nov 2014

Poor young people with positive perceptions report better health than people with worse perceptions

Young people growing up in impoverished neighborhoods who perceive their poor communities in a positive light report better health and well-being than those with worse perceptions of where they live, new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

19 Nov 2014

Small financial incentives double smoking cessation rates, study reveals

Offering small financial incentives doubles smoking cessation rates among socioeconomically disadvantaged smokers, according to research from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

18 Nov 2014

Preterm birth becomes world's number one killer of young children

For the first time in history, the complications of preterm birth outrank all other causes as the world's number one killer of young children.

17 Nov 2014

Joseph Assignment Global Initiative to send lifesaving medical items to Liberia and Sierra Leone

The Joseph Assignment Global Initiative, in cooperation with New Faith Baptist Church International will send lifesaving medical items to its teams in Liberia and Sierra Leone to assist doctors on the front line fighting to contain Ebola in West Africa.

6 Nov 2014

New, easy-to-use test to accelerate progress toward eliminating onchocerciasis in Africa

A new test will accelerate global progress toward eliminating onchocerciasis, a leading cause of preventable blindness in Africa. PATH, an international nonprofit health organization, today announced the availability of the SD BIOLINE Onchocerciasis IgG4 rapid test, manufactured and distributed by Standard Diagnostics, Inc.

3 Nov 2014

Special issue of Technology and Innovation includes articles from Patents for Humanity winners

The current special issue of Technology and Innovation, is devoted to patents that benefit people around the world who live with limited resources, in challenging environments, and are in need of better access to basic needs and improved standards of living, health and infrastructure.

31 Oct 2014

Four ACS members named recipients of ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Awards

Earlier this evening, four members of the American College of Surgeons were named recipients of the 2014 ACS/Pfizer Surgical Humanitarian and Volunteerism Awards in recognition of their selfless efforts as volunteer surgeons who provide care to medically underserved patients, domestically and abroad.

30 Oct 2014

Research breakthroughs may pave way for new drugs to fight against parasitic worm infections

Recent breakthroughs may pave the way for vaccines and new drugs for those infected by parasitic helminths. These flatworms, including tapeworms that cause hydatid diseases and neurocysticercosis, liver flukes, and blood flukes (schistosomes), infect more than 300 million people and cause approximately four million disability-adjusted life years lost due to chronic illness and death each year.

28 Oct 2014

Working under hot sun causes health problems for sugarcane harvesters

Hard work under hot sun causes health problems for sugar cane workers in Costa Rica, such as headache, nausea, and renal dysfunction. The presence of symptoms is also expected to increase in line with ongoing climate changes, according to a dissertation from Umeå University.

27 Oct 2014

Employers devise strategies to avoid Obamacare fines

With large companies facing potential fines next year for not offering health insurance, some are looking at approaches such as enrolling employees in Medicaid, reports The Wall Street Journal. Meanwhile, the federal government posts a notice Tuesday saying that it will continue to fund an optional health insurance program for the working poor in 2016.

23 Oct 2014

State highlights: Calif. ballot measure updates; Va. prison health care budget shortfall

A selection of health policy stories from California, Arizona, Maine, South Dakota, Virginia, Maryland, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, Washington state and Missouri.

21 Oct 2014

Research roundup: Malpractice reforms and doctors' practice; Medicaid expansion's effect

Defensive medicine is considered by many to be a major source of wasteful medical spending in the United States.

17 Oct 2014

ORNL's Urban Dynamics Institute supports polio vaccination efforts in developing countries

The new Urban Dynamics Institute at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory is working with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to aid polio vaccination efforts in developing countries.

17 Oct 2014

Study: More interventions needed for people with severe mental illnesses in criminal justice system

Responding to the large number of people with serious mental illnesses in the criminal justice system will require more than mental health services, according to a new report.

16 Oct 2014

Foreign-born residents with low vaccination rates face greater risk of exposure to diseases

Foreign-born residents with low vaccination rates and their relatives in the U.S. are at greater risk of exposure to several vaccine-preventable diseases, e.g. influenza; pneumococcal diseases; tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis; hepatitis A; hepatitis B; shingles; and HPV, the human papilloma virus, which can lead to some types of cancer.