Poverty News and Research

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First Edition: May 7, 2010

Today's health policy headlines explore a range of issues -- from how health reform politics are playing in midterm election campaigns to hospital action in the marketplace.

7 May 2010

Over 22% of non-elderly Americans may be denied coverage due to pre-existing health conditions

Approximately 57.2 million people under the age of 65—more than one in five (22.4 percent) of America's non-elderly population—have a diagnosed pre-existing condition that could lead to a denial of coverage in the individual health insurance market, according to a report released today by the consumer health organization Families USA.

7 May 2010

APA president highlights challenges faced in child healthcare

Whether you live in Haiti or in Harlem, the impact of poverty is the same. Children suffer from poor nutrition, environmental degradation, violence and poor development in the U.S. just as they do in less developed nations, and the consequences can be equally profound, according to Dr. Danielle Laraque, MD, president of the Academic Pediatric Association (APA).

7 May 2010

LSTM launches European Union funded adolescent reproductive health programme in Africa

LSTM has launched a four year programme to improve the delivery of reproductive health services in Tanzania and Niger. The programme, funded by the European Union, has been designed by LSTM and the seven project partners to highlight and address the cultural barriers which reduce the reach and effectiveness of existing adolescent reproductive health (ARH) services in partner countries.

7 May 2010

ALMA launches malaria drive on opening day of WEF on Africa

The African Leaders Malaria Alliance, comprised of the heads of 26 countries, on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Africa "launched a fresh drive to eliminate malaria using a combination of bed nets, insecticides and medication," Reuters reports (Nyambura-Mwaura, 5/5).

7 May 2010

Advocates ask donor nations, African Governments to maintain health commitments as WEF on Africa starts

As the 2010 World Economic Forum on Africa begins Wednesday in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, advocates from more than 10 African countries plan to "stage a demonstration" highlighting the need for funding for HIV/AIDS and other diseases, health-e reports (Thom, 5/5).

6 May 2010

Parents shoulder burden of launching their children into adulthood: Study

Despite living in an age of iPads and hybrid cars, young Americans are more like the young adults of the early 1900s than the baby boom generation: They are living at home longer, are financially insecure and are making lower wages.

5 May 2010

AU chair discusses proposed food security compact ahead of World Economic Forum on Africa

Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika "said he planned to work with other African leaders to devise a programme on food security that was sustainable 'regardless of who is looking at it,' and set up what he called an African compact on food security to act as an independent advisory body to the African Union on agriculture and food issues," the Guardian's "Katine" blog reports.

5 May 2010

Children with hearing loss in one ear have poorer oral language scores: Study

By the time they reach school age, one in 20 children have hearing loss in one ear. That can raise significant hurdles for these children, say the results of a new study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, because loss of hearing in one ear hurts their ability to comprehend and use language.

5 May 2010

Study highlights high prevalence of GDM during pregnancy

Living in a food-insecure household during pregnancy may increase the odds of greater weight gain and pregnancy complications, particularly gestational diabetes mellitus, according to a new study published in the May issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

4 May 2010

Opinions: Malaria bed net concerns; Catholic Church's humanitarian work; Abortion, global health; Foreign aid reform; Canada's G8 initiative

"To date, millions of dollars from international agencies, NGOs and USAID have been spent to get treated nets into the hands of impoverished, sub-Saharan Africans [to prevent malaria]. ... But, as even the staunchest advocate will admit, the treated nets were not designed with the cultural preferences of the rural African villager in mind," Sonia Shah, author of upcoming book about malaria, writes in a Los Angeles Times opinion piece.

4 May 2010

Research roundup: Managing nursing home patients, streamlining medical billing, financial disclosures

Saving Billions Of Dollars--And Physicians' Time--By Streamlining Billing Practices - "The U.S. system of billing third parties for health care services is complex, expensive, and inefficient," write the authors, who analyzed Massachusetts General Physicians Organization staffing and cost data in fiscal year 2006.

3 May 2010

Children living in kinship care experience a multitude of health issues

It is well-known that children in foster care are at increased risk for physical and mental health problems. But what about kids who live with relatives other than their birth parents?

3 May 2010

Communities with active participants demonstrate lower levels of crime, death rates

In a set of papers just published in two leading scholarly journals, LSU sociology professor Matthew Lee reports that both violent crime and all-cause mortality rates are on average substantially lower in communities with a vibrant civic climate.

30 Apr 2010

NGOs outraged at developments of current meeting of Global Fund Board to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

NGOs are outraged at developments of the current Board meeting of the Global Fund Board to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, currently taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. Many donor governments are promoting the establishment of a ceiling on the next round of disease fight grants to developing countries.

29 Apr 2010

New research indicates Canadians live longer than Americans

Compared to their neighbours south of the border, Canadians live longer, healthier lives. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Population Health Metrics has found this disparity between the two countries, suggesting that America's lack of universal health care and lower levels of social and economic equality are to blame.

29 Apr 2010

Uninsured patients less likely to receive critical care services

Among the general U.S. population, people who are uninsured are about half as likely to receive critical care services as those with insurance, according to systematic review of the literature by the American Thoracic Society's Health Disparities Group.

29 Apr 2010

Trade negotiations between EU, India could affect access to low-cost generics

The Associated Press examines the ongoing free-trade negotiations between the EU and India - a country that according to PricewaterhouseCoopers currently "makes one-fifth of the world's generics." The negotiations "could make it harder for millions … across the developing world to get lifesaving drugs. The deal is taking shape as India tries to transform itself from a generics powerhouse into a base for drug discovery - a trend that could ultimately do more than any trade agreement to curtail its reign as a pharmacy to the poor."

28 Apr 2010

Disadvantaged urban preschoolers more likely to struggle on playgrounds, athletic fields: Study

Disadvantaged urban preschoolers aren't only at risk for failure in the classroom - they are likely to struggle on playgrounds and athletic fields as well, research suggests.

27 Apr 2010

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

As G8 development leaders gather in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week to discuss priorities for the upcoming summit, Josette Sheeran, executive director of the WFP, calls for world leaders to focus on the nutritional needs of mothers and children in developing countries in a Toronto Star opinion piece.

27 Apr 2010

Poverty News and Research

First Edition: May 7, 2010

Over 22% of non-elderly Americans may be denied coverage due to pre-existing health conditions

APA president highlights challenges faced in child healthcare

LSTM launches European Union funded adolescent reproductive health programme in Africa

ALMA launches malaria drive on opening day of WEF on Africa

Advocates ask donor nations, African Governments to maintain health commitments as WEF on Africa starts

Parents shoulder burden of launching their children into adulthood: Study

AU chair discusses proposed food security compact ahead of World Economic Forum on Africa

Children with hearing loss in one ear have poorer oral language scores: Study

Study highlights high prevalence of GDM during pregnancy

Opinions: Malaria bed net concerns; Catholic Church's humanitarian work; Abortion, global health; Foreign aid reform; Canada's G8 initiative

Research roundup: Managing nursing home patients, streamlining medical billing, financial disclosures

Children living in kinship care experience a multitude of health issues

Communities with active participants demonstrate lower levels of crime, death rates

NGOs outraged at developments of current meeting of Global Fund Board to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

New research indicates Canadians live longer than Americans

Uninsured patients less likely to receive critical care services

Trade negotiations between EU, India could affect access to low-cost generics

Disadvantaged urban preschoolers more likely to struggle on playgrounds, athletic fields: Study

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

Event guide: 4th Extra-Hepatic Lipid-Based Nanoparticles Delivery Summit eBook

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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