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.

Researchers identify potential approach to eliminate race from equations to estimate kidney function

Researchers have identified an approach to remove race from equations used to estimate a person's kidney function. These equations have been criticized for potentially perpetuating racial health disparities. The findings, reported September 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine, are expected to inform National Kidney Foundation–American Society of Nephrology Task Force guidelines on evaluating kidney function.

24 Sep 2021

New report outlines a race-free approach to diagnose kidney diseases

The National Kidney Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology Task Force on Reassessing the Inclusion of Race in Diagnosing Kidney Diseases has released its final report, which outlines a new race-free approach to diagnose kidney disease.

23 Sep 2021

California’s reboot of troubled Medi-Cal puts pressure on health plans

When Denise Williams' baby boy was 2 months old, she became alarmed by a rattling sound in his lungs and took him to the emergency room. While undergoing treatment, he spiraled into a disabling neurological disorder.

21 Sep 2021

Gun violence exposure linked to increased odds of mental health-related ED visits among children

Exposure to neighborhood gun violence is associated with increased odds of mental health-related pediatric Emergency Department (ED) visits among children living within four to five blocks of a shooting, according to research by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, published today in JAMA Pediatrics.

20 Sep 2021

CDC to invest $2.1 billion to improve safety and quality of healthcare in the U.S.

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a $2.1 billion investment to improve infection prevention and control activities across the U.S. public health and healthcare sectors.

18 Sep 2021

Health Secretary gives blood sample for new genomic sequencing program

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid visited Great Ormond Street Hospital today to provide a blood sample for a genomic sequencing programme aimed at tackling disparities in health.

18 Sep 2021

Grants to promote COVID-19 vaccination among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than the general population. Their heightened risk is due to a variety of causes: pre-existing health conditions, such as respiratory problems or obesity; increased likelihood of living in group homes, taking shared transportation, and being exposed to people outside their households; and struggles with safety precautions like mask-wearing or social distancing.

16 Sep 2021

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives $5 million NIH grant for IDD research

Albert Einstein College of Medicine has received a five-year, $5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to support the Rose F. Kennedy Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, which has been at the forefront of research on normal and abnormal brain development for more than 50 years.

15 Sep 2021

New CDC data shows a significant rise in number of states with adult obesity prevalence

The number of states in which at least 35% of residents are obese has nearly doubled since 2018 – and disparities persist – according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

15 Sep 2021

Study compares three types of state legislations aimed at ensuring adequate nurse staffing

Across the nation, states are grappling with alternative approaches to address the heightened problem of low nurse staffing in hospitals.

10 Sep 2021

New Columbia-Pfizer Clinical Trials Diversity Initiative aims to reduce health disparities

Columbia University Irving Medical Center, its Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Pfizer Inc. have established the Columbia-Pfizer Clinical Trials Diversity Initiative, with the aim of reducing health disparities by increasing the participation of underrepresented minorities in clinical trials and enhancing the diversity of clinical researchers.

9 Sep 2021

Study finds increasing disparities in opioid overdose deaths for Black people

Non-Hispanic Black individuals in four U.S. states experienced a 38% increase in the rate of opioid overdose deaths from 2018 to 2019, while the rates for other race and ethnicity groups held steady or decreased, according to a new study by the National Institutes of Health published in the American Journal of Public Health.

9 Sep 2021

Healthy plant-based foods may lower COVID-19 risk and severity

Although metabolic conditions such as obesity and type 2 diabetes have been linked to an increased risk of COVID-19, as well as an increased risk of experiencing serious symptoms once infected, the impact of diet on these risks is unknown.

9 Sep 2021

Laws designed to aid at-risk women may help catch breast cancer earlier

Laws designed to help women with increased risk for missed breast cancer diagnoses may help catch the disease earlier, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. They studied how notification and insurance coverage legislation for women with dense breast tissue affects the stage at which their cancer is diagnosed.

9 Sep 2021

OHID will launch on 1st October to tackle health inequalities across the UK

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities will officially launch on 1 October with the aim of tackling health inequalities across the country. It will be co-led by newly appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer (DCMO), Dr Jeanelle de Gruchy.

4 Sep 2021

Study highlights the impact of Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 Remote Patient Monitoring Program

A study by Mayo Clinic investigators highlights the development and implementation of Mayo Clinic's large-scale COVID-19 Remote Patient Monitoring Program, which has served more than 7,000 patients across 41 states.

4 Sep 2021

CDC awards more than $300 million funding to support CHWs fighting COVID-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded more than $116 million in year one, of a three-year, $348 million program, to organizations for community health worker services to support COVID-19 prevention and control.

4 Sep 2021

Study finds highest BMI for kids in Midwest and lowest in the West

A study examining the body mass index (BMI) of over 14,000 children from birth to age 15 shows those in the Midwest have the highest BMI levels while kids in the West have the lowest, suggesting regional influences may play a role in the development of childhood obesity.

2 Sep 2021

Sugar reduction in packaged foods could generate significant health and economic gains

Cutting 20% of sugar from packaged foods and 40% from beverages could prevent 2.48 million cardiovascular disease events (such as strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests), 490,000 cardiovascular deaths, and 750,000 diabetes cases in the U.S. over the lifetime of the adult population, reports a study published in Circulation.

27 Aug 2021

AHA special issue focuses on health disparities among racial, ethnic communities

Poverty and Black race were associated with higher rates of lower leg amputation among people with peripheral artery disease who live in metropolitan areas, according to new research published today in a special issue of the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

25 Aug 2021

Health Disparities News and Research

Further Reading

Researchers identify potential approach to eliminate race from equations to estimate kidney function

New report outlines a race-free approach to diagnose kidney diseases

California’s reboot of troubled Medi-Cal puts pressure on health plans

Gun violence exposure linked to increased odds of mental health-related ED visits among children

CDC to invest $2.1 billion to improve safety and quality of healthcare in the U.S.

Health Secretary gives blood sample for new genomic sequencing program

Grants to promote COVID-19 vaccination among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities

Albert Einstein College of Medicine receives $5 million NIH grant for IDD research

New CDC data shows a significant rise in number of states with adult obesity prevalence

Study compares three types of state legislations aimed at ensuring adequate nurse staffing

New Columbia-Pfizer Clinical Trials Diversity Initiative aims to reduce health disparities

Study finds increasing disparities in opioid overdose deaths for Black people

Healthy plant-based foods may lower COVID-19 risk and severity

Laws designed to aid at-risk women may help catch breast cancer earlier

OHID will launch on 1st October to tackle health inequalities across the UK

Study highlights the impact of Mayo Clinic's COVID-19 Remote Patient Monitoring Program

CDC awards more than $300 million funding to support CHWs fighting COVID-19

Study finds highest BMI for kids in Midwest and lowest in the West

Sugar reduction in packaged foods could generate significant health and economic gains

AHA special issue focuses on health disparities among racial, ethnic communities

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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