Health Disparities News and Research

RSS

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.

Aetna honored with 2014 Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities Award

Aetna was honored today by the National Business Group on Health (NBGH) with the 2014 Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities Award. Aetna is a three-time recipient of the award that recognizes organizations for their commitment to equality in health care and exceptional support for cultural diversity.

8 Mar 2014

E-cigarettes: New route to conventional smoking and nicotine addiction for teenagers

E-cigarettes, promoted as a way to quit regular cigarettes, may actually be a new route to conventional smoking and nicotine addiction for teenagers, according to a new UC San Francisco study.

7 Mar 2014

Mailing test results to patient’s home increase colon cancer screening rates by 40%

Colon cancer screening rates increased by nearly 40 percent when free stool tests were mailed to patients' homes, according to results of a pilot study published today in the journal BMC Cancer.

27 Feb 2014

Fred Hutchinson, SCCA researchers receive Seattle Business Magazine's 2014 Leaders in Health Care Awards

Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Seattle Cancer Care Alliance (SCCA) were recognized in several categories of Seattle Business Magazine's 2014 Leaders in Health Care Awards, including the publication's Lifetime Achievement Award, given to Frederick R. Appelbaum, M.D., executive vice president and deputy director of Fred Hutch and president of SCCA.

26 Feb 2014

Researchers examine what dosages of asthma medications works best in African Americans

The University of Illinois at Chicago has received funding from the National Institutes of Health to determine what combination and dosages of asthma medications works best to manage asthma in African Americans, who suffer much higher rates of serious asthma attacks, hospitalizations and asthma-related deaths than do white patients.

20 Feb 2014

Physicians’ attitudes about obesity may affect patients’ success in losing weight

Overweight and obese people who feel their physicians are judgmental of their size are more likely to try to shed pounds but are less likely to succeed, according to results of a study by Johns Hopkins researchers.

19 Feb 2014

Persons with severe symptoms of mental illness are at higher risk for being HIV-infected

People receiving mental health care are up to four times more likely to be infected with HIV than the general population, according to a new study published Feb. 13 in the American Journal of Public Health from researchers at Penn Medicine and other institutions who tested over 1,000 patients in care in Philadelphia and Baltimore.

14 Feb 2014

Albert Einstein College professor receives AAAS 2013 Newcomb Cleveland Prize

A study describing the complete wiring diagram for the part of the nervous system that controls mating behavior in male roundworms was chosen as the most outstanding paper published in Science in the year June 2012 to May 2013.

13 Feb 2014

Study: Gays and lesbians face several health disparities relative to heterosexual peers

Gay, lesbian and bisexual people face several health disparities relative to their heterosexual peers, finds a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

12 Feb 2014

Study examines how political values influence public response to messages about health disparities

Policymakers and advocates discussing health disparities in the United States would be wise to consider the political affiliation of their audience, suggests a new study published in the Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives (2014).

11 Feb 2014

Penn Medicine launches program to improve health of LGBT individuals

Penn Medicine is the first academic medical center in Philadelphia - one among just a handful of academic medical centers in the U.S.—to launch a program across multiple professional schools and affiliated hospitals at Penn to improve the health of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals.

9 Feb 2014

Chemical "signature" in blood may predict which AML patients would benefit from chemotherapy

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and Montefiore Medical Center have found a chemical "signature" in blood-forming stem cells that predicts whether patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) will respond to chemotherapy.

4 Feb 2014

State highlights: N.Y. insurer will reinstate young adult coverage

A selection of health policy stories from New York, California, Virginia, South Carolina, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia and Colorado.

31 Jan 2014

Center for Health Program Management announces grant to implement Positive Youth Justice Initiative

The Center for Health Program Management, and funding partners Sierra Health Foundation, The California Endowment and The California Wellness Foundation announced that $1.6 million in grant funding has been awarded to four counties to implement an innovative approach to juvenile justice reform known as the Positive Youth Justice Initiative.

30 Jan 2014

Gap continues to grow between urban and rural residents in life expectancy

Reducing health inequalities and increasing life expectancy in the United States have both been primary goals of the national health initiative, Healthy People 2020. Unfortunately, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, over a 40-year period, rural residents have experienced smaller gains in life expectancy than their urban counterparts and the gap continues to grow.

24 Jan 2014

State highlights: Minn. improves hospital safety

A selection of health policy news from Minnesota, Georgia, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Iowa and Virginia.

24 Jan 2014

UTSA and Health Science Center receive grant to prevent substance abuse, HIV/AIDS transmission among young adults

The UTSA Institute for Health Disparities Research in the College of Liberal and Fine Arts and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Division of Community Pediatrics have been awarded $900,000 in funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) for a collaborative project between a Minority-Serving Institution and Community-Based Organization(s) to prevent and reduce Substance Abuse (SA) and HIV/AIDS transmission among young adults.

24 Jan 2014

Study examines direct and indirect costs associated with health inequalities for minority men in the U.S.

African-American men incurred $341.8 billion in excess medical costs due to health inequalities between 2006 and 2009, and Hispanic men incurred an additional $115 billion over the four-year period, according to a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study, published this week in the International Journal of Men's Health, looks at the direct and indirect costs associated with health inequalities and projects the potential cost savings of eliminating these disparities for minority men in the U.S.

23 Jan 2014

Study identify key barriers associated with lack of cancer screenings in Appalachian women

A new study by University of Kentucky researchers shows that women who never or rarely screen for breast cancer are also unlikely to receive screening for cervical cancer. The study also identified four key barriers independently associated with the lack of these cancer screenings in Appalachian women.

23 Jan 2014

State highlights: R.I. Gov. plans $43M in Medicaid cuts; N.M. judge rules in favor of 'aid to dying'; long-term care protections still awaited in Mass.

A selection of health policy stories from Rhode Island, California, Massachusetts, Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Missouri and Minnesota.

22 Jan 2014

Health Disparities News and Research

Further Reading

Aetna honored with 2014 Innovation in Reducing Health Care Disparities Award

E-cigarettes: New route to conventional smoking and nicotine addiction for teenagers

Mailing test results to patient’s home increase colon cancer screening rates by 40%

Fred Hutchinson, SCCA researchers receive Seattle Business Magazine's 2014 Leaders in Health Care Awards

Researchers examine what dosages of asthma medications works best in African Americans

Physicians’ attitudes about obesity may affect patients’ success in losing weight

Persons with severe symptoms of mental illness are at higher risk for being HIV-infected

Albert Einstein College professor receives AAAS 2013 Newcomb Cleveland Prize

Study: Gays and lesbians face several health disparities relative to heterosexual peers

Study examines how political values influence public response to messages about health disparities

Penn Medicine launches program to improve health of LGBT individuals

Chemical "signature" in blood may predict which AML patients would benefit from chemotherapy

State highlights: N.Y. insurer will reinstate young adult coverage

Center for Health Program Management announces grant to implement Positive Youth Justice Initiative

Gap continues to grow between urban and rural residents in life expectancy

State highlights: Minn. improves hospital safety

UTSA and Health Science Center receive grant to prevent substance abuse, HIV/AIDS transmission among young adults

Study examines direct and indirect costs associated with health inequalities for minority men in the U.S.

Study identify key barriers associated with lack of cancer screenings in Appalachian women

State highlights: R.I. Gov. plans $43M in Medicaid cuts; N.M. judge rules in favor of 'aid to dying'; long-term care protections still awaited in Mass.

Sensing a Healthier Future

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Latest News