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.

OPRN collects samples from infants, mothers and fathers to reduce preterm birth complications

Every year, more than 50,000 babies are born premature in the United States. Despite the notable advances in neonatal care, these premature infants often suffer from preterm birth complications - the single largest cause of infant mortality. In order to better understand preterm birth, Nationwide Children's Hospital and The Ohio State University Medical Center (OSUMC) have partnered to form the Ohio Perinatal Research Network (OPRN).

8 Dec 2010

Smoking is common among young adults and children with diabetes, raises risk of heart disease

Cigarette smoking is widespread among children and young adults with diabetes yet few health care providers are counseling children and young adults with diabetes to not smoke or stop smoking, according to a new report from the SEARCH Study Group, published online in the Journal of Pediatrics.

7 Dec 2010

New report reveals how African countries are performing in budgeting for their children

A new report launched today by The African Child Policy Forum (ACPF) measures African government’s investment in children and confirms that a country’s commitment to child rights and wellbeing is not dependent on their economic status, but rather on political will and spending priorities.

6 Dec 2010

New web-based CME program to improve cancer care in rural areas

Nearly a quarter of Americans live in rural areas, which consistently report higher cancer mortality rates than urban and suburban areas. Among the complex causes for this disparity is that only 10 percent of physicians practice in rural areas and almost 4 out of 10 rural residents live at least an hour from an urban area. Finding the time, transportation, and financial resources for travel to urban academic medical centers, the standard bearers for quality cancer care, often proves difficult.

4 Dec 2010

Children with developmental disabilities face obstacles in intervention services

A new community-based study by UC Davis researchers has found that children with developmental disabilities in Southeast-Asian-American families face significant obstacles to receiving intervention services. Barriers include lack of accurate information, language difficulties, lack of trust and limited outreach.

3 Dec 2010

New experimental device could offer effective treatment option for people with swallowing disorders

In what might be one of the world's first medicinal body piercings, UC Davis Health System surgeons announced today that they have successfully implanted an experimental device in the throat of a man that will enable him to manually control his ability to swallow.

1 Dec 2010

WHO/UN-HABITAT report documents health disparities facing women in developing country urban areas

Womens News Network/Guardian Development Network examines a WHO/United Nations Human Settlements Programme report released last week that highlighted the health disparities affecting populations living in urban areas.

25 Nov 2010

CCCA to improve Indigenous health services with cultural competency training for NSW GPs and nurses

The Centre for Cultural Competence Australia (CCCA) will provide new online Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competency training to health professionals in New South Wales. Initially, 550 employees from the NSW General Practice Network will be trained in cultural competency, in order to improve the provision of health services for Indigenous communities throughout the state.

24 Nov 2010

aAetna announces pilot with MCNT to improve diabetes care

Aetna today announced a pilot with the Medical Clinic of North Texas aimed at improving the care of diabetic patients of Hispanic and African American descent.

23 Nov 2010

Growing emergency room ‘access block’ problem in Australian hospitals

Shockingly the number of Australians who die waiting for a hospital bed is on par with road deaths said a senior Canberra emergency department doctor. According to Australian National University medical school’s road trauma chairman, Associate Professor Drew Richardson, 30 per cent of emergency wards’ work now involves caring for patients whose initial treatment has ended but still await a bed. He suggested a seven-day-a-week surgical roster to avoid the build-ups of patients that overcrowd wards.

21 Nov 2010

GWCI join forces with Banca Civica to fight cancer in Washington, D.C.

The GW Cancer Institute at The George Washington University Medical Center has joined forces with Banca Civica, a financial institution from Spain pioneering the innovative concept of civic banking, to fight cancer in Washington, D.C.

19 Nov 2010

Report plus Great American Smokeout offer reasons to quit, renew tobacco prevention efforts

A new report issued by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (Blue Cross) shows that each year, smoking is responsible for 5,135 deaths in Minnesota and $2.87 billion in excess medical costs to treat diseases caused by smoking. The report, titled "Health Care Costs and Smoking in Minnesota," was completed by Jeffrey Fellows, Ph.D., and a nationally known health economist from the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest.

18 Nov 2010

National health disparities conference wraps up with creative approaches, expectations for new healthcare reform

Focusing on the disparities in the quality of health care across demographic groups, the Fourth Annual National Conference on Health Disparities brought together White House officials and national and local healthcare executives to address a series of key questions about non-medical determinants of health quality and to recommend strategies to bring more equitable healthcare access to the underserved. The determinants discussed at the four-day-long conference, which began November 10, 2010 and concluded Saturday, November 13, 2010, included education levels, health literacy, poverty, public safety, community design, access to care, environmental quality and personal, government and corporate responsibility.

15 Nov 2010

Acute sleep deprivation increases inflammation: Research

People who sleep poorly or do not get enough sleep have higher levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, researchers have found.

15 Nov 2010

Bristol-Myers Squibb announces first large-scale diabetes initiative to develop self-management program

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today announced Together on Diabetes: Communities Uniting to Meet America's Diabetes Challenge, a 5-year, $100 million initiative to help patients living with type 2 diabetes better manage their disease beyond the doors of their doctor's office in their homes and communities and for the course of their disease.

12 Nov 2010

Political ideology plays larger role than party affiliation on issue of public perception about health disparities

When it comes to public perception about health disparities in the United States, political ideology plays a surprisingly large role - more so even than party affiliation, according to new research by a Michigan State University sociologist.

11 Nov 2010

NJIT expert to discuss history of sickle cell disease at NIH symposium

The history of sickle cell disease in the 20th century and its link to race is the focus of a Nov. 16, 2010 talk at a national symposium by NJIT Associate Professor Stephen Pemberton, PhD, an expert on the history of diseases. Pemberton will speak and join a panel discussion at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, 100th anniversary symposium commemorating the discovery of sickle cell disease by Chicago physician James B. Herrick.

11 Nov 2010

Conference of The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics to focus on health disparities

The 22nd annual conference of The MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics at the University of Chicago will be held at the University of Chicago Law School, 1111 E. 60th Street, on Fri., Nov. 12, from 1 to 5 pm, and Sat., Nov. 13, from 7:30 am to 5:15 pm.

10 Nov 2010

Georgia Tech hosts symposium to discuss sickle cell disease

Georgia Tech will host the Sickle Cell Disease Symposium bringing together researchers, policy experts and community advocates to discuss the latest research and strategies for future success in combating this complex and debilitating blood disorder. The symposium begins at Georgia Tech's Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience on November 4 and concludes the evening of November 5.

4 Nov 2010

PAC points finger at British Labour party for health inequalities

The cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has criticised the British Labor party for allowing inequalities during its 13 years of power. The MPs said on the acute shortage of General Practitioners, “The Department of Health (DoH) should identify, as a matter of urgency, what measures it can take to drive up the numbers of GPs in deprived areas, including using direct financial incentives to encourage GPs into areas of greatest health need.” Tony Blair pledged to put reducing life expectancy differences at the heart of his policy after winning the general election in 1997.

2 Nov 2010