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.

$3 million NIH grant awarded to investigate the connections between maternal BMI and childhood obesity

Researchers at Michigan State University and Henry Ford Health received a $3 million grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases within the National Institutes of Health to study the connections between maternal body mass index, or BMI, and childhood obesity.

25 Jul 2023

Is there an association between dementia risk and neighborhood disadvantage?

Researchers determined the association between the Area Deprivation Index (ADI) quintile and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) incidence.

24 Jul 2023

Did multimodal in-office/telemedicine prenatal care implemented during the pandemic perform similarly to in-office prenatal care?

Researchers compared the performance of a multimodal prenatal health care model combining in-office and telemedicine visits to an in-office-only model between the pre-pandemic and pandemic period.

20 Jul 2023

Research shows redlining's long-term impact on cardiovascular health of Black adults

The risk of heart failure in the present day was higher among Black adults who lived in U.S. zip codes historically impacted by redlining, according to research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship, peer-reviewed journal Circulation.

17 Jul 2023

US mortality rates far higher than peer nations, leading to millions of "Missing Americans"

A new study found that more than one million US deaths a year-;including many young and working-age adults-;could be avoided if the US had mortality rates similar to its peer nations.

17 Jul 2023

Neighborhood environment can increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalization, study reveals

The range of COVID-19 symptoms varies-;some feel a mild cold, others are hospitalized, while others perish. Many studies have linked the severity of COVID-19 symptoms with an individual's biological factors, but less is known about the impact of non-biological factors, such as the environment in which people live.

14 Jul 2023

Home blood pressure monitoring could reduce cardiovascular events, save healthcare costs

Expanding home blood pressure monitoring among US adults with hypertension could substantially reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and save healthcare costs in the long term, according to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier.

13 Jul 2023

Excessive drinking during the pandemic increased alcoholic liver disease death rates

Excessive drinking during the covid-19 pandemic increased alcoholic liver disease deaths so much that the condition killed more Californians than car accidents or breast cancer, a KFF Health News analysis has found.

12 Jul 2023

Pulse oximetry: A 50-year-old device gets an upgrade

A portable device used to detect blood oxygen levels revolutionized the medical field 50 years ago and is now receiving essential updates

7 Jul 2023

Study sheds light on the long-term effects of COVID-19 on minority groups

A new study conducted by researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel has shed light on the long-term impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life among different ethnic groups in the country. The study, part of a larger cohort project, highlights a significant discrepancy between Arabs and Druze, and Jews, with the two former groups experiencing a more pronounced decline in quality of life one year after infection.

5 Jul 2023

Ever-growing global diabetes burden exacerbated by large-scale inequity

Despite increased awareness and ongoing multinational efforts, diabetes is pervasive, exponentially growing in prevalence, and outpacing most diseases globally, according to a new Series published in The Lancet and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journals.

5 Jul 2023

Stroke Ready intervention shows promise in improving equity in stroke treatment

The use of thrombolysis, medications to break up blood clots, for acute ischemic stroke reduces post-stroke disability, but it is underutilized.

3 Jul 2023

BMI cutoff for shoulder replacement surgery could lead to health disparities, MUSC surgeon warns

In June, the American Medical Association announced a new policy that encourages physicians not to focus solely on body mass index, or BMI, as a determinant of weight and health.

28 Jun 2023

New Charleston museum nods to historical roots of us health disparities

Maude Callen, a Black nurse-midwife, delivered more than 800 infants across the South Carolina Lowcountry starting in the 1920s, when segregation made it difficult for Black people to get medical care.

27 Jun 2023

$9.8 million NCI grant aims to combat cancer disparities

Weill Cornell Medicine and Columbia University have been awarded a $9.8 million, five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, to help combat cancer disparities fueled by persistent poverty.

26 Jun 2023

AHA awards $20 million to address health challenges in rural communities

People who live in rural areas of the U.S. are 40% more likely to develop heart disease and have a 30% higher risk of stroke than people who live in urban areas, according to data reported in the 2020 Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.

23 Jun 2023

Climate change threatens human health: Urgent action needed to address inequities and reduce carbon footprint

Researchers explore the contribution of climate change to health disparities among susceptible individuals.

22 Jun 2023

Study examines the relationship between pre-existing disease and COVID-19 outcomes in the Midwest

A study of more than three-quarters of a million Indiana COVID-19 cases is one of the first to focus on the disease in the Midwest.

22 Jun 2023

Study identifies socioeconomic disparities in the health behaviors of Japanese adolescents before and during COVID-19

A study by Assistant Professor KYAN Akira (Department of Social Epidemiology, Graduate School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Kyoto University; while conducting the study, Graduate School of Human Development and Environment, Kobe University) and Professor TAKAKURA Minoru (Health Promotion & Development / School Health Division, Faculty of Medicine & Graduate School of Health Sciences, University of the Ryukyus) found for the first time that socioeconomic inequality in achieving recommended physical activity levels among Japanese youth increased while difference in breakfast intake decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to levels before the pandemic.

21 Jun 2023

NCCN guidelines establish an equitable standard of care for cancer outcomes

Today, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®)-;an alliance of leading cancer centers-;convened a policy summit to examine how geography impacts cancer outcomes.

16 Jun 2023