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.

Treating migraines with behavioral approaches can make financial sense

Treating chronic migraines with behavioral approaches - such as relaxation training, hypnosis and biofeedback - can make financial sense compared to prescription-drug treatment, especially after a year or more, a new study found.

6 Jul 2011

Study finds two reasons behind racial disparities in stroke treatment care

African-Americans are less likely than whites to receive critical stroke treatment primarily because they do not get to a hospital soon enough for time-sensitive treatment and because of preexisting medical conditions. For patients who are eligible for treatment, no racial disparity was found.

2 Jul 2011

Infected astrocytes can cause neuroAIDS

A longstanding medical mystery - why so many people with HIV experience memory loss and other cognitive problems despite potent antiretroviral therapy - may have been solved by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.

2 Jul 2011

Significant gap exists in emergency care services for stroke patients

citywide study published online in today's issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association demonstrates racial disparities in the use of clot-busting drugs to treat acute ischemic stroke, the most common type of stroke.

2 Jul 2011

Black church members report better quality of life than general population

Health disparities between black Americans and the rest of the nation have been well-documented in medical journals. But one study shows that blacks who identify as members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church actually report a better quality of life than the average American.

28 Jun 2011

State highlights: Calif. insurance regulatory system criticized

The two-headed beast that regulates health insurance in California is under fire. For the first time in a decade, healthcare leaders in Sacramento are publicly asking whether it's time to junk overlapping bureaucracies that police health insurers and HMOs (Helfand, 6/23).

24 Jun 2011

Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation awards grants to empower African American women with type 2 diabetes

The Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation today awarded five grants totaling $1.5 million to organizations that will empower African American women with type 2 diabetes to better manage their disease while also leveraging their standing as leaders in their families and communities to influence the health of those around them.

24 Jun 2011

CHW interventions linked to increased rates of mammography screening

Education, referrals, support and other interventions by community health workers improve rates of screening mammography in the United States - especially in medical and urban settings and among women whose race and ethnicity is similar to that of the community health workers serving them.

24 Jun 2011

Study finds improvement in quality of health care for minority stroke patients

After years of research have shown that minorities do not receive the same quality of health care as whites do, a new study suggests there has been some improvement in reducing the gap, at least for stroke patients.

21 Jun 2011

Insights into why African Americans with dental insurance receive poorer dental care

African Americans receive poorer dental care than white Americans, even when they have some dental insurance coverage. To better understand why this is so, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the College of Dental Medicine, surveyed African American adults with recent oral health symptoms, including toothaches and gum disease.

18 Jun 2011

CRMH hosts educational conference to close the gap in health disparities

Health care reform, environmental disasters and access to care are just a few of the topics offered at the 9th Annual Disparities in Health in the Global Context Summer Workshop.

18 Jun 2011

HHS announces funding opportunity for national networks of community-based organizations

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced a funding opportunity for national networks of community-based organizations to apply for more than $4 million in cooperative agreements.

17 Jun 2011

Researchers identify key molecule responsible for breast tumor metastasis

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified a key player in the spread of breast cancer. The findings, published today in the online edition of Nature, identify a critical molecule that helps cancer spread beyond the primary tumor.

9 Jun 2011

Doctors' move to electronic records requires serious commitment

The federal stimulus and health care laws are pushing medical providers to go electronic as a way to improve patient safety and track health care quality. ... But moving away from paper files to an electronic health record system requires serious commitment on several levels. First, they're expensive. ... Second, the learning curve can be painful.

8 Jun 2011

Einstein health expert plays an important role in development of U.S. News 'Best Diets' rankings

Yasmin Mossavar-Rahmani, Ph.D., R.D. of Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University played an important role in the development of the "Best Diets" rankings, which U.S. News released today.

8 Jun 2011

Maternal-child health disparities need to be addressed in the U.S., says expert

Despite billions of dollars spent on health care each year, the United States ranks 27th out of 33 developed countries for life expectancy at birth. Leading causes of infant mortality are complications related to pre-term birth or low birth weight-outcomes that have been linked with domestic violence.

8 Jun 2011

Ovarian cancer screenings do not reduce risk of death

A University of Alabama at Birmingham study released today reports that ovarian cancer screenings do not reduce a woman's risk of death from the disease and the invasive medical procedures may create associated health problems.

7 Jun 2011

Survival rates of wealthier patients with glioblastoma are longer than poorer patients

Survival rates of wealthier patients and those younger than 70 with glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor, have improved since 2000, whereas rates for those living in poorer areas and older than 70 have remained stagnant, according to an abstract being presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago by Thomas Jefferson University Hospital researchers on Saturday, June 4.

4 Jun 2011

Study assesses public's willingness to consider pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention

In a recent clinical trial, non-HIV-infected individuals who used the antiretroviral drug Truvada on a daily basis cut their risk of becoming infected with HIV by 44 percent.

4 Jun 2011

Increase breast feeding rates by extending maternity leave: Study

According to new research published in the journal Pediatrics if the United States wants to significantly increase its breast-feeding rates, extending women's maternity leave would be a good place to start.

31 May 2011