Poverty News and Research

RSS

Democrats work to reauthorize, expand SCHIP while Bush administration tries to limit program growth

Congressional efforts to reauthorize SCHIP, which expires on Sept. 30, are "intensifying," but the Bush administration "has taken several steps to slow momentum for expansion of the program," the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 7/9).

10 Jul 2007

Obesity associated with lower risk of active pulmonary tuberculosis in older population of Hong Kong

Obese or overweight Chinese individuals age 65 and older have a lower risk of developing tuberculosis than those at a normal weight, according to a study in the June 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

26 Jun 2007

Free insecticidal bednets, not social marketing, key to controlling malaria in Africa

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine's Professor Chris Curtis has joined the Earth Institute's Professor Jeffrey Sachs to call for the mass distribution of free insecticidal bed nets to replace social marketing as a means of controlling malaria in Africa.

26 Jun 2007

Racial disparities in the U.S.

How much do white Americans think it “costs” to be black in our society, given the problems associated with racial bias and prejudice?

23 Jun 2007

WHO-based tropical disease research programme to focus on emerging diseases

The World Health Organization (WHO) based Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) has adopted a new strategy for strengthening and expanding research to prevent and control 'infectious diseases of poverty.'

22 Jun 2007

Columbia dentists target chronic oral health problems in sub-Saharan Africa

A new initiative from Columbia University Medical Center will be the first to target chronic oral health problems in sub-Saharan Africa, where the vast majority of chronic diseases are left undetected and untreated.

19 Jun 2007

Gaps in diabetes care identified

A symposium, sponsored by the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, Joslin Diabetes Center and the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing identified barriers to, and strategies for, more effective diabetes self management and reaffirmed the nurse's critical role to facilitate better patient self care.

17 Jun 2007

The big donor shortage

Associate Professor Catherine Waldby of the University of Sydney looks at the fraught and often frightening world of organ donation in an opinion piece.

16 Jun 2007

Child care trends

As baby boomers age and women with young children return to the work force, families are increasingly turning to paid workers to care for children and elderly parents and grandparents.

8 Jun 2007

Link between khat use and mental illness

Researchers investigating the evidence for a potential causal link between khat use and mental illness - in the first ever systematic review of the topic - have called for improved research on the stimulant plant, and its possible association with psychiatric disorders.

5 Jun 2007

Urgent need for countries to provide a network of community mental health services

For the first time, WHO invited people living with mental disorders to attend the Forum, sending a message to countries that it is important to give a voice to this excluded group to claim their rights and secure their participation in society.

3 Jun 2007

Depression among type 2 diabetes rural Appalachian clinic attendees

In Appalachia, diabetes hits hard. Depression does, too. Together, they form a difficult pair to beat.

28 May 2007

Disadvantaged TB patients urgently need social support to make medical treatment more effective

Greater social support is urgently needed to meet the complex needs of the growing number of socially disadvantaged UK residents suffering from Tuberculosis (TB), according to a study in the latest Journal of Advanced Nursing.

24 May 2007

Self-confidence pays dividends

Believing in yourself may be good for the soul, but it can also be good for the bank account, according to a new University of Florida study that finds self-confidence can translate into earning hundreds of thousands of dollars more over a lifetime.

18 May 2007

High-quality child care for poor children found to offset the risk of later depression

Young adults from low-income families who were in full-time early educational child care from infancy to age 5 report fewer symptoms of depression than their peers who were not in this type of care.

18 May 2007

American College of Physicians commends introduction of Bipartisan Health CARE Act

The American College of Physicians (ACP) has commended Marcy Kaptur and Steven C. LaTourette, members of Congress, for their bipartisan sponsorship of the Health Coverage, Affordability, Responsibility and Equity (CARE) Act.

18 May 2007

Structural brain development and behavior from birth to young adulthood

Yes, there are gender differences in cognitive function, but they're more limited than previously thought.

18 May 2007

Research into poverty-conditioned diseases

As part of a new funding initiative, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is promoting projects in which German and African scientists carry out joint research on infectious diseases.

15 May 2007

One-third of pregnancies in the United States are unwanted

That is, 2 million of the 6.4 million pregnancies in 2001 were unwanted (most recent data available). Over half (54%) of unwanted pregnancies occur to women in their twenties. And there is evidence that the rate of unwanted pregnancies may be increasing.

10 May 2007

States increasingly expanding SCHIP coverage to middle-class families

Several states are working to raise income eligibility limits for SCHIP, despite White House opposition, AP /Long Island Newsday reports. According to a survey conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, 18 states already have received federal approval to offer SCHIP coverage to families with annual incomes greater than 200% of the federal poverty level -- the income threshold established when SCHIP began a decade ago.

1 May 2007