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.

New study on disparities in maternal and infant health

Eliminating health disparities between different racial/ethnic subgroups is a national priority. Even at the earliest stages of pregnancy, disparities in health are evident.

12 Oct 2004

Black women are three times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy

Black women are three times more likely than white women to die during pregnancy, and twice as many black babies as white babies die in infancy. Yet researchers know little about why pregnancy and infant health differ by race, despite massive efforts to address this persistent problem.

10 Oct 2004

Patients as well as doctors need to learn to become better communicators with each other

The failure to communicate effectively during medical visits can cause far worse damage than a mild case of frustration, studies show.

23 Sep 2004

Latinos living in the United States have high rates of eye disease and visual impairment

Researchers found that Latinos had high rates of diabetic retinopathy, an eye complication of diabetes; and open-angle glaucoma, a disease that damages the optic nerve.

9 Aug 2004

New initiative aimed at reducing the excessively high rates of stroke

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has announced approximately $2 million in grant awards to support a new initiative aimed at reducing the excessively high rates of stroke, stroke disabilities and stroke deaths that disproportionately occur in the southeastern region of the United States.

5 Aug 2004

Physicians treating blacks more often reported that they lacked sufficient access to major health care resources

If you are a black Medicare patient in the United States, you are more likely than a white Medicare patient to be treated by a primary care physician who reports being unable to provide consistently high-quality medical care to all patients.

5 Aug 2004

New initiative to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced last night during a visit to Navajo Country $4.25 million to support a new initiative to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in infant mortality.

21 Jul 2004

Tobacco, obesity, HIV/AIDS and immigrant health addressed by members of congress

Members of Congress, public health experts, community leaders and citizens of South Florida convened today to address racial and ethnic health disparities in the areas of tobacco, obesity, immigrant health and HIV/AIDS.

11 Jul 2004

First recipients of the Fogarty-Ellison Fellowship in Global Health and Clinical Research

The Fogarty International Center (FIC) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announces the first recipients of the Fogarty-Ellison Fellowship in Global Health and Clinical Research.

11 Jul 2004

Valid, robust, easy to construct, and easy to interpret measure that could be used by any state health department for any health outcome

Five years in the making and available at no charge, the Public Health Disparities Geocoding Project Monograph gives officials and researchers for the first time a systematic way to monitor health disparities across a wide range of outcomes using basic socioeconomic information.

7 Jul 2004

The American Medical Association has moved forward in its fight against obesity

The American Medical Association (AMA) moved forward in its fight against obesity, adopting several new policies to help combat the nation's growing problem with obesity and unhealthy eating. The policies address a number of issues, including the role of racial and ethnic disparities in obesity.

16 Jun 2004

Eye drops may prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans

Eye drops that reduce elevated pressure inside the eye can delay or possibly prevent the onset of glaucoma in African Americans at higher risk for developing the disease, researchers have found.

14 Jun 2004

Minority women are disproportionately impacted by the autoimmune disease lupus

There is an urgent need for more education and research to address the fact that minority women are disproportionately impacted by the autoimmune disease lupus

14 May 2004

Californian Chinese community health summit

NICOS Chinese Health Coalition, a public-private-community partnership of more than 30 health and human service organizations and concerned individuals, invites you and your colleagues to participate in the Chinese Community Health Summit on Wednesday, May 26, 2004.

5 May 2004

Asthmatic children receive equal quality of care regardless of race or ethnicity

Asthmatic children admitted to pediatric medical centers received equal quality of care regardless of race or ethnicity, according to a study presented Monday at the 2004 Pediatric Academic Societies meeting in San Francisco, CA.

3 May 2004

Millions of poor and minority children in America's cities likely will suffer higher rates of asthma

Millions of poor and minority children in America's cities likely will suffer even higher rates of asthma as the result of a "powerful one-two punch" of higher levels of pollen and changes in the types of molds spurred by global warming, along with unhealthy urban air masses caused by the burning of fossil fuel by cars, trucks and buses, according to a warning issued today by Harvard researchers and the American Public Health Association (APHA).

29 Apr 2004

NYU School of Medicine and Bellevue to examine health issues in hispanic population

Renowned Latino leaders in the health and political community will gather at a free two-day conference to discuss issues affecting the community at “Latino Health: Progress through Action”.

27 Apr 2004

One woman’s efforts to eliminate health disparities

In 1970, Mulva Pearson, MD, then 10 years old, left her home country of Jamaica with just the clothes on her back – not even a suitcase. Her destination: the United States, where her mother had been living in search of a better job and better life for her family.

21 Apr 2004

Spike TV launches men's health campaign with National Medical Association

As part of Spike TV's mission to make a difference in men's lives, the network announces the launch of "Check Up or Check Out," a national pro-social campaign directed at improving men's health. The campaign was launched today with Spike TV's "Check Up or Check Out" campaign with Randall W. Maxey, M.D., Ph.D,. President of the National Medical Association.

13 Apr 2004

Study of three treatments of type 2 diabetes in children and teens has begun in US

A clinical study comparing three treatments of type 2 diabetes in children and teens has begun in 12 medical centers and their affiliated sites around the country, HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson announced today.

22 Mar 2004