Jim Crow-era laws, along with segregated pools and beaches, are a key reason why so few Black people know how to swim — and why a thousand or more drown each year — and, the numbers have increased every year since the pandemic. Now, community groups and nonprofit are working to reverse the trend.The statistics are grim: More than 4,500 people died from unintentional drowning each year in the United States from 2020 to 2022, an increase of about 500 compared to 2019. The increase reverses decades of decline in drowning rates. The CDC found that, for Black people, rates of…
Author: Disparity Matters
A Pennsylvania Department of Health study reveals a stark racial disparity in the administration of naloxone, a life-saving opioid overdose reversal drug. Black Pennsylvanians who succumbed to opioid overdoses were 50% less likely to have received naloxone compared to their white counterparts, despite a more than 50% increase in Black overdose deaths from 2019 to 2021. This contrasted with no significant change in white overdose deaths during the same period.The Department’s representative highlighted the complex nature of this issue, citing the rapidly changing drug supply, particularly the prevalence of fentanyl, and inequities in access to substance use disorder treatments as…
The rates of diabetic retinopathy, a sight-threatening eye disorder, are increasing most rapidly among younger people and Black and Hispanic populations in the United States, according to a new study led by the Cleveland Clinic in Florida. The research, published in JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed data from over 359,000 people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes between 2015 and 2022. It revealed that overall prevalence of retinopathy increased by 15% for those with type 1 diabetes and 7% for those with type 2. However, the most striking disparities were seen among racial and ethnic minorities and younger age groups. Hispanic men and…
Exposure to gun violence, both direct and indirect, has a significant negative impact on the functional health of Black Americans, particularly women, according to a new study published in the Journal of Urban Health. The research, conducted by Christopher St. Vil from the University at Buffalo School of Social Work and colleagues from Rutgers University, analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 3,015 Black American adults. The study found that 40% of participants personally knew a shooting victim, while nearly 60% had been exposed to at least one type of gun violence, such as being threatened with a firearm, intentionally…
Recent studies supporting a long-suspected link between cancer and hair relaxers used by Black women have prompted lawsuits across the country and have encouraged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider banning those containing formaldehyde. The Sister Study, led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in 2022, and several other studies, offer compelling scientific evidence of what has long been suspected to explain racial disparities that scientists have struggled to explain for decades, according to a report in The New York Times. The FDA proposed the ban in October 2023, but has yet to implement it. If…
Disparities in time to prescription fill for anti-myeloma drugs exist based on race and insurance type, researchers have found. In people with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma, high out-of-pocket costs or the burdensome insurance precertification process can delay the start of costly anti-myeloma agents and can lead some patients to resort to less-costly corticosteroids. In a study of 723 adults newly diagnosed with multiple myeloma from 2017 through 2021, the cumulative incidences of prescription filled for anti-myeloma drugs excluding corticosteroids at 30 days was 40% in White patients, 28% in Black patients, and 17% in other races. Black patients were 37% less…
In a groundbreaking examination of racial disparities in healthcare, recent scrutiny has fallen on the use of race in medical algorithms, particularly in maternal health. The Vaginal Birth After Cesarean (VBAC) calculator, a tool widely used to predict successful vaginal deliveries for women with previous cesarean sections, has come under fire for its race-based adjustments.The calculator, which reduced the likelihood of VBAC success for Black and Hispanic women, has sparked a heated debate about the role of race in clinical decision-making. Critics argue that such adjustments perpetuate harmful stereotypes and may contribute to the alarming maternal mortality rates among women…
A new study by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has found that climate change-related environmental stressors are strongly linked to increased cardiovascular disease mortality and incidence. The systematic review of 492 observational studies, published in JAMA Cardiology, revealed that older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, and lower-income communities are disproportionately affected. “Climate change is already affecting our cardiovascular health,” said corresponding author Dhruv S. Kazi, associate director of the Richard A. and Susan F. Smith Center for Outcomes Research at BIDMC. The study found that extreme temperatures and hurricanes are particularly detrimental to heart health. However, the…
Asian Americans are being diagnosed with diabetes at lower body weights compared to the general U.S. population, according to a recent report by the Deloitte Health Equity Institute and the Joslin Asian American Diabetes Initiative (AADI). The findings suggest genetics may play a role, with South Asians, Filipinos, and Pacific Islanders being especially vulnerable. Research indicates that Asian Americans store body fat differently, with weight accumulating near abdominal muscles, the liver, and other organs, leading to insulin resistance. Dr. Alka Kanaya of UC San Francisco explains that Asian Americans store fat “in all the wrong places.” To address this health…
Expanding education opportunities through partnerships between Indian Health Service and accredited medical schools