Training pharmacists to provide medication management and lifestyle counseling to Black patients with uncontrolled hypertension
Author: Disparity Matters
Significant racial disparities in eligibility for lung cancer screening in the United States has been found in a new study. The research, led by Anand Narayan, MD, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, found that Black individuals are less likely to meet eligibility criteria for lung cancer screening compared to white individuals, despite having a higher risk of lung cancer. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System between 2017 and 2020. The researchers found that among individuals at high risk for lung cancer, only 14.6%…
Black and Hispanic Americans are disproportionately exposed to larger daily temperature variations compared to their white counterparts, a disparity that may have significant health implications, according to a new study. The research, conducted by Shengjie Liu and Emily Smith-Greenaway from the University of California, Berkeley, and published in PNAS Nexus, found that Black and Hispanic communities experience temperature swings up to 3 degrees Celsius larger than white populations at the census tract level. The study also identified a lesser disparity between low-income and high-income populations. Using monthly nighttime and daytime land surface temperature data from satellites, the researchers investigated inequality…
Significant barriers to diversity in respiratory medicine trials and diagnostic tools, which experts say contributes to health disparities among racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, were highlighted in a recent panel discussion at the American Thoracic Society (ATS) 2023 Conference. The session, titled “Diversity in Pulmonary Function Testing and Clinical Trials,” featured Drs. Nirav Shah from Northwestern University and Neeta Thakur from the University of California, San Francisco. They noted that despite making up a large proportion of patients with respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD, racial and ethnic minorities are severely underrepresented in clinical trials for these…
Gallbladder cancer rates are increasing at an alarming pace in the Black community in the United States, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The report, led by Dr. Anita Johnson from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), analyzed data from 2010 to 2022 and found that the incidence of gallbladder cancer among Black Americans has risen by 25% over the past decade. The study highlights significant disparities in gallbladder cancer rates between racial and ethnic groups. Black Americans are now twice as likely to develop gallbladder cancer compared to their…
Influenza and pneumonia mortality rates in the United States decreased by 54.4% from 1999 to 2020, according to a new study. However, the research, led by Dr. Nana Ama Kuffuor Owusu-Dabo from the University of Minnesota, also revealed persistent disparities among racial and ethnic groups. The study analyzed data from the CDC’s WONDER database and found that age-adjusted mortality rates declined across all racial and ethnic groups. Despite this overall improvement, Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native populations consistently experienced higher mortality rates compared to White and Asian or Pacific Islander populations. Dr. Owusu-Dabo and her colleagues emphasized the need…
A new report from the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC) highlights the urgent need to address healthcare workforce challenges in order to better support Black mothers and reduce racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. The report, titled “Uplifting Black Birthing People and Our Villages: A Maternal Health Policy Agenda,” was released in partnership with Black Mamas Matter Alliance. It emphasizes that the underrepresentation of Black healthcare professionals, especially in leadership roles, negatively impacts the quality of care received by Black mothers. Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, founder and president of NBEC, stated that increasing diversity and cultural competency in the healthcare workforce…
In a significant step towards understanding breast cancer risk factors in African American women, researchers have published the largest genetic study to date focused on this underrepresented population. The study, published in Nature Genetics, analyzed genetic data from approximately 40,000 women of African descent, including 18,000 breast cancer patients and 22,000 healthy controls. Led by Wei Zheng, a cancer epidemiologist at Vanderbilt University, the study compiled data from about 30 different studies investigating breast cancer in African or African American women. The increased statistical power enabled researchers to identify specific genetic variations closely related to breast cancer risk in this…
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has launched a new epidemiological cohort study called MOSAAIC (Multi-ethnic Observational Study in American Asian and Pacific Islander Communities) to address the lack of data on cardiovascular health among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. These groups, which collectively make up about 8% of the U.S. population and represent around 40 ethnic subgroups, have been understudied in terms of health disparities and cardiovascular disease prevention. The seven-year study, launched in August 2023, aims to recruit approximately 10,000 adults aged 18-64 from across the country. In addition to cardiovascular health, MOSAAIC will…
Continued racial disparities in new HIV infections in the United States are revealed in three new HIV surveillance reports published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . The reports show that although progress has been made in overall HIV prevention, longstanding social and economic factors are still contributing to health inequities, particularly among Black and Hispanic/Latino populations. According to the CDC, in 2022, 47% of estimated new HIV infections among women were in Black women, despite making up only 13% of the female population. Additionally, male-to-male sexual contact accounted for 67% of all estimated new HIV infections.…