A new statewide survey reveals that Hawai‘i residents are facing a sharp decline in health outlook, with Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino, and low-income communities bearing the brunt of worsening disparities. The University of Hawai‘i Economic Research Organization’s Rapid Health Survey, which has tracked over 2,000 adults since 2022, shows a troubling drop in self-reported health and access to care.Only 40% of adults rated their health as “excellent or very good” by the end of 2024, down from 44% in mid-2023. Among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander respondents and those living in poverty, that number plummeted to just 23%.Mental health…
Author: Disparity Matters
A new study reveals that social segregation and wealth inequality not only deepen health disparities but also speed up the spread of infectious diseases. Researchers from the Complexity Science Hub Vienna analyzed data from 404 U.S. metropolitan areas and found that communities with higher levels of segregation experienced more intense and widespread outbreaks.“As social segregation increases, it exacerbates not only the health inequality but also the overall prevalence of the disease,” said lead author Sina Sajjadi. Contrary to assumptions that limited interaction between groups might reduce transmission, the study found that segregation actually fuels a rapid spread, especially in tightly…
While fewer Americans are being newly diagnosed with dementia, more are living with the condition—especially in marginalized communities. A recent study of over 5 million Medicare beneficiaries from 2015 to 2021 found that although dementia incidence declined from 3.5% to 2.8%, prevalence rose from 10.5% to 11.8%.Black Americans consistently had the highest incidence rates, with 4.2% in 2015 and 3.1% in 2021, compared to 2.8% for white and 2.6% for Hispanic beneficiaries in 2021. The study also revealed that people living in socioeconomically deprived neighborhoods experienced the highest rates of both new and existing dementia cases.Researchers, including Jay Lusk, MD,…
A new study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC reveals that air pollution exposure during childhood may set off a chain reaction leading to insulin resistance in young adulthood—and minority communities may be especially vulnerable. Researchers found that changes in body mass index (BMI) during adolescence explain nearly half of the link between early exposure to traffic-related air pollution and insulin resistance, a precursor to type 2 diabetes. “We estimated about 42% of the relationship between early pollution exposure and insulin resistance can be explained by accelerated BMI growth trajectories,” said Fangqi Guo, PhD, MPH, lead author and…
A major shift in prostate cancer screening policy may have unintentionally deepened health disparities, particularly among minority communities. In 2012, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) downgraded routine PSA screening to a grade D, aiming to reduce overdiagnosis and overtreatment. However, new findings presented at the American Urological Association meeting suggest the change led to more advanced disease at diagnosis and poorer surgical outcomes.Dr. Minh Nguyen of the University of North Carolina reported that men diagnosed after the screening downgrade had significantly worse pathology. A retrospective analysis of over 560,000 men who underwent prostatectomy revealed increased odds of positive…
A new study has revealed that type 2 diabetes is linked to thinning of the brain’s cortex in older adults, with the most pronounced effects seen in Hispanic individuals. Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine at USC and collaborators used advanced neuroimaging to examine cortical thickness and hippocampal volume in a diverse group of older adults. Their findings point to a troubling intersection of chronic disease and racial health disparities.The study found that individuals with type 2 diabetes had significantly thinner cortices, especially in the temporal and parietal regions—areas critical for memory and cognition. Poor blood sugar control, measured…
A new study highlights how social determinants of health (SDoH)—such as poverty, education, and racism—are often buried in clinical notes, and how this lack of structured documentation may deepen health disparities, especially for minority communities. Researchers from Yale and collaborating institutions used large language models (LLMs) to extract SDoH from unstructured clinical notes across four U.S. healthcare systems. The study found that social factors like low education, racism, and poverty contribute to hundreds of thousands of deaths annually—numbers comparable to leading causes of disease-related mortality. Yet, these factors are inconsistently recorded in electronic health records. “The lack of specific EHR…
Black women face eviction at disproportionately high rates—and the consequences go far beyond housing. A new study reveals that eviction, whether legal or illegal, is a major driver of poor health outcomes among Black women of reproductive age.In a survey of over 1,400 Black women across three Michigan counties, half reported experiencing eviction at some point in their lives. What’s more alarming is that nearly half of those evictions were illegal. These weren’t just cases of nonpayment. Many were tied to unlawful reasons like sexual harassment, retaliation, and illegal lockouts—actions that violate the Fair Housing Act.Dr. Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson, lead author…
Black women in the United States continue to face alarming disparities in ovarian cancer outcomes, and new trends suggest the gap may be widening. According to CK Wang, MD, chief medical officer of COTA, Black women are disproportionately diagnosed with advanced-stage ovarian and breast cancers. This disparity is exacerbated by systemic barriers to care and a lack of effective screening tools.“There is no good screening tool” for ovarian cancer, Dr. Wang explained, noting that vague symptoms often delay diagnosis. Without early detection, Black women—already more likely to be diagnosed at later stages—face even greater risks. The shortage of gynecologic oncologists…
A new national study reveals that while more mothers of preterm infants are providing breast milk than a decade ago, significant racial and ethnic disparities remain—particularly for Black mothers. Researchers analyzed data from over 1.5 million mother-infant pairs between 2009 and 2019 and found that Black mothers had the lowest rates of both initiating and continuing breast milk provision at 12 weeks postpartum. Initiation rates were highest among Asian mothers (92.8%), followed by Hispanic (88.1%), White (84.1%), and Black mothers (75.3%). Continuation at 12 weeks showed a similar pattern, with Asian mothers again leading (65.4%) and Black mothers trailing (34.3%).…