Launching trolley tour to educate residents about local fresh food sources and promote healthier eating habits
Author: Disparity Matters
Kira Dixon Johnson’s tragic death at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles highlights the persistent health disparities faced by Black women in the United States. Johnson died about 12 hours after giving birth by cesarean section, with three liters of blood in her abdomen. Her husband, Charles Johnson, pressed staff for help as Kira’s condition deteriorated, but was told she was not a priority. This case underscores a broader issue: the US Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, tasked with investigating civil rights violations in federally funded hospitals, is often slow to respond and rarely holds healthcare…
Racial disparities in maternal health persist, with alarming statistics revealing that severe maternal morbidity is significantly higher among Black mothers compared to their white counterparts. Severe maternal morbidity is an unexpected outcome of labor and delivery that results in significant short-term or long-term consequences to a woman’s health. According to a report from the United Health Foundation, data shows that in 2020, Black mothers experienced severe maternal morbidity at twice the rate of white mothers, and 1.5 times higher than Hispanic mothers. The 2024 Maternal and Infant Health Disparities Data Brief also highlights the concerning infant mortality rates, where infants born to…
Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NH/PI) communities continue to face significant racial disparities in health care access and outcomes across the United States. These communiies are not a monolith and comprise over 50 racial and ethnic groups and speak over 100 languages. However, their data is often reported as a single aggregated data point classified as “Asian American,” masking existing inequities within their communities. Up to 2.4 million people in the U.S. have chronic hepatitis B, and about half of these individuals identify as Asian American and NH/PI. It’s estimated that among Asian Americans, 50% of diabetes…
A new study by researchers at the Regenstrief Institute has revealed a significant lack of awareness among older Black Americans regarding Alzheimer’s disease and its symptoms. The study, published in the journal PEC Innovation, highlights the need for culturally sensitive strategies to support brain health and aging in this population. The research found that most Black adults were unsure about their higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared to white people. This is particularly concerning given that Black adults are almost twice as likely as white adults to have Alzheimer’s, with more than 21% of Black Americans aged 70 and older living…
A new study published in JAMA Network Open suggests that exposure to racial and economic injustice early in life may accelerate biological aging, potentially explaining health disparities among different racial groups in the United States. The research, led by Nancy Krieger, professor of social epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, examined the relationship between epigenetic aging and various socioeconomic factors. The study analyzed blood samples from over 1,000 U.S.-born Black and white participants aged 35-64, measuring their epigenetic age – a marker of biological aging that can differ from chronological age. Researchers then compared this data with early…
Launching program to increase transplant access for Black patients
A new analysis of Centers for Disease Control data reveals a disturbing trend in heat-related deaths in the United States. Between 1999 and 2023, fatalities linked to extreme heat climbed by 117%, claiming over 21,500 lives during this period. The study, published in JAMA, highlights the growing impact of climate change on public health. The researchers found that while heat-related deaths fluctuated from 1999 to 2016, they have shown a consistent upward trajectory in the past seven years. In 2023, a year that broke numerous climate records and was deemed the hottest in at least 125,000 years, heat-related deaths reached a…
A new study reveals that Hispanic non-small cell lung cancer patients in South Florida are diagnosed at earlier stages compared to their counterparts in other parts of Florida. This finding, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggests that community demographics may play a crucial role in addressing cancer disparities. Researchers examined lung cancer staging across Florida, finding that racial and ethnic minorities are generally diagnosed at later stages than white patients. However, this disadvantage disappears for most Hispanic populations in South Florida. Dr. Paulo Pinheiro, the study’s lead researcher from Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, attributes this to South Florida’s…
A recent study published in JAMA Surgery has uncovered a concerning link between insurance coverage and survival rates for patients with severe spinal cord injuries. The research, led by Dr. Christopher Witiw from the University of Toronto, analyzed data from 8,421 adults treated for spinal cord injuries across 498 U.S. trauma centers between 2013 and 2020. The findings reveal that uninsured patients were 49% more likely to be taken off life support and 98% more likely to die compared to those with private insurance. Of the 940 uninsured patients, 22% were removed from life support, and nearly 34% died. In contrast,…