A new study from Tulane University has found that socioeconomic conditions, rather than genetics or lifestyle choices, fully account for the racial gap in life expectancy in the United States. Researchers identified eight key social determinants of health that drive premature mortality rates, including employment, family income, food insecurity, education, healthcare access, health insurance, housing instability, and relationship status. The study revealed that Black adults were more likely to experience unfavorable levels of these socioeconomic factors compared to White adults, putting them at higher risk of dying younger. However, when researchers adjusted the data for these social determinants, the difference in…
Author: Disparity Matters
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved AvertD, the first genetic test designed to identify individuals at elevated risk for developing opioid use disorder (OUD), a condition that has significantly impacted over 3 million Americans and their families. Developed by AutoGenomics, Inc., AvertD aims to be used before patients are exposed to opioid medications, such as in pre-surgical settings for adults aged 18 and older. This approval marks a step forward in efforts to combat the opioid crisis by potentially preventing new cases of OUD.However, the introduction of AvertD has sparked a debate among health professionals and geneticists…
Research published in the Jan. 25 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reveals significant health disparities in cardiometabolic diseases among disaggregated racial and ethnic subgroups in the United States. The study, led by Alain K. Koyama, Sc.D. from the CDC in Atlanta, analyzed data from 3,970,904 respondents to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System collected between 2013 and 2021. The findings highlight pronounced differences in the prevalence of diagnosed conditions such as diabetes, myocardial infarction, angina, coronary heart disease, and stroke across various racial and ethnic groups. According to the researchers, there was…
A new study reveals that racial disparities continue to impact treatment for multiple myeloma patients, with African Americans less likely to receive timely care than white patients. Researchers analyzed Medicare data for over 14,000 patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma between 2007 and 2017. They found that 59.5% of non-Hispanic African American patients received treatment within one year of diagnosis, compared to 64.8% of non-Hispanic white patients. The racial gap in treatment initiation widened over time, increasing from 2.9% in 2007 to 6.9% between 2014-2017. African American patients also experienced significantly longer delays before starting treatment. These disparities translated to worse…
Cervical cancer mortality rates among Black women could be reduced with better access to healthcare and trust-building, says Dr. Cardenas-Trowers. The Jacksonville-based physician emphasizes the importance of establishing care with a primary care clinician, undergoing recommended screenings, and receiving the HPV vaccine if eligible. The advice comes amid growing concerns about health disparities and underrepresentation in healthcare. Black women in the U.S. face a higher risk of cervical cancer and are more likely to die from the disease compared to their white counterparts. This disparity is often attributed to systemic barriers to healthcare, including lack of access to preventive services…
Native American communities in the U.S. face the highest suicide rates, yet culturally relevant interventions remain scarce. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that non-Hispanic Indigenous people have the highest suicide rates among all racial or ethnic groups. In Montana, the suicide rate among Native American youth is over five times the statewide rate for the same age group.Despite extensive research into suicide prevention, rates among Indigenous people, particularly those aged 10 to 24, remain high. Experts attribute this to the national suicide prevention strategy’s lack of cultural relevance and sensitivity to Native American communities’ unique values.…
Racial disparities continue to affect the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), particularly among non-Hispanic African American (NHAA) patients, who are twice as likely to develop and die from the disease compared to non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients. This was the conclusion of a recent study published in Cancer Medicine, which analyzed Medicare beneficiaries with MM. The study was discussed by Dr. Raymond Thertulien of Novant Health and Dr. Joseph Mikhael, Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, following the 2023 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition. They highlighted the need to address treatment barriers and improve health equity…
Revised lung cancer screening guidelines from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) have reduced disparities between Black and White individuals, but disparities among other racial and ethnic groups remain, according to a study led by Eunji Choi, PhD. The study, published in JAMA Oncology, examined the predictive performance of the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Screening Trial 2012 (PLCOm2012) model and evaluated racial and ethnic disparities in screening performance. The study included 105,261 participants from five racial and ethnic groups: Black, Japanese American, Latino, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, and White. The researchers found that 24% of the participants would have been…
A new study reveals that women in low-income regions of the United States are experiencing an alarming increase in cervical cancer cases and deaths, despite an overall decline in the disease nationwide. This disparity is particularly troubling given the availability of an effective vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer. The research, published in the International Journal of Cancer, analyzed over 119,000 cases from the National Cancer Institute’s registry between 2000 and 2019. It found that cervical cancer incidence was highest among women in low-income areas, regardless of race or ethnicity, with Hispanic women showing the highest…
Filipino American children have a significantly higher prevalence of asthma compared to other Asian American subgroups, according to a new study that highlights health disparities among Asian ethnicities in the U.S. The research, published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, found that 21.5% of Filipino American children have asthma, compared to just 5.1% of Korean American children – the lowest rate among Asian subgroups studied. “We found that childhood lifetime asthma prevalence varied among Asian American ethnic groups, with lowest prevalence in Korean American children and the highest prevalence in Filipino American children,” said lead researcher Dr. Meng Cheng, clinical assistant…