A new study reveals that where Americans live can significantly influence their risk of developing diabetes, with social and economic conditions playing a powerful role. Researchers analyzed data from over 11,000 census tracts across 38 states and found that healthcare access, poverty, education, housing, and incarceration were among the strongest predictors of diabetes prevalence.Healthcare access stood out as the most influential factor. Census tracts with higher rates of uninsured residents and fewer routine checkups saw the largest increases in diabetes rates. “The strongest drivers of prevalence of diabetes at the census tract were healthcare access, measured by insurance and having…
Author: Disparity Matters
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains a major cause of mortality in the United States, but a new study shows that profound racial and geographic gaps persist despite advances in care. After a steady decline from 1999 to 2018, mortality from SCD surged after 2018, with rates climbing particularly for men, Black Americans, and residents of rural and southern states.Researchers found that non-Hispanic Black individuals consistently had the highest age-adjusted mortality rates, at 5.66 per 100,000, compared to 3.98 for non-Hispanic White adults. Asian Americans had the lowest rate at 1.20 per 100,000, with Hispanic and Native American populations falling in…
A new national study shows that heart failure hospitalization occurs years earlier for non-Hispanic Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults compared with their White counterparts, highlighting deep disparities in cardiovascular health.Researchers analyzed more than 42,000 patients across the United States and found striking differences. At the time of first hospitalization, non-Hispanic Black patients were admitted at an average age of just 60.1 years. Hispanic patients were hospitalized at 65.4 years, and Asian patients at 70.6 years. In contrast, White patients’ first hospitalizations occurred at an average age of 73.6 years.Lead researcher Xiaoning Huang, PhD, of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine,…
national study of more than 27,000 pediatric cardiac arrests finds that Black, Hispanic, and other minority children face significantly higher odds of dying in the hospital after receiving CPR, raising urgent concerns about racial inequities in lifesaving care.Researchers analyzed data from the Kids’ Inpatient Database covering 1997–2019 and reported that, compared with White children, the adjusted odds of in-hospital death were 20% higher for Black children, 16% higher for Hispanic children, and 37% higher for children classified in other racial and ethnic groups. These disparities persisted across multiple models and regions.The work highlights the profound influence of institutional factors. Children…
Chicago’s average life expectancy is rebounding, now nearly matching pre-pandemic levels at 78.7 years. New city data show the gap in how long Black Chicagoans live compared to other races has shrunk, but at about 11 years, it remains wide. As of 2021, the disparity stood at nearly 13 years, with the pandemic hitting Black and Latino communities especially hard. Recent gains are credited to “fewer people dying of COVID-19 and homicides, and more people surviving cancer as screening has improved.” Black residents, particularly those under 40, have seen notable declines in COVID-19 deaths.Latino Chicagoans’ life expectancy jumped by 4.5…
Clinical algorithms are meant to help doctors make better decisions. But when race is built into the math, they can deepen disparities—especially for Black patients in need of a kidney transplant.In a recent PBS NOVA report, doctors revealed how race-based calculations have kept some patients from receiving timely care. One patient, Gregory, had test results that should have qualified him for a transplant evaluation. But because he was Black, the algorithm used by his doctors calculated his kidney function differently—delaying his access to life-saving treatment.“If Gregory had the same test results but was white, he would’ve immediately qualified,” the narrator…
Results from the Female Asian Nonsmoker Screening Study (FANSS) are raising urgent questions about whether current U.S. cancer screening guidelines neglect high-risk, never-smoking groups, particularly among minority communities. This research spotlights Asian American women, who, despite having no history of smoking, face more than double the risk of lung cancer compared to their white counterparts in the same risk category.For the first time, a screening program in the United States was designed exclusively for non-smoking Asian women ages 40-74. Using low-dose CT (LDCT) scans, the study evaluated 1,000 participants. Researchers found a lung cancer detection rate of 1.3%, which exceeded…
A new multistate analysis of nearly 800,000 adults shows Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander (NHOPI) communities facing a disproportionate stroke burden that far exceeds that of other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Researchers reviewing hospital data from Florida, Georgia, Maryland, and New York found that the age- and sex-standardized annual incidence of acute ischemic stroke reached 591.4 per 100,000 among NHOPI individuals, compared with 179.7 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic White people and 292.2 per 100,000 for non-Hispanic Black people. After adjusting for age, sex, and year of hospitalization, NHOPI individuals still had more than three times…
Detroit has been named the most challenging city in the U.S. for asthma sufferers, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s 2025 Asthma Capitals report. The city’s high asthma prevalence, emergency room visits, and asthma-related deaths pushed it to the top of the list, reclaiming the number one spot after ranking third in 2024.“Detroit earned the top spot… due to its higher-than-average asthma prevalence and higher-than-average asthma death rate,” said Hannah Jaffee, AAFA’s research director. Air pollution from vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, combined with poverty and limited access to care, are driving factors.From 2017 to 2019, 16.2%…
Living in racially segregated neighborhoods may increase the risk of developing hypertension, especially for Black Americans, according to a new study from the REGARDS cohort. Researchers found that higher scores on the isolation index—a measure of how often Black residents interact only with other Black residents—were associated with increased hypertension risk. The risk ratio rose by 6% for every standard deviation increase in isolation.Neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) played a key role. It explained 19% of the association between segregation and hypertension, suggesting that higher nSES may buffer some of the negative health effects of segregation. “Higher neighborhood socioeconomic status may…