A new study reveals that Florida’s mosquito control system may be reinforcing public health disparities, with wealthier areas receiving better protection against mosquito-borne diseases like dengue, West Nile, and Zika.
Author: Disparity Matters
A new study reveals that chronic stress and perceived discrimination may account for nearly a quarter of the racial disparity in dementia risk between Black and White older adults in the United States. Researchers analyzed data from over 5,600 participants in the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study and found that Black individuals had more than twice the risk of developing dementia compared to White individuals. While neither chronic stress nor discrimination directly mediated the relationship between race and dementia, both factors significantly interacted with race to elevate risk. Eliminating racial differences in either chronic stress or perceived discrimination could…
A major new study has found that African American adults living in highly segregated neighborhoods face a significantly higher risk of developing lung cancer. The research, which followed over 71,000 participants across 12 southern U.S. states, revealed that reducing residential segregation could lower lung cancer incidence among African Americans—but not among non-Hispanic White individuals.The study used the isolation index to measure segregation and found that African American participants had a median index of 0.8, compared to 0.2 for White participants. Lowering this index in hypothetical scenarios led to fewer lung cancer cases. For example, reducing segregation to the least segregated…
Pedestrians from Boston’s predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods face dramatically higher risks of being struck by vehicles, according to new research analyzing ambulance response data from 2016 to 2021. The disparities reveal a troubling pattern of traffic violence that disproportionately harms communities of color.Researchers found that residents of Boston’s least-white neighborhoods—including Mattapan, Hyde Park, and Nubian Square—were roughly four times more likely to be hit by cars compared to those living in predominantly white areas like Back Bay and West Roxbury. Emergency calls for pedestrian crashes occurred 2.7 times more frequently in neighborhoods with higher proportions of Black and Latino…
A new study suggests that expanding lung cancer screening guidelines could help close persistent racial and gender disparities in healthcare. Researchers found that current U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) criteria—originally set in 2013—often exclude women and Black individuals who are still at risk for lung cancer. The USPSTF had already revised its guidelines once, lowering the age from 55 to 50 and reducing the smoking history requirement from 30 to 20 pack-years. But disparities remain. “Women and Black people, in particular, often did not qualify for lung cancer screening despite still being susceptible to the disease,” the study noted.…
Native Americans and Alaskan Natives experience disproportionately high rates of murder, rape and other violent crimes, an outcome experts attribute to generational trauma and systemic abuse. At least 4,300 cases of unsolved violent crimes against Native Americans remain open across the country, representing a public health crisis that continues to devastate indigenous communities.Operation Not Forgotten, a Justice Department program being continued under President Trump, will deploy 60 personnel including FBI agents over six months to investigate these cold cases. The agents will rotate through 10 field offices in 90-day assignments, working to address what Assistant U.S. Attorney Eliot Neal calls…
Black women in the U.S. are entering menopause earlier, enduring more severe symptoms, and receiving less care than their white counterparts, according to a growing body of research. The disparities are not just biological—they’re systemic.The median age of natural menopause is 52.17 for Black women, nearly nine months earlier than for white women. But the difference goes beyond timing. Black women experience vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats for an average of 10.1 years—compared to 6.5 years for white women. They are also twice as likely to undergo surgical menopause and 50% less likely to use hormone therapy…
A new guide is challenging the status quo in dermatology by calling attention to how poorly traditional photography captures skin conditions in people with darker skin tones. The issue, experts say, is more than technical—it’s about equity, trust, and better care. “Traditional photographic technologies have typically been calibrated using lighter skin tones,” said Dr. Nada Elbuluk, co-author of the guide and director of the USC Skin of Color and Pigmentary Disorders Program. This has led to inaccurate depictions of dermatologic conditions in patients with skin of color, contributing to diagnostic gaps and underrepresentation in medical education. The guide, published in…
Black Americans undergoing weight-loss surgery are experiencing significantly more minor complications than their White counterparts, according to new research presented at the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery’s annual meeting. The study, led by Dr. Safraz Hamid of Yale University, analyzed data from over 1.1 million patients who had either laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass between 2016 and 2023.Each year, Black patients showed higher rates of Clavien-Dindo category 1 complications, rising from 10.2 percent in 2016 to 15.0 percent in 2023, compared to 7.6 to 12.1 percent among White patients. While more severe complications (CD2 through CD5)…
A new study from rural Alabama reveals how the weight of racial discrimination and early-life adversity may be contributing to high blood pressure among Black adults. Researchers found that both perceived racial discrimination and childhood adversity were significantly associated with self-reported hypertension in predominantly Black communities. The study, conducted in five rural Alabama towns, surveyed 184 adults using paper-and-pencil questionnaires. Ninety-two percent of participants identified as Black. Researchers measured perceived racial discrimination using a subscale of the African American Historical Trauma Questionnaire and assessed childhood adversity with the ACE Study Questionnaire. Older age and higher scores of perceived racial discrimination…