The opioid crisis has dramatically shifted its impact on Black communities in recent years, yet treatment resources haven’t followed. In North Carolina, overdose death rates among Black residents more than doubled between 2019 and 2021, reaching 38.5 per 100,000 people. The surge is largely driven by fentanyl contaminating drug supplies.Despite growing need, significant treatment gaps persist. In 2019, white people comprised 88% of those served by North Carolina’s federally funded opioid programs, while Black people—24% of the state’s population—represented just 7.5% of recipients. Nationally, Black people are half as likely as white people to receive treatment referrals, even after surviving…
Author: Disparity Matters
A recent study led by the University of California, Irvine, reveals that machine learning algorithms can effectively predict two-year dementia risk among American Indian and Alaska Native elders. This research, published in The Lancet Regional Health—Americas, highlights the potential of AI to address health disparities in these historically underserved communities. The study utilized electronic health records to develop predictive models, identifying several new predictors for dementia diagnosis. These findings are particularly significant given the projected increase in the population of older American Indian and Alaska Native adults, which is expected to nearly triple between 2020 and 2060. Dementia, a leading…
A new national study reveals that Black men and women are experiencing a rapidly growing burden of fatal drug overdoses, surpassing their White counterparts in mortality rates and years of potential life lost. Researchers analyzed over 518,000 unintentional drug poisoning deaths from 2010 to 2020 and found that Black men now have the highest age-adjusted mortality rate—23.25 per 100,000—surpassing White men by 2016 and widening the gap through 2020.The study also found that Black women’s overdose mortality rate overtook that of White women by 2019. Maryland saw the most dramatic increase for Black men, with a 485.4% rise in overdose…
Black women in the United States are significantly more likely to undergo cesarean sections than white women—even when medical risk, hospital, and physician are the same. A recent study led by economist Molly Schnell at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research found that Black mothers were over 20% more likely to have a C-section, despite preferring vaginal birth and having no greater medical need.“Our findings are another data point in a large and troubling literature showing how the U.S. healthcare system too often leaves certain mothers and certain patients behind,” Schnell said. The study analyzed birth records from New Jersey hospitals…
Systemic lupus erythematosus disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities in the United States, with devastating consequences for African American, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific Islander communities, according to new research from CDC-funded registries.The comprehensive surveillance program examined over 5,400 lupus cases across multiple states and found stark disparities. African American women face the highest incidence rates, followed by Asian Pacific Islander and Hispanic women. Among American Indian and Alaska Native populations, the prevalence reached 270.6 per 100,000—the highest of any demographic studied.Beyond diagnosis rates, minorities experience more severe disease manifestations. Nearly 50 percent of patients in some minority populations developed lupus…
Among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, the Pima Native American tribe in Arizona bears the highest reported prevalence of type 2 diabetes. With some tribal rates reaching as high as 60%, the disparity is stark. Nationally, about 1 in 6 American Indian adults are diagnosed with diabetes—more than double the rate of the general population.The roots of this crisis trace back to environmental and policy shifts. In the 1920s, the damming of the Gila River cut off the tribe’s access to water, disrupting their farming lifestyle. Later, USDA policies in the 1970s and 1980s denied agricultural…
A recent study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session reveals persistent racial disparities in survival rates for young athletes experiencing sudden cardiac arrest. The research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, analyzed 641 cases of sudden cardiac arrest in athletes aged 11 to 29 from 2014 to 2023. The findings show that Black athletes and those of other non-White, non-Black races have significantly lower survival rates compared to their White counterparts.The study found that 57% of Black athletes and 54% of other non-White, non-Black athletes who suffered sudden cardiac arrest during exertion…
New findings from a reanalysis of the FIGHT trial reveal significant racial and ethnic disparities in how patients recover after hospitalization for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. The study, presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 2025 scientific sessions, examined outcomes for 289 adults and uncovered sharply different experiences depending on race.Non-White patients entered the trial at a clear disadvantage. They were significantly younger—55 compared with 64 years for White patients—yet already had more severe disease. Their average left ventricular ejection fraction was lower, at 21% versus 25%, and they walked far shorter distances on the six-minute walk test,…
A recent report by the Alaska Beacon highlights the ongoing struggle of Native American tribes to gain access to their own health data, a critical step towards achieving health sovereignty. The article, authored by Nada Hassanein, details how tribes have been historically excluded from accessing health data collected by federal and state agencies, hindering their ability to address health disparities within their communities.Stephanie Russo Carroll, an associate professor of public health at the University of Arizona and a citizen of the Native Village of Kluti-Kaah, has been at the forefront of this fight. Carroll co-founded the U.S. Indigenous Data Sovereignty…
A recent study published in JAMA Network Open reveals that everyday discrimination significantly increases the risk of anxiety and depression across all demographic groups in the United States. The research, led by Monica Wang from Boston University, analyzed data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey, which included nearly 30,000 U.S. adults. The study found that 56% of participants experienced at least occasional everyday discrimination, with 3.6% facing high levels of discrimination frequently.Everyday discrimination refers to subtle, routine ways people are treated unfairly based on characteristics such as skin color, perceived background, or general appearance. Examples include waiting longer for…