Discrimination in dental offices remains widespread across America, particularly affecting people of color, younger adults, and those with limited economic resources. A national study analyzing responses from more than 10,900 adults reveals how these negative experiences shape whether patients delay care, avoid it entirely, or never seek treatment at all.Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University examined data from the 2022 and 2023 State of Oral Health Equity in America survey, using an analytical approach that identified six distinct patient groups based on shared characteristics including race, income, insurance coverage, and experiences of discrimination or microaggressions during dental visits.The findings confirmed that…
Author: Disparity Matters
Concern about how police might treat their children may be taking a measurable toll on Black women’s cardiovascular health, according to new research from North Carolina State University. A study of 422 Black women found that worry about police interactions was associated with physical markers of heart disease risk.Researchers measured carotid intima-media thickness in participants aged 30 to 46, a marker that indicates cardiovascular risk when elevated. Women were classified into three groups based on their concerns about police and their own experiences with law enforcement harassment.The findings revealed a striking pattern. Black women who worried about their children’s potential…
New data reveals a stark racial divide in life expectancy within New Hanover County, North Carolina, where Black residents live an average of 7.6 years less than White residents. The county ranks sixth in the state for this disparity, highlighting deep inequities in health outcomes.Beyond overall life expectancy, Black infants face mortality rates 2.4 times higher than White infants. Years of potential life lost, which measures premature death before age 75, is more than double for Black residents compared to White residents, representing the sixth highest disparity ratio in North Carolina.J’vanete Skiba, director of the New Hanover County Resiliency Task…
American Indian and Alaska Native populations currently face the highest cancer mortality rates and the least favorable survival trends in the United States, driven largely by high lung cancer incidence linked to smoking rates significantly above the national average. However, Rebecca Siegel, MPH, cancer epidemiologist and senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society, emphasizes these outcomes result from predatory corporate strategies and systemic neglect rather than individual choice alone.Tobacco companies have historically employed aggressive, highly calculated marketing tactics to target marginalized groups, including people of color, low-income communities, and those living on tribal reservations. Combined with…
Racial and ethnic minority patients receive significantly different emergency medical care compared to white patients, even when suffering identical conditions. Multiple analyses demonstrate that minority patients are less likely to receive opioid pain relief after trauma or the same intensity of resuscitation efforts during cardiac arrest, even after adjusting for clinical factors.These disparities reflect what researchers call implicit bias—unconscious stereotypes rooted in upbringing that alter how emergency medical providers assess pain, determine treatment urgency, and decide whether to perform aggressive interventions. Studies consistently show lower analgesic use and variable resuscitation intensity that implicate clinician decision bias rather than medical necessity.The…
Artificial intelligence algorithms increasingly used in healthcare risk perpetuating racial disparities on an unprecedented scale, according to research by UC Berkeley computer scientist Emma Pierson.Pierson, an assistant professor developing AI and machine learning methods for medicine, warns that algorithms trained on biased data will make biased decisions. Many algorithms used in healthcare are proprietary, making it difficult for the public to scrutinize how they were designed and trained.”If an algorithm is unfair, it can also reproduce unfairness on a much vaster scale than any single human decision maker,” Pierson said.Her research reveals complex challenges in addressing these disparities. Race is…
A new survey from the Association of Black Cardiologists reveals alarming disparities in cardiovascular knowledge and access to care across Southern states, particularly affecting Black and Hispanic Americans in rural and inner-city areas.The survey uncovered that 54% of Black Americans and 49% of Hispanic Americans had no prior knowledge that there were two types of cholesterol. Overall, 40% of respondents were unaware of this basic cardiovascular health information, and 36% did not know their own cholesterol levels.Anthony Fletcher, MD, president of ABC and an interventional cardiologist at CHI St. Vincent Heart Clinic Arkansas in Little Rock, said the survey was…
Obesity is not a personal failing but rather a complex health challenge driven by social and economic barriers that disproportionately affect Black Americans, according to new guidance from the American Heart Association.Black children and adults face the highest obesity rates in the nation, along with low-income families, rural residents, and those with limited education. Yet genetic predisposition is not the primary cause of these elevated rates, the research paper reveals.Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an associate professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, emphasized that people with fewer resources struggle more with weight due to multiple factors, from the…
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New research from WalletHub reveals significant progress in narrowing health gaps between Black and White Americans in several states, with Texas emerging as a standout performer in improving health outcomes for Black residents.Texas has achieved more than any other state in decreasing the share of Black residents suffering from poor health. The state has reduced the Black-White gap in health insurance coverage by 12.1 percentage points since 1995, representing substantial advancement in healthcare access. Texas has also made significant reductions in the number of Black Texans living with diabetes and obesity, addressing two major chronic health conditions that have historically…