“As the mother of a black child – having to talk to my 10-year-old son about ongoing racism is heartbreaking for me,” said Andrea N. Taylor, PhD, adult psychologist with UT Physicians and UTHealth.
As activists around the world organize protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, and some escalate into more violent conflicts, experts at the University of New Hampshire point to historical parallels between the current Black Lives Matter protests, and other riots and marches like those of the civil rights era.
Commentary by Ludmila Nunes, PhD, of the Association for Psychological Science on existing body of knowledge on racism from the perspective of psychological science.
Demonstrations spread across the U.S. to confront the deaths of black men and women at the hands of police. Experts will discuss how to prevent more unarmed black men and women from being killed by police, and what can be done by individuals outside of law enforcement.
Approximately three quarters of the deaths associated with COVID-19 in the nation’s capital have been among the African American community. A new Georgetown University report illuminates entrenched health and socioeconomic disparities that explain one reason this is occurring. Main points:
• 15-year difference in the life expectancy between residents in Ward 3 and Ward 8;
• Residents from Wards with more Black residents (5, 7, and 8) more likely hospitalized for preventable health conditions;
• Number of Blacks who are obese is 3x higher than Whites;
• Number of Blacks with diabetes is 7x higher than Whites;
• Number of Blacks who die from heart disease is 2.5 times higher than Whites;
• Median household income is 3x less for Blacks; and
• Blacks have the lowest percentage of bachelor degree attainment.
Today, the American Thoracic Society issued the following statement regarding the death of George Floyd:
The recent tragic death of Mr. George Floyd in Minneapolis and subsequent protests throughout the United States and in cities around the world call on us to again examine the role of the American Thoracic Society. As an international professional organization whose members are on the front lines of providing care to all citizens, our members are now experiencing first-hand some of the effects of these events.
A new report from American University shows how race influences Washington, D.C.-area residents’ daily lives and experiences, revealing a stark racial divide in perceptions among Latinos, blacks, whites and Asians about quality-of-life issues within their neighborhoods.
Research has shown African American women have disproportionately higher rates of cardiovascular disease risk factors compared to their white counterparts. UK College of Health Sciences assistant professor Brandi White has been working with African American women living in public housing on Lexington’s East End to develop culturally responsive strategies to overcome social and economic barriers to a heart-healthy lifestyle and reduce their cardiovascular disease risk.
New research from the Race and Opportunity Lab in the Brown School’s Center for Social Development at Washington University in St. Louis sheds light on youths’ reactions to social media videos showing violence in their communities. “Exposure to police violence may be more impactful for individuals who perceive police as a threat to their personal safety,” the lead author said.
Of nearly 6,500 commercially insured patients treated in EDs nationwide for an overdose or other opioid-related medical complications, only 16 percent accessed opioid use disorder (OUD) medications or another form of treatment within three months of the ED visit.
Early in the pandemic, American Indian Reservations have experienced a disproportionately high incidence of COVID-19 infections: four times higher than in the US population, reports a study in the July/August issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. The special issue of JPHMP focuses on COVID-19, with commentaries and scientific articles describing the pandemic in the United States and globally. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
As all 50 U.S. states ease economic restrictions implemented in response to the coronavirus, health and policy experts are braced for a potential second wave of COVID-19. Based on the first phase of the crisis, the hardest-hit populations are anticipated among communities of color, which have been disproportionally affected. According to a recent report from American Public Media Research Lab, African Americans are more than twice as likely to die from COVID-19 as Latino or Asian Americans, and nearly 2 1/2 times as likely as whites. Indiana University experts on racial inequality, social inequality in health care and demographics data are available to comment on these topics.
Ohio has seen a growing disparity between abortion rates in rural and urban communities, later abortions, and less use of medication abortion care as the state has heavily regulated abortion and clinics have closed, a new study has found.
Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation has donated $5M to accelerate Rush and West Side United-led efforts to help West Side neighborhoods prevent and battle COVID-19
ANN ARBOR—Black communities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the number of coronavirus cases and deaths. At the same time, white nationalist activities have increased in the last months.Riana Elyse AndersonRiana Anderson, assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, discusses how these trends are affecting the mental health of African Americans.
Lifesaving innovations for COVID-19 will only markedly increase the already existing racial inequalities, if public health initiatives for equitable dissemination throughout all communities are not immediately developed. The introduction of drugs for HIV, respiratory distress syndrome, and hepatitis C resulted in racial inequalities. Moreover, before the introduction of the Salk polio vaccine in 1952, initially, black Americans experienced significantly lower rates of paralytic polio than white Americans. By 1959, after the widespread distribution of the vaccine, the reverse was true.
Face coverings, one of the recommended strategies to help reduce the spread of COVID-19, can evoke “mental gymnastics” for some groups—particularly those in communities who are already viewed with suspicion, according to a diversity expert at West Virginia University.
FACULTY Q&AU.S. Hispanics are more likely than their white white counterparts to be affected by coronavirus independently of their immigration status. Two University of Michigan School of Public Health experts explain why, and offer some solutions the federal government could use to mitigate these negative consequences.Paul J.
COVID-19 Crisis Spurs Institute to Understand and Combat Health Disparities in Underserved Communities. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, five-time NBA champion, and New York State Senator Brian Benjamin Among Industry and Public Health Leaders to Join Institute Task Force.
Prevalence of food allergy among Medicaid-enrolled children across the U.S. was substantially lower (0.6 percent), compared to previous national estimates using parent surveys (7.6 percent) and reports of physician confirmation of food allergy (4.7 percent). The study, published in Academic Pediatrics, was the first to analyze Medicaid claims data of over 23 million children to estimate prevalence of food allergy diagnosis.
New study identifies that differences in insulin resistance can explain in part the disparities in breast cancer survival between black and white women
Actions by state governments to try to limit the spread of COVID-19 played only a secondary role in the historic spike in U.S. unemployment in March, according to new research.
The combination of higher exposure to air pollution and pre-existing health disparities is contributing to higher mortality among minority populations during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to experts at Cincinnati Children's.
• Among adults with kidney failure who were referred for transplantation, 60% of black and 66% of white patients were waitlisted within the first year. Differences in socioeconomic status and comorbidities between black and white patients could explain up to 58% of the disparity in listing.
• Fewer black patients on transplant wait lists received transplants compared with white patients, but differences in socioeconomic status and comorbidities did not explain this disparity.
A new study offers a rare look at how black and white people listen to each other during political discussions, including those that touch on controversial issues about race.