About The Study: In this analysis of nearly 2 million Medicaid enrollees in 2016, compared with white enrollees, Black enrollees generated lower spending and used fewer services, including primary care and recommended care for acute and chronic conditions, but had substantially…
Tag: Racial Disparities
Black, Hispanic People More Likely to Die than White People After Some Types of Stroke
Black and Hispanic people are more likely to die in the first month after certain types of stroke than white people, according to a study published in the June 1, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Studies Find Increase in Use of Proton Beam Therapy for Cancer Care and Increase in Racial Disparities
Two new large studies led by researchers at the American Cancer Society (ACS) show an increase in the use of proton beam therapy (PBT) for patients with cancer in the United States during the past decade.
Race of people given Alzheimer’s blood tests may affect interpretation of results
Three of four blood tests used to identify people in early stages of Alzheimer’s disease perform differently in Black individuals compared to white individuals, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Such differences may put Black patients at risk of misdiagnosis.
STUDY FINDS DECREASE IN RACIAL DISPARITY AND INCREASE IN SURVIVAL RATES IN METASTATIC BREAST CANCER PATIENTS DUE TO MEDICAID EXPANSION
Findings from Study Led by Susan G. Komen Scholars Published in JAMA Oncology
Black Patients 24% Less Likely than White Patients to Have a Prostate MRI after Receiving an Elevated PSA Score
A new Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute study of nearly 800,000 men found that between 2011 and 2017 black patients were 24% less likely than white patients to have a prostate MRI after receiving an elevated (prostate-specific antigen) PSA score. For patients with an elevated PSA, use of prostate MRI prior to prostate biopsy has increased substantially in recent years as MRI can improve identification of clinically significant prostate cancer and obviate the need for biopsy, thus decreasing overdiagnosis of these cases. This JAMA Network Open study was based on 794,809 men, age 40 or older, with a PSA test using claims data from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart Database. Of these men, 51,500 had an PSA score >4ng/mL. The study found that patients with Medicare compared to commercial insurance were less likely to have a prostate MRI as were patients with HMO insurance plans compared to other plan types.
Race, Age, Sex and Language Affected Telemedicine Use by Rheumatology Clinic Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic
New research presented this week at ACR Convergence, the American College of Rheumatology’s annual meeting, shows a significant lack of fairness among telemedicine and electronic patient portals used by rheumatology clinic patients based on their race, age, sex and English language proficiency.
Intervention eliminates Black-white gaps in survival from early-stage breast and lung cancer
A new study shows that system-level changes to the way cancer care is delivered can also eliminate Black-white disparities in survival from early-stage lung and breast cancer. By identifying and addressing obstacles that kept patients from finishing radiation treatments for cancer, the intervention improved five-year survival rates for all patients and erased the survival gap between Black and white patients. Findings will be presented today at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Annual Meeting.
Has 2014 policy change affected racial disparities in pediatric kidney transplantation?
In a study of children on the U.S. kidney transplant list from 2008 to 2019, researchers found no racial and ethnic disparities regarding time on the waitlist until transplantation either before or after a 2014 policy change.
Mount Sinai Study Identifies Significant Inequalities Among Low-Risk Births, Finds Higher Rates of Unexpected Complications for Black and Hispanic Infants
Hospital quality of care during delivery is a major factor for racial and ethnic disparities among low-risk newborns
Racial Differences in Recovery Following Sports-Related Concussion Identified in Young Black and White Athletes
Researchers examined whether race (Black or White) influences outcomes and subjective experiences in young athletes who have sustained a sports-related concussion. Of primary interest were how long it takes for symptom resolution and return to school as well as changes in daily activities and sports behaviors.

UNC Researchers Awarded $10 Million from PCORI to Study Methods of Reducing Racial Inequities in Maternal Care
A $10-million award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) will allow researchers from the UNC School of Medicine, Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC), and community partners to address a growing problem in the world of maternal healthcare.
Study: Privilege and Politics Impact Disparity in Vaccine Rates
Experts available to discuss how inequities have contributed to uneven COVID-19 vaccine uptake. COLLEGE PARK, MD. – July 30, 2021 – Structural inequalities in the United States are posing “a serious threat to progress” in the push to get people…
COVID-19 Shutdowns Reveal Racial Disparities in Exposure to Air Pollution
A new GW study of COVID-19 shutdowns in the United States reveals pronounced disparities in air pollution — with disenfranchised, minority neighborhoods still experiencing more exposure to a harmful air pollutant compared to wealthier, white communities.
Officers’ tone of voice reflects racial disparities in policing
The Black Lives Matter movement has brought increasing attention to disparities in how police officers treat Black and white Americans. Now, research published by the American Psychological Association finds that disparity may exist even in subtle differences in officers’ tone of voice when they address Black and white drivers during routine traffic stops.
Study Sheds Light on Persistent Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer Care in the United States
Black men most likely to benefit from advanced prostate cancer therapies are 11 percent less likely to get them than non-Black men. This happens despite apparent equal opportunities in obtaining health care services, a new study in American veterans shows.
NCCN Policy Summit Explores How COVID-19 Pandemic Can Lead to Improvements in Cancer Care
NCCN Policy Summit examines the impact of the past year on oncology policy in the U.S., such as resuming recommended screening and clinical trials, applying health innovations from the COVID-19 pandemic to cancer treatment, and addressing systemic inequalities that lead to disparities in outcomes.
Mount Sinai identifies the causes of racial disparity in prostate cancer in a multi-institutional study
MEDIA ADVISORY Senior Author: Ash Tewari, MBBS, MCh, Professor and System Chairman of the Milton and Carroll Petrie Department of Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Center of Excellence for Prostate Cancer…
Penn Nursing-led Philly Team Awarded $1.4 Million NIH Grant to Expand COVID-19 Outreach
José A. Bauermeister, PhD, and Antonia M. Villarruel, PhD, are leading one of 10 new research teams from across the country that received National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants totaling $14 million to extend the reach of the NIH’s Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities. The Philly CEAL team was awarded $1.4 million from the NIH with additional support from Penn Nursing and The University of Pennsylvania, bringing the total for the alliance to $1.53 million.
When Immigrant Policies are Decriminalized, Babies are Born Healthier
UCLA Fielding School of Public Health led-research finds that criminalizing immigrant policies were associated with higher rates of preterm birth for Black women born outside the U.S.
Racial disparities in death rates from chronic diseases show minimal improvement over last two decades
In a research letter written by colleagues at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the authors report racial disparities improved only minimally in rural areas over the last two decades, with larger improvements occurring in urban areas.

Black Women More Likely To Gain Weight Than White Women After Menopause
In a study published published in the medical journal PLOS ONE, researchers from Rush Institute for Health Aging find that racial disparities play a role in weight gain in older women.

Chicago’s racial wealth gap examined in new UIC report
Interviews by the University of Illinois Chicago’s Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy highlight the precarity of many Black and Latino families who have ‘made it’
Waitlist Policies May Contribute to Racial Disparities in Access to Kidney Transplantation
• Racial disparities in access to kidney transplantation persist in the United States. New research indicates that registering Black patients on the kidney transplant waitlist at a slightly higher level of kidney function compared with white patients might lessen racial inequality in patients’ wait time prior to kidney failure onset, and ultimately improve racial equity in access to kidney transplantation.
Black or Hispanic Kids Receive Less Medical Imaging than White Kids
Large study publishing in JAMA Network Open shows Black and Hispanic children in hospital emergency departments are less likely to have imaging tests, such as X-rays or CT scans, ordered for them compared to White children. The authors attribute this disparity largely to overuse among Whites.
March 2021 highlights from AJPH
Highlights from the AJPH March 2021 Issue.

Strange colon discovery explains racial disparities in colorectal cancer
The colons of African-Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals, helping explain racial disparities in colorectal cancer – the cancer that killed beloved “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman.
Study Finds Little Progress in Addressing Racial Disparities for Dementia Risk
While rates of dementia for the U.S. population have been relatively stable or in decline since 2000, rates for Black Americans remain disproportionately high, according to a new study published in JAMA Neurology. Melinda C. Power, ScD, director of the…

Racial Disparities in Pediatric Diabetes Treatment
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is the third most common pediatric chronic disease in the United States, and the risk of the disease has risen sharply in non-Hispanic Black (NHB) children in the last 20 years, data show. Ironically, the significant advances in T1D therapeutics over recent years, especially new technologies, may have exacerbated racial disparities in diabetes treatment and outcomes

Study Compares Racial Disparities in Unilateral Vs. Bilateral Knee Replacement
Analyzing data from the NIS – Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project database, HSS researchers found that African Americans were much less likely to undergo bilateral knee replacement compared to white patients. With respect to in-hospital complication rates, there was no significant difference.

Study Documents Racial Differences In U.S. Hospice Use And End-Of-Life Care Preferences
In a new medical records analysis of racial disparities in end-of-life care, researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine and three collaborating institutions report that Black patients voluntarily seek substantially more intensive treatment, such as mechanical ventilation, gastronomy tube insertion, hemodialysis, CPR and multiple emergency room visits in the last six months of life, while white patients more often choose hospice services.

15-Year Trend Persists in Disparate Insulin Pump Use in Children
Insulin pumps are widely used in the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D) and reviews have shown insulin pump therapy to be associated with improved glycemic control, fewer severe hypoglycemia events, and improved quality of life. Yet, non-Hispanic white children (NHW) are more than twice as likely as non-Hispanic Black children (NHB) to use this technology.

Exploring health risks of poverty, racial discrimination
Growing up in poverty and experiencing racial discrimination can affect physical health, and researchers at the University of Georgia have been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to explore how.
Study reveals racial disparities in clinical trial recruitment and points to strategies to achieve more inclusive clinical research
In a new study published in the journal Clinical Trials, researchers led by Stephen Juraschek, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) compared four electronic-based recruitment methods and four traditional recruitment methods to determine how different strategies may impact enrollment of groups traditionally under-represented in the medical literature.
Study reveals racial disparities in clinical trial recruitment
In a new study published in Clinical Trials, researchers led by Stephen Juraschek, MD, PhD (Medicine, BIDMC) compared four electronic-based and four traditional recruitment methods for clinical trials to determine how different strategies may impact enrollment of groups traditionally under-represented in the medical literature.
NAU professors examine the role racial disparities play in mortality rates of rural, urban residents
In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers collected nationally representative data from 3,131 U.S. counties between 1968-2016, and looked at historical trends in death rates between older black and white adults living in different communities.
No racial disparities seen in response to remdesivir treatment of COVID-19
A new analysis by University of Chicago Medicine faculty, staff and collaborators around the world found remdesivir appears to be equally beneficial to patients regardless of race, supporting the need for early intervention and aggressive care for all patients in the fight against COVID-19.
Law clinic wins access to COVID-19 race data
The First Amendment Clinic at Cornell Law School, working on behalf of its client, The New York Times, helped secure the release of previously unseen data that provides the most detailed look yet at nearly 1.5 million American coronavirus patients from 974 counties across the country.

Story Tips From Johns Hopkins Experts on COVID-19
It seems there will never be enough “thank you’s” for the incredible doctors, nurses, technicians and support staff members who are working around the clock to help patients with the dangerous coronavirus disease. Their dedication, determination and spirit enable Johns Hopkins to deliver the promise of medicine.
Insulin Resistance Contributes to Racial Disparities in Breast Cancer Prognosis in U.S. Women, Mount Sinai Researchers Reveal
New study identifies that differences in insulin resistance can explain in part the disparities in breast cancer survival between black and white women
Study Examines Factors Affecting Racial Disparities Before Kidney Transplantation
• 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.
Technology use by adults with type 1 diabetes lower among African Americans, Hispanics
Continuous glucose monitor (CGM) and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) devices are known to improve outcomes in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), yet African American and Hispanic patients face barriers to the use of these devices, according to results of a small single-center retrospective study. The results of the ENDO 2020 abstract will be published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Affordable Care Act helped make health insurance access more equal, but racial and ethnic gaps remain
As the Affordable Care Act turns 10, a new study shows it has narrowed racial and ethnic gaps in access to health insurance – but definitely not eliminated them.
Both the percentage of people 19-64 who lacked health insurance, and the size of the health insurance gap between white, African-American and Hispanic Americans, shrank. From 2013 to 2017, the gap between blacks and whites narrowed 45%, and the difference between Hispanics and whites narrowed 35%.
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Stroke-Prevention Among Patients Undergoing Dialysis
• Among patients with kidney failure and atrial fibrillation, Black, Hispanic White, and Asian patients filled prescriptions of stroke-preventive medications less often than non-Hispanic White patients, and they were more likely to experience stroke.
• Equalizing the distribution of these medications would prevent 7%–12% of the stroke disparity among racial/ethnic minorities.

Gaps in Cure Rate Appear Linked to Race and Insurance Status for a Common HPV-Related Cancer, According to New Research
Largest population-based analysis on factors that affect survival outcomes for HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) find significant racial and socioeconomic disparities, according to new study in JNCCN-Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Racial Disparities in Survival Outcomes Shown in Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients
In what is believed to be the largest dataset study to date examining the role of race on survival outcome for pediatric patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, investigators at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey have found that black patients have significantly worse overall survival at five years than white patients when accounting for all available clinical variables.

Racial Disparities in Survival Outcomes Shown in Pediatric Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients
In what is believed to be the largest dataset study to date examining the role of race on survival outcome for pediatric patients with Hodgkin lymphoma, investigators at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey have found that black patients have significantly worse overall survival at five years than white patients when accounting for all available clinical variables.