MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'african americans'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:21:40 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847957&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fwhy-racial-disparities-are-alive-and-well-in-healthcare%2F2011.05.20 It was 1999 when the Federal government first acknowledged our nation had a problem with race and health care. That year, Congress tasked the Institute of Medicine to study the matter, and the resulting report was not good. Minorities were in poor health and receiving inferior care, the report said. They were less likely to receive bypass surgery, kidney transplants and dialysis. If they had diabetes, they were more likely to undergo amputations, meaning their disease had been poorly controlled. And there was a lot more where that came from. The IOM report was a call to action. In subsequent years, lawmakers crafted policies and established goals for improvement. Federal and state governments and numerous foundations set aside billions to fund projects. Health services researchers expanded... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847957 Fri, 20 May 2011 16:00:50 +0100 4847957 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4527733&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fweight-loss-counseling-is-race-a-factor%2F2011.02.27 Most people know that the U.S. is struggling to contain a surging epidemic of obesity, and that the problem is most acute among African-Americans. Whereas about 27 percent of all adult Americans are obese (defined as having a body mass index of 30 or more), fully 37 percent of African-American adults are obese, and that number jumps to an appalling 42 percent among African-American women. Over the years, public health officials have provided evidence that socioeconomic and cultural factors drive this racial disparity. Now, a new study suggests there is another reason as well: Obese African-Americans receive less obesity-related counseling than their white counterparts, and it matters not whether the physicians they see are African-American or white. To reach these conclusions, Sara Ble... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4527733 Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:00:02 +0100 4527733 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4074443&cid=t_139738_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FoppfCN3GA60%2F The US Justice Department was given a green light to intervene - or join - a whistleblower lawsuit accusing Wyeth of illegally marketing the Rapamune kidney transplant drug for unapproved uses and for targeting African-Americans, a high-risk patient group, according to a court document. US District Court Judge John Padova signed an order this week granting a recent motion filed to intervene on behalf of two plaintiffs, who are two former Wyeth hospital reps. The case has drawn national attention, given the recent surge of settlements and big fines paid by big drugmakers - including Pfizer, which owns Wyeth - over allegations of off-label marketing. This particular lawsuit prompted still more interest because of the sensational accusation that Wyeth targeted African-Americans. Wyeth manager... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4074443 Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:08:02 +0100 4074443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3595896&cid=t_139738_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FiV6AzOtYXlk%2F A pair of former hospital sales reps filed a whistleblower suit alleging Wyeth, which is now owned by Pfizer, illegally promoted its Rapamune kidney transplant drug for use with other organs and targeted African-Americans, even though this is a high-risk patient group, according to the product labeling. The suit was filed by Marlene Sandler and Scott Paris in 2005, but was recently unsealed and an amended complaint was filed today (see the suit). In arguing their case, the former reps contend Wyeth management “openly encouraged and directed their entire Rapamune sales force” to promote Rapamune to docs practicing heart, lung, liver, pancreas, and islet cell transplants even though the drug was never approved for patients receiving transplants of these organs, according to the s... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3595896 Mon, 24 May 2010 22:16:09 +0100 3595896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3251192&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=36941&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mazecordblood.com%2Fblog%2F%3Fp%3D413 New Yorkers!  Rally behind Jennifer Jones Austin! The Brooklyn-based mother, lawyer and family advocate has been stricken with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and has become the face of a city-wide blood and bone marrow drive in conjunction with New York Blood Center (NYBC) and The City University of New York (CUNY). After feeling tired, believing it was just a virus, Jennifer was diagnosed.  Once she confirmed, unfortunately, that her siblings were not a match for a transplant, she turned to the “Be The Match” blood drive going on now at Borough of Manhattan Community College.  According to statistics, only 10% of the donors registered with the National Marrow Donor Program are African American, and the changes for a match improve greatly when race and ethnic synergies exist.  Th... Cord Blood News blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3251192 Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:35:26 +0100 3251192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3246950&cid=t_139738_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FgujoXamzW-E%2F African Americans who develop multiple sclerosis deteriorate more quickly than their white counterparts and don’t respond as well to the currently available treatments, say researchers. It’s not unusual for different races to respond in different ways to various illnesses or treatments. The best known illness where this occurs is hypertension (high blood pressure), but we don’t always know which diseases or disorders will fall into this category. Multiple sclerosis is much more common among whites than African Americans, so not much research had been done regarding any differences in progression and treatment. Researchers from the University of Buffalo began looking into this while examining the magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of 567 patients who had MS. What they found ... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3246950 Sat, 06 Feb 2010 01:45:37 +0100 3246950 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2923329&cid=t_139738_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FV7maD4f_5g8%2F A study has found older African Americans are less likely to get a flu shot than are older non-Hispanic whites. It’s not uncommon to hear about differences in certain illnesses and approach to illnesses, depending on race or culture, or even genetics. For example, it’s known that African Americans have a higher risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension). However, when it’s a behavior, such as avoiding a vaccination, it’s important for the medical community to understand why this is happening. Researchers in Buffalo, NY, looked at the reasons why older African Americans may be reluctant to get a flu shot and they found several factors: Many thought that vaccines provided life-long immunity, not just a few months It wasn’t understood by many that the... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2923329 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:16:29 +0100 2923329 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2424025&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHixRbfIt_qA%2F I’ve been reading the debate between our own Andrew Coulson and Rev. Joseph Darby with interest, not least because it is an extreme rarity to find an opponent of school choice with the courage and good faith to engage in such a public debate on the topic. That said, something Rev. Darby wrote in his response caught my attention because of its parallels with the modern fight over school choice: The first schools established for African-Americans following the Civil War were private schools. They sometimes, however, exclusively accepted the children of the black upper and middle economic classes while excluding the children of former slaves who struggled economically to survive. Public schools for African-Americans were decidedly and intentionally inferior, and the irony is that the oppone... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2424025 Tue, 19 May 2009 20:13:57 +0100 2424025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2364930&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPGubr1k8ky8%2F A new poll released today reveals that 43 percent of African Americans in South Carolina support private school choice while only 40 percent oppose it. What’s even more interesting, however, is that 53 percent said that “giving parents a tax credit or scholarship to choose the best school for their children — public or private — would improve the state’s dismal high school graduation rate.” So an additional 10 percent of respondents think the program will work but don’t currently support it. Why? Perhaps because many black religious and political leaders in South Carolina have criticized the concept for years. Take, for instance, the Rev. Joe Darby, a Charleston Minister I had the pleasure of communicating with a few years ago. Very pleasant guy. Absolutely ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2364930 Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:48:10 +0100 2364930 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2266841&cid=t_139738_111_f&fid=36048&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FAHeartyLife%2F%7E3%2FpvkHbwOL9O8%2F We’ve known for a long time that high blood pressure and strokes hit African Americans much more often and frequently harder than whites. With all the studies and research going on, there is an anticipation that we should be making progess in dealing with this. The facts are: African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke as whites First strokes in African Americans are almost twice of whites African American men, aged 45 to 54 years old, have 3 x a higher risk of having an ischemic stroke (brain tissue deprived of nutrients) than their white counterparts A new study from the University of South Florida Health , has found that “Florida, black young adults are hospitalized for stroke at a rate three times higher than their white and Hispanic peers.” Other findi... A Hearty Life blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2266841 Fri, 13 Mar 2009 20:38:42 +0100 2266841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1625789&cid=t_139738_147_f&fid=35750&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthCareVox%2F%7E3%2F336174733%2Fdigital_divide_closes_twothird.html A brief, but significant blog post today.  New data from Yankelovich indicates that the black-white digital divide has narrowed significantly.  Better yet, it has closed.  According to the study: -68% of African Americans report they are online – compared with 71% of all Americans -90% of black teens use the InternetThere are still some differences in online access among African Americans by region.  The study indicates that blacks living in the south are least likely to be online.  Only 63% of this group has Internet access. Get more information about this groundbreaking study here. Source: Ignite Health Blog    (Source: HealthCareVox) HealthCareVox blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1625789 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:14:12 +0100 1625789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1344608&cid=t_139738_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F262689349%2F Let’s see. How about women, older folks, minorities, the diabled and people who live in the sticks. That’s the conclusion of a new analysis of the American clinical trial process for testing new drugs, which found these groups are routinely excluded or under-represented for decades. “We’ve got a big problem,” Dan Goldberg, chief policy adviser for the report, tells Health Day. “And it’s extremely urgent that we fix it. Because we’re trying to figure out how to streamline health care and make people healthy, of course. And the fact that we have under-representation in clinical trials undermines both of these goals and undermines the quality of the evidence we come up with.” The report was conducted by a team of more than 300 analysts wh... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1344608 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:14:01 +0100 1344608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1213274&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=35052&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FWomensBioethicsBlog%2F%7E3%2F230656762%2Fwould-paying-for-organs-help-review-of.html iThis is a link from my collegue Gerry Beyer's trusts and estates blog to an abstract of a book review/essay I just published in 33 J. Health Pol. Pol’y & L. 117 (2007) discussing Michele... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] (Source: Women's Bioethics Blog) Women's Bioethics Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1213274 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 03:26:51 +0100 1213274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=819519&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F08%2F24%2Fvision-loss-for-african-americans-with-type-1%2F Filed under: Type 1, Childhood, Adult Onset, Research, Support, ComplicationsPrevious studies have examined visual impairments of Caucasians with type 1 diabetes, but this is the first study analyzing vision loss for African Americans with type 1. The vision and associated risk factors of approximately 500 African Americans with type 1 were studied over a 6-year period. At follow-up, 4.3 percent of patients realized vision loss in their better eye (visual acuity of 20/40 or worse) and 0.6 percent became blind in their better eye (visual acuity of 20/200 or worse). Nearly 10 percent lost 15 or more letters on the eye chart due to a doubling of the visual angle in their better eye. Another 13.5 percent had this doubling in either eye, which the researchers stated was "particularly high". In... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=819519 Fri, 24 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 819519 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=805908&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F08%2F17%2Fafrican-americans-suffering-from-substandard-housing%2F Filed under: Type 2, Lifestyle, ResearchA study just out links high rates of diabetes to African Americans who lived in substandard housing. Sigh. Doesn't that seem rather obvious? Does it really require a big study to confirm it?? Well, anyway, here's the scoop: researchers collected data on 998 African American men and women born in St. Louis between 1936 and 1950. They looked at all the risk factors for those individuals - factors that could contribute to ill health. Examples of risk factors include access to medical care and quality of neighborhoods (including such things as air quality, condition of yards and sidewalks, and proximity to industrial sites and traffic noise.)The conclusion? Those whose housing conditions were ranked as only fair or poor were at increased risk for type 2 ... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=805908 Fri, 17 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 805908 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=799239&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F08%2F14%2Fthe-undiagnosed-men-benefit-most-as-disparity-evens-out%2F Filed under: Type 1, Type 2, ResearchAccording to a RAND Corporation study, fewer and fewer diabetics are going undiagnosed these days. Specifically, the gap has closed dramatically over the last twenty-five years. So much so that Hispanics and African Americans are now no more likely than whites to be undiagnosed. Good news, to be sure. And the news is especially good for men. James P. Smith, who authored the study, says that twenty-five years ago about fifty percent of men with diabetes did not even know they had the disease. Jump forward to 1999-2002, however, and the number drops to about twenty percent.Smith concludes that even though ethnic and gender disparities remain, we are certainly doing a lot better at getting people diagnosed and into treatment. Diabetes programs that target ... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=799239 Tue, 14 Aug 2007 04:00:00 +0100 799239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=699269&cid=t_139738_87_f&fid=34867&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thediabetesblog.com%2F2007%2F06%2F27%2Ffamily-based-weight-management-program-promising-but-costly%2F Filed under: Type 2, Childhood, Diet, Lifestyle, Research, Exercise, Support Near the end of the school year, my son's preschool teacher shared a disturbing statistic. My son's generation is expected to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. The main reason? Childhood obesity. 17 percent of children and adolescents in 2004 were overweight, and it's even more dismal for African American and Hispanic youth -- 18-26 percent. The phrase 'childhood obesity epidemic' is not being tossed around lightly, we are in a state of emergency when it comes to the health of our youth. Results were just released from a one-year randomized trial conducted May 2002-September 2005 on a weight management program called Bright Bodies. Researchers randomly assigned 209 overweight children to the Bright Bod... The Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=699269 Wed, 27 Jun 2007 04:00:00 +0100 699269