Minority health

Racial and ethnic disparities affect access to childrens’ orthodontic care

A recent (Fall 2007) research article in the Journal of Public Health Dentistry which analyzed data collected between 1996 and 2004 found that there were significant racial and disparities among children receiving orthodontic care. Black and Hispanic children had lower odds of receiving care than White children, and the rates of care were also affected by income and access to private health insurance.

Christopher Okunseri BDS, MSc, Nicholas M. Pajewski BS, Emily L. McGinley MS, MPH, Raymond G. Hoffmann PhD (2007)
Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Self-Reported Pediatric Orthodontic Visits in the United States
Journal of Public Health Dentistry 67 (4), 217″223.

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Racial Categories in Medical Practice

Two thought-provoking articles in the September 2007 PLoS Medicine take a look at the problematic use of “racial profiling” in medical treatment and discuss whether racial categories still have a useful place in medical treatment decisions or not.

Braun L, Fausto-Sterling A, Fullwiley D, Hammonds EM, Nelson A, et al. Racial categories in medical practice: how useful are they? PLoS Medicine [Internet]. 2007 Sep; 4(9):e271. Available from: http://tinyurl.com/2geaw7 DOI:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040271
Ellison GTH, Smart A, Tutton R, Outram SM, Ashcroft R, et al. Racial categories in medicine: a failure of evidence-based practice? PLoS Medicine [Internet]. 2007 Sep; 4(9):e287. Available from: http://tinyurl.com/3c8f9f DOI:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040287

Thanks to Siobhan for pointing out these articles.

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Reaching Our Spanish-Speaking Audience

The Texas State Library will be offering a series of free workshops to help English-speaking libraries and community centers reach out to Spanish speakers. The day-long workshops will be held around the state over the next few months. South Texas locations include Harlingen, San Antonio, Bandera, Laredo, Beeville, and Carrizo Springs. Topics will include cultural differences, community partnerships, marketing, and technology. The workshops are intended for librarians and their community partners. A brochure and more information are available at http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ld/workshops/rosa/.

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Recent study finds that U.S. Latinos have increased risk of vision disorders

Research conducted through the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study (LALES) and reported by the NIH has found that Latinos have higher rates of developing visual impairment, blindness, diabetic eye disease, and cataracts than non-Hispanic whites. Research participants were primarily of Mexican descent over 40 years old. During the four year study period, researchers found the following:

Latinos developed visual impairment and blindness at the highest rate of any ethnic group in the country, when compared with estimates from other U.S. population-based studies. Overall, nearly 3 percent of Latinos developed visual impairment and 0.3 percent developed blindness in both eyes, with older adults impacted more frequently. Of Latinos age 80 and older, 19.4 percent became visually impaired, and 3.8 percent became blind in both eyes.

U.S. Latinos were also more likely to develop diabetic retinopathy than non-Hispanic whites. Over the four-year period, 34 percent of Latinos who had diabetes developed diabetic retinopathy, with Latinos aged 40 to 59 having the highest rate. Though increasing age did not play a role, Latinos with a longer duration of diabetes were more likely to develop the disease. In fact, 42 percent of Latinos with diabetes for more than 15 years developed diabetic retinopathy. Also, among participants who had diabetic retinopathy at the beginning of the study, 39 percent showed worsening of the disease four years later.

Read the complete NIH News (May 1, 2010) at http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2010/nei-01.htm.

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Report of skin cancer awareness and risk behaviors among Hispanic youth

From the August 2007 issue of the Archives of Dermatology:

Skin cancer awareness and sun protection behaviors in white Hispanic and white non-Hispanic high school students in Miami, Florida.

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Report on Disparities from the Synthesis Project

Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Synthesis Project has released a report on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to and Quality of Health Care. Among the key findings: “The largest access disparities are for Spanish-speaking Hispanics.” (Thanks to Siobhan Champ-Blackwell.)

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Research Finds Added Weight to Television’s Influence on Obesity in Hispanic Children

According to research being conducted, fast food commercials on Spanish-language television stations may be contributing to the growing weight problem in Hispanic children. Viewing 60 hours of programming (between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m.) on the two largest Spanish-language stations in the U.S., researchers found an average of two to three food commercials an hour, with a third of them targeted to children. Half of these ads were for fast food.

Recommendations from the researchers included a time limit of two hours per day of TV, with no television for children under two, and parent/child conversations about healthy eating choices.

Among America’s children, Hispanics have the highest rate of overweight and obesity.

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Responding to the Epidemic: Strategies for Improving Diabetes Care in Texas

An alarming rate of increase is projected for the incidence of diabetes in Texas over the next 30 years. Based on statistics from the Office of the State Demographer, Texas will see an increase of 156,000 new cases of diabetes each year. A newly released report from the Texas Health Institute (THI) recommends a plan of action to curtail these predictions. According to the report, “The State Demographer projects a quadrupling of the number of adult Texans with diabetes from approximately 2.2 million in 2010 to almost 8 million by 2040.” Counties in the Texas border region are expected to be particularly hard hit. Given that rates of diabetes in Hispanic populations are higher than the national average, “There are a large number of Hispanic residents at high-risk of developing diabetes, particularly in South Texas, where obesity rates are very high and insurance coverage is very low.”

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San Antonio Public Library Hosts Focus Group for Promotores

On June 9, 2008, the San Antonio Public Library hosted a focus group with 10 promotores from Edgewood Family Network. This is the first of two focus group meetings being held as part of SAPL’s “express outreach” award from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. The UT HSC Libraries are partnering with SAPL to enhance services and resources based on promotores’ feedback and suggestions.

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San Antonio Taking Part in Alzheimer’s Research

Alzheimer’s disease is a growing concern with the aging of America, and San Antonio has joined in the battle to research this disease and its connection to the Hispanic population. The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio has become the newest member of the Texas Alzheimer’s Research Consortium (TARC), a collaborative effort between five medical research institutions whose goal is to improve early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s. With possible links between Alzheimer’s and cardiovascular risk and diabetes, San Antonio will play a key role. Thanks to its decades long involvement in tracking diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the Hispanic population through the San Antonio Logitudinal Study of Aging (SALSA), the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio should contribute greatly to the consortium’s research.