Latest Health Behavior News
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | April 25, 2013 | Health Behavior News Service
Brought to you by CFAH’s Health Behavior News Service: Depressed teens have rocky twenties | Gym benefits, yes. Extra costs, no thanks | Church goers look to ministry for health advice | Just say no to smoking in public housing

Latest Health Behavior News
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 7, 2013 | Health Behavior News Service
Recent health behavior research news stories: Friendships Are Good for Our Health | Obesity Lowers Quality of Life in Boys | Health Centers Have High Satisfaction Rates | Diabetes + Depression Increases Risk of Death

Despite Challenges, Health Centers Have High Satisfaction Rates
HBNS STORY | February 14, 2013
Low-income Americans are more likely to be satisfied with the care they receive at federally qualified health centers (FQHC) than at mainstream health care providers, reveals a new study in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.

Does the U.S. Get Value for Its Health Care Dollars? – Part 2
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | February 13, 2013 | Trudy Lieberman
It turns out Japan has much to teach us about improving health…In many ways, Japan scores much higher than the U.S. when it comes to the health of its population.

Adults with Disabilities More Likely to Seek Care in the Emergency Department
HBNS STORY | December 21, 2012
People with disabilities, while making up just 17 percent of the working-age adult population, account for almost 40 percent of all emergency department (ED) visits, finds a new study in Health Services Research.

Minorities More Likely to View Generic Drugs as Inferior
HBNS STORY | October 24, 2012
Negative perceptions about generic drugs are more widespread among ethnic minorities than among whites, finds a new study in Ethnicity & Disease.

Women and Minorities Face Barriers to Clinical Trials
HBNS STORY | June 1, 2012
Physicians have great influence over whether minorities and women participate in cancer clinical trials, according to a new literature review.

'Health Care Deserts' More Common In Black Neighborhoods
HBNS STORY | April 25, 2012
New research into "health care deserts" finds that primary-care physicians are especially hard to find in predominantly Black and/or low-income Hispanic metropolitan neighborhoods.

Bilingual Immigrants Report Better Health Than Speakers of One Language
HBNS STORY | February 29, 2012
A study in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior suggests that immigrants who learn English while maintaining their native language could also maintain strong mental and physical health.

Study Illuminates Ethnic Disparities in Diabetes and Cognitive Impairment
HBNS STORY | January 31, 2012
A new study finds that decreasing the disparities in rates of type 2 diabetes among Whites, Blacks and Hispanics could eliminate some racial and ethnic disparities in the development of cognitive impairment or dementia. Prior research has shown that type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for all forms of major cognitive impairment, including Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study in Ethnicity & Disease.

Mammogram Rates Lower for Mexican Women in U.S.
HBNS STORY | December 20, 2011
Mexican women in the United States are less likely to get mammograms than white women, black women and other Latinas, according to a new study in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

Racial Disparities in Colon Cancer Screening Persist Despite Insurance, Access
HBNS STORY | December 12, 2011
Public health researchers have long attributed the disparity in colonoscopy rates between whites and minorities to a lack of health insurance or access to doctors. Now, a new study in the journal Health Services Research suggests the reasons for the differences are more complex.

Doctors Often Overrate How Well They Speak a Second Language
HBNS STORY | October 27, 2011
New research shows that physicians who say they are fluent in a second language may be overestimating their actual skills.

Ethnic Differences in Appointment Keeping Affect Health of Diabetes Patients
HBNS STORY | October 27, 2011
Ethnic differences in appointment keeping may be an important factor in poor health outcomes among some minority patients with diabetes, according to a new study.

Black, Hispanic, Poor Young Women Less Likely to Complete HPV Vaccinations
HBNS STORY | August 30, 2011
Barriers that hinder young African-American, Hispanic and poor women from completing a series of three vaccinations to prevent human papillomavirus infection (HPV) also leave them at higher risk for cervical cancer and death.

Prejudice Linked to Depression, Anxiety in Gay and Bisexual Black Men
HBNS STORY | August 30, 2011
The harassment, discrimination and negative feelings about homosexuality that black gay and bisexual men often experience can contribute significantly to mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety, a small new study finds.

African-Americans With Thyroid Cancer Fare Worse Than Whites
HBNS STORY | June 21, 2011
African-Americans have fewer incidences of thyroid cancer but have a more advanced form of the disease once they receive a diagnosis — and are more likely to die from it, according to a new study.

Young Asian/Pacific Islander Women in Calif. Face Higher Breast Cancer Risk
HBNS STORY | June 21, 2011
Young Asian/Pacific Islander women born in California have higher risks of breast cancer than young white women, and some groups, including Filipinas, might have higher risks than African-Americans.

Treatment for Minority Stroke Patients Improves at Top-ranked Hospitals
HBNS STORY | June 21, 2011
A new study suggests there has been some improvement in reducing the gap in stroke hospitalization between white and minority patients.

Bisexual, Lesbian Women Less Likely to Get Pap Tests
HBNS STORY | June 7, 2011
A new study finds that young bisexual and lesbian women are less likely to get Pap tests than straight women, while young bisexual women face a higher risk of being diagnosed with sexually transmitted diseases.

Inner-City Health Centers Could Do More to Boost Breastfeeding
HBNS STORY | May 6, 2011
Health centers and birth hospitals serving largely minority populations could do more to promote and encourage recommended breastfeeding, according to a new study of Philadelphia safety-net health clinics.

Positive Media Campaigns Help Minorities Put Down Cigarettes
HBNS STORY | April 29, 2011
Media campaigns that offer positive encouragement can have an impact on getting African-Americans to quit, a new study finds.

Culture and Stigma Affect Mental Health Care for Latinos
HBNS STORY | March 22, 2011
Latinos benefit from antidepressants like everybody else — only they do not use them nearly as often. The trick is getting past some cultural barriers.

Minority Women Might Have Higher Depression Risk During Pregnancy
HBNS STORY | March 22, 2011
A new study finds that African-American and Asian/Pacific Islander women have double the risk that others do of becoming depressed before giving birth.

Davos Health Care
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | March 17, 2011 | Chris Gibbons
According to American Medical News, the U.S. health system is demonstrating better performance on most measures of health care quality, but it's failing to improve access to care or cut racial and ethnic health disparities.

Death Rates Remain Higher for Poor Black Americans
HBNS STORY | February 24, 2011
In 2000, a black, working-aged resident of a poor neighborhood significantly was more likely to die than a white American — a situation that essentially remained unchanged from 20 years earlier.

Black and Hispanic Women With Breast Cancer Face Treatment Delays
HBNS STORY | February 1, 2011
At a time when access to prompt treatment might affect survival, a large new study finds that African-American and Hispanic women newly diagnosed with breast cancer often face delays in care of more than a month.

Multiple Sclerosis More Linked to Depression in Minorities
HBNS STORY | December 21, 2010
For many with multiple sclerosis, the disease wreaks havoc with emotional well being, and according to a new study, minorities might especially be at risk for developing depressive symptoms.

Now or Later
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | October 26, 2010 | Chris Gibbons
The October 19 edition of iHealthBeat is reporting that National Coordinator for Health IT David Blumenthal and HHS Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health Garth Graham have asked health IT vendors for their help in preventing a "digital divide" involving health care providers who serve minority communities. Blumenthal and Graham called on these vendors to make sure they target such health care providers in their marketing and sales campaigns.

What Can Health Care Professionals Do About Poverty?
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | October 20, 2010 | Connie Davis
A colleague of mine, Cheryl, has been trying to help a solo physician address a thorny issue. Through the use of 'How's Your Health', an amazing Web-based suite of health and practice tools, the physician realized that many of her patients struggled with maintaining an adequate income. Cheryl went looking for some ideas for the physician, and she came across this: Health Providers Against Poverty, an Ontario-based group that has a toolkit to help primary care professionals address poverty issues.

Communication Complications
PREPARED PATIENT BLOG | October 1, 2010 | Chris Gibbons
A recently published study in the August issue of Archives of Internal Medicine reveals that there are significant gaps between what doctors think their patients know and what patients say they know. The findings are based on a survey of 89 patients and 43 physicians conducted between October 2008 and June 2009 at Waterbury Hospital affiliated with Yale School of Medicine. Researchers found that some of the discrepancies relate to basic information. For example, two-thirds of physicians thought patients knew their names. But only 18 percent of patients could correctly say their names.

Unequal Health Care Increases Colorectal Cancer Mortality in Blacks
HBNS STORY | August 19, 2010

Latinas Delay Seeking Care, Even if Insured and Ill
HBNS STORY | June 3, 2010

Blacks, Hispanics Less Likely Eligible for Medicare Prescription Help
HBNS STORY | May 20, 2010

Tainted Produce More Likely for Low-Income Shoppers
HBNS STORY | April 6, 2010

Latino and White Children Might Receive Different Pain Treatment
HBNS STORY | February 4, 2010