Health News Roundup

Cancer more aggressive in Black patients, and more in this week’s roundup

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‘A moral failure’: Pregnant people face health risks and inconsistent care in prisons
Candice Norwood, The 19th, Oct. 4
Incarcerated pregnant women face stress and anxiety that can threaten maternal health, inconsistent access to doctors and other services and challenges getting to pregnancy-related appointments. That is according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. It also found there is a lack of data collection by the U.S. Department of Justice on incarcerated pregnant women. “This report makes clear that too many pregnant women — disproportionately Black, Brown, and from marginalized communities — are left without the healthcare and support they deserve,” said U.S. Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

A boy’s bicycling death haunts a Black neighborhood. 35 years later, there’s still no sidewalk.
Renuka Rayasam and Fred Clasen-Kelly, KFF Health News, Oct. 8
John Parker, a six-year-old from Durham, North Carolina was killed 35 years ago when he was hit by a pickup truck while riding his bike. For years, community activists and researchers have pleaded with city leaders for safety improvements on the busy road. However, to this day, there is still no sidewalk. Research shows that pedestrian deaths are highest in formerly redlined areas. Other studies show that a lack of sidewalks, damaged walkways, and roads with high speed limits are concentrated in these areas, creating a public health concern.

LGBTQ+ women face disproportionate rates of mental health issues and barriers to care
Bec Roldan, NPR, Oct. 8
LGBTQ+ women experience substantial health disparities, mental illness and barriers to care. An analysis of a survey found that 66% of LGBTQ+ women respondents reported seeking treatment for trauma. It also found that respondents of color reported higher rates of disability and attempted suicide. Women said cost and discrimination were reasons why they did not seek out medical care. Women of color were twice as likely to say they lacked access to quality care.

United Way: Nearly 40% of CT households faced poverty in 2022
Keith M. Phaneuf, The Connecticut Mirror, Oct. 8
Nearly two thirds of Connecticut households do not have enough income to cover a realistic survival budget, according to the United Way. A survival budget covers housing, food, utilities, transportation, childcare, and at least one smartphone. Health care is among the key factors pushing Connecticut family budgets higher over the past two decades. About 58% of Black and Hispanic households earned less than the Asset-Limited Income-Constrained Employed (ALICE) limit, an alternative calculation to the federal poverty level.

Why do Black Americans get more aggressive cancers?
Anil Oza, STAT News, Oct. 1
Across all kinds of cancer, Black Americans have higher rates of mortality and, often, more aggressive forms of the disease. Research suggests that may be because of social and environmental factors such as racism and housing, and according to a new study, exposure to pollution. That study found that in several types of cancer, Black patients had genetic duplications which can make cancers more aggressive. The duplications were more likely to occur in cells exposed to pollutants. Researchers found that the genome duplications were anywhere from 11-35% more common in Black patients than in white patients.