Prescription help available for the unemployed
July 18, 2010
Despite assertions that the recession is ending, many Americans are still out of work and continue to have trouble finding employment. Since 2000, a steady increase in unemployment has contributed to a lack of employer-sponsored insurance coverage. Without health coverage, many have difficulty accessing needed medical care including prescription medicines.
The national unemployment rate is uncharacteristically high at nearly 10%, and has been for more than a year. Minority populations struggle the most, with over 15% of the African-American population and over 12% of the Hispanic population currently unemployed. Data suggest that the high unemployment rate means an increase in uninsured individuals.
The freshman 15, 20, 25...
July 18, 2010
Most of you have heard of the ‘freshman 15.’ This typically refers to the 10-15 pound weight gain experienced by many college freshman. The transition from high school to college represents a drastic increase in independence for teens which includes making lifestyle choices independently. After graduating from high school, many teens have fewer structured exercise activities/sports activities and they are more likely to purchase fast foods more often. Mom and dad no longer set the menu for meals and healthy food choices often are often thrown out of the window.
I recently met with some colleagues in public health and health advocacy to discuss strategies to prevent diabetes and cardiovascular disease in African Americans in St. Louis. We discussed lifestyle interventions and obesity prevention and we quickly came to the conclusion that young adults are often left out of the prevention strategies.
Early diagnosis keeps prostate cancer at bay
July 13, 2010
An estimated 189,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in American men, and approximately 30,200 men will die from the disease. The risk of developing prostate cancer increases beginning at age 40. The probability of developing prostate cancer over the next 10 years is 0 percent, 17 percent for men age 40, 2. 01 percent for men age 50, and 6. 46 percent for men age 60.
The burden of prostate cancer varies among different racial and ethnic groups. African-American men have about a 60 percent higher incidence rate and a 2-fold higher mortality rate from prostate cancer than white men.
Study finds Breast Conservation viable for
Black Women with Breast Cancer
July 8, 2010
NNPA - Breast-conserving therapy is a viable treatment option for African-American women, although they tend to have more advanced breast cancer at diagnosis, according to researchers from Beaumont Hospitals, Royal Oak, Mich. The study is available online now and will be in the July 15 issue of the journal Cancer.
The study, which reviewed the data of 699 women treated with breast conserving therapy - which means a lumpectomy or partial mastectomy instead of removing the entire breast - at Beaumont from 1980 to 2003, found that African-American women were younger and had larger, more aggressive tumors at the time of diagnosis. As a result, they more frequently required chemotherapy and lymph node irradiation as part of their treatment.
