Population Health News Round-Up: February 2025

Health Equity and Disparities

Black patients at higher risk of delayed lung cancer treatment: In Tennesse, Black patients with invasive lung cancer were more at risk of delayed treatment than were White patients. (PLoS One, January 3, 2025)

Black individuals, segregation, and dementia: Black people exposed to segregation when they were younger “had lower cognitive ability and a higher prevalence of dementia later in life….” (Yale School of Medicine, January 3, 2025, citing a JAMA Network Open study)

Black communities still face higher cardiovascular disparities: The American Heart Association’s “2025 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistical Update” reports that “Black Americans suffer some of the worst CVD health outcomes, likely due to the increasing prevalence of health risk factors that lead to CVD.” (American Heart Association Newsroom, February 7, 2025)

Environmental Health and Justice

Wildfires affect mental health, too: In Los Angeles, many people are emotionally dysregulated as they face climate anxiety and other mental health challenges. (Inside Climate News, January 28, 2025)

A tool for mapping heat-related health risks: University of Washington researchers developed a climate health and risk tool to show which communities are most vulnerable to extreme heat. (University of Washington Enviornmental & Occupational Health Sciences, December 202, 2024)

Severe temps and teen mental health: Among teens, cold temps in Norway were associated with anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal. Hot temps in Span were linked to attention problems. (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, January 30, 2025)

Built Environments, Spaces, and Places

Hospital access disparities in Puerto Rico: Puerto Ricans in rural areas face an average travel time of 30 minutes to get the hospital care they need, double the time of many people in urban areas. (Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs, Lerner Cener for Public Health Promotion & Population Health, Population Health Briefs, January 28, 2025)

Dental clinic deserts: Rural block groups and block groups with higher levels of Black and Hispanic people had higher levels of dental clinic deprivation. (JAMA Network Open, December 23, 2024)

In Seattle, “social housing” may help affordability and climate change: Publicly owned housing for low- and middle-income renters is on the docket in Seattle. These “cross-class” communities could also be energy-efficient and reduce car dependency. (Grist, February 7, 2025)

Policy and Programs

Tobacco tax reduced cigarette sales in Oakland: A minimum floor price law (MPFL) “led to a 15-percent decrease in cigarette sales overall and a 25-perent decrease in sales of lower-priced cigarettes…” (Boston University School of Public Health, citing an article in Tobacco Control, January 18, 2025)

Biden’s environmental justice initiatives under threat from Trump: Executive orders from the new presidential administration seek to reverse environmental justice efforts, both big and small, such as electric vehicle sales. The White House’s Justice40 page is gone. (Inside Climate News, January 26, 2025)

Cannabis legalization and incident schizophrenia: In Ontario, Canada, after legalization and liberalization of cannabis, schizophrenia rates almost tripled. (JAMA Network Open, February 4, 2025)

Book Spotlights

Mainline Mama by Keonna Harris. Harris talks about her experiences raising her child with an incarcerated co-parent. She’s become a prison abolitionist as a result. Read more about her story in this Los Angeles Times article. 

Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine. In this 2024 New York Times Bestseller, Uche Blackstock, MD, looks at the intersection of racism and healthcare.