Population Health News, March 2026

Health Equity

Discrimination and social isolation linked to serious psychological distress among Asian Americans: The researchers also studied barriers to mental health care among Asian Americans in NYC. (Social Science & Medicine, March 2026)

Cognitive benefits from attending an HBCU: “Black adults who were college-aged between 1940 and 1980 and attended an HBCU in the United States demonstrated better command of memory, language, and overall intellectual functioning later in life, compared to Black adults who attended a predominantly White institution (PWI)….” (BUSPH, February 20, 2026, citing a JAMA Network Open article)

Employees who work on quartz countertops are experiencing lung disease: Silicosis can damage and scar lungs and even lead to respiratory failure. Researchers have found clusters of silicosis cases in countertop fabrication shops. Lawsuits are underway. (Kaiser Family Foundation Health News, March 12, 2026)

Environmental and Climate Health & Justice

Environmental pollution harms mental health: For example, fine particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide are linked to depression, and aircraft and road noise “may be associated with an increased risk of depression and anxiety, especially for those in vulnerable groups.” (European Environment Agency Briefing, February 2026)

Renewable energy helps Texans age in place: Wind energy generates revenue that supports senior centers via a mechanism in the Texas tax code that sends money immediately to community projects and programs. (Grist, March 12, 2026) 

BESS battery sites prompt concerns about fire, contamination: (BBC, September 10, 2025; see Inside Climate News, January 16, 2026, for more.)

Built Environments, Spaces, and Places

Protecting coastal areas can help protect health: Mitigating erosion and flooding, anticipating threats, and enhancing the built and natural infrastructure can help protect the 40% of the population that lives in coastal regions. (County Health Rankings, February 12, 2026)

Medicaid helps everyone in rural communities: This podcast episode explores what happens when Medicaid is cut. Effects include the closure of rural hospitals, many of which rely on Medicaid dollars to stay afloat. (University of Michigan School of Public Health, March 24, 2026)

Historical redlining and pregnancy: Living in a historically redlined neighborhood may reduce a woman’s ability to become pregnant. (BUSPH, March 24, 2026)

Policy and Programs

The loss of ACA premium help will harm older adults disproportionately: Many older adults need to buy ACA coverage until they reach Medicare eligibility, but many face a “double whammy”: the loss of federal subsidies and a cost that’s larger than other age groups. (Kaiser Family Foundation, February 26, 2026)

Children in particular will be harmed by the EPA’s latest actions: Repealing the endangerment finding “threatens to unravel many of the policies that protect Americans,” and children are especially vulnerable to air pollution. (APHA Public Health Newswire, February 27, 2026)

How firearm laws can prevent intimate partner violence: Red flag laws and firearm restrictions can help prevent “domestic violence tragedies, particularly intimate partner homicide.” (Population Healthy Podcast, University of Michigan School of Public Health, February 24, 2026) 

Book Spotlight

In Climate Justice and Public Health: Realities, Responses, and Re-Imaginings for a Better Future, the authors look at how climate disasters reveal inequities. The authors focus on climate change and health equity across the globe. (University of Massachusetts Press, 2024)