Population Health News Roundup: February

IAPHS members in the news

Sandro Galea in The Lancet: Galea and co-authors suggest three potential approaches to further research into commercial determinants of health. (February 2020)

Rita Hamad in Epidemiology: Hamad and co-authors used a natural experiment to examine if neighborhood deprivation affects mental health among refugees/immigrants in Sweden; important implications for causal literature. (January 20, 2020)

Philip Alberti in Mother Jones Magazine: Infectious disease outbreak planning should include consideration of the social determinants of health (February 7, 2020); and as a keynote at the National Health Care for the Homeless Conference & Policy Symposium, May 2020. 

Disparities

Loneliness increases suicide risk in the military: Loneliness and social isolation are social determinants of health for military personnel. (Health Affairs, February 4, 2020)

Suicide rates among sexual minority teens decline, but disparities remain: High school students who identify as LGB or unsure are still thee times more likely to attempt suicide than heterosexual students in 2017. (American Academy of Pediatrics, February 20, 2020)

Place

The dark side of walkability: The number of pedestrians and bicyclists killed in traffic accidents is increasing, reversing the previous trends. (Fair Warning, February 5, 2020) 

Neighborhood cleanliness and perceptions of safety and social cohesion linked to telomere length: Among Black U.S. adults, “neighborhood perceptions are positively associated with telomere length.”  (Health & Place, December 20, 2019)

Pittsburgh takes aim at racism: Pittsburgh City Council declares racism a public health crisis. (CityLab, January 30, 2020)

Programs

Housing renovations and individual health and disease burden: A public-private partnership renovation program to improve NYC public housing did not show significant individual health outcome improvements, but did improve overall disease burden “using an index of housing-sensitive conditions.” (Health Affairs, February 2020)

Policy

Are dental therapists the answer to dental disparities? A bill in Washington State may find out. (The Stranger, February 11, 2020)

Medicare for all could yield great savings, health gains: Universal health care policies would save $450 billion annually and save 1.73 million life years, according to a recent Yale study. (The Lancet, February 15, 2020)

Some US-Mexico policies create pervasive harm, trap migrants: Criminalizing migration means more migrants are at increased risk of violence and physical and mental harm at home, in their journey, and once in custody in the U.S.  (Doctors Without Borders report, February 11, 2020)

Out-of-pocket costs for Medicare recipients average over $5000 per year: Medical, long-term care services, and supplemental premiums add up—more so for people over 85, women, and people with no supplemental coverage.  (Kaiser Family Foundation, November 9, 2019)

Environmental Health

Kinzua Dam harms Seneca tribe: When the Kinzua was built, the subsequent relocation, flooding, and deliberate burning of Seneca tribal lands still reverberate today. (Environmental Health News, January 30, 2020) 

Contaminated land in West Virginia: Cancer rates for people who have lived most of their lives in Minden, West Virginia may be as high as 80%.(Men’s Health, January 30, 2020)

Global Health

Family incarceration harms Mexican women: Mexican women with an incarcerated family member show increased stress markers and cardiovascular risk.  (AJPH, January 22, 2020)

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an unequal burden globally: The CKD burden is greater than expected in Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America. (IHME, February 13, 2020, from a study in the Lancet.)

Commercial Determinants of Health

Repeating the Big Tobacco marketing pattern: Juul targeted Native American communities, as tobacco companies did in the past with cigarettes. (Time Magazine, February 6, 2020)

“Edible food-like substances” and obesity: It’s hard to escape ultra-processed food, and it may be contributing to our obesity and health problems. (The Guardian, February 13, 2020) 

Tech

Can machine learning predict suicide risk? Researchers in Denmark are looking using national health data and machine learning to identify suicide likelihood. (Boston University, February 2020)

Wearable tech can show regional disparities: FitBit and other tech show daily activity, resting heart rate,and more, mapping disparities across the country.  (Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology, February 14, 2020)