Population Health News Roundup: July

We curate the top population health news for you each month. This month, e-waste in Thailand, HIV treatment disparities, dementia demographics, a clue in gender disparities in TB, housing and health, and much more….

Interdisciplinary Spotlights

Laser-focused on inequality: USC’s interdisciplinary global health program is interdisciplinary by necessity and definition.
(USC, June 25, 2018)

Drawing health and home together: In Seattle’s “The Estelle,” affordable housing also includes support services and health care. The Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) is partnering with Harborview Medical Center to provide services that include housing, two daily nutritious meals, and units specifically for people leaving hospital settings with medical needs.  (Affordable Housing Finance, July 1, 2018)

Place

Farther from cities, obesity increases: Obesity and severe obesity rates are higher in rural areas (JAMA, June 19, 2018) 

Small towns, big towns, and opioids: How the opioid crisis looks different in rural vs. urban places (Monnat & Rigg, University of New Hampshire, June 19, 2018) 

Nice drug, if you can get it: Geography, income put HIV prevention drug Truvada out of reach for some (NPR, June 30, 2018), and people with HIV in the American South are less likely to be virally suppressed and engaged in care. (Columbia University Mailman, July 2, 2018)

When the sea level goes high: Climate change will accelerate urban inequality, with higher-altitude communities faring better (City Lab, July 5, 2018)

Charbroiled particles in the air and low birth weight: Certain types of air pollution, including commercial meat cooking, linked to low birth weight (Public Health Post, July 9, 2018)  

Global Population Health 

Someone’s junk is another’s poison: How can we protect workers and their environments in Thailand when they handle our e-waste? (University of Michigan Public Health, video)

Disparities

Dispensing hearing aid disparities: Hearing aids unaffordable for seniors due to cost, stigma, concerns about appearance  (University of Michigan, June 25, 2018)

Salmon’s not so healthy for fishermen: Fishermen experience higher rates of hearing loss, tendinitis, carpal tunnel, sleep apnea (University of Washington School of  Public Health in Journal of Agromedicine, June 2018) 

Growing up alright: Childhood stress leaves no mark on four physiological health measures in young adults, according to study. (Journal of Health and Social Behavior, June 27, 2018)

A clue in TB’s gender disparities?: Boys and girls exposed at home are affected at different ages, suggesting role of hormones  (Boston University School of Public Health, June 25, 2018)

Dementia demographics: Dementia numbers increasing (but share is decreasing), and rates are higher for people who are black, poor, or who have less education (Population Reference Bureau Infographic, June 19, 2018)

Education’s role in health disparities, beyond $: Education plays a role in health disparities beyond that expected by income, and less education is worse for health in certain states. (Hayward and Montez via Scientia, July 2018)

Native American/Alaska Native disparities in moms, kids:AI/AN populations experience many disparities, especially in maternal and infant mortality   (Center for American Progress, July 9, 2018)

Programs & Policy

From housing to the ED: Change in state housing policy increases rate in ER visits among Boston youth and children (AJPH, June 21, 2018 online)

An RX for ratatouille?: Some Medicaid programs pay for healthy, medically appropriate meals as medicine (Kaiser Health News, June 25, 2018)

Reaching out to kids in the countryside: PolicyLab programs seek to improve health equity in rural areas (PolicyLab, June 2018)

Military stars helped by STARRS: Study to Assess Risk and Resilience in Servicemembers hopes to understand, mitigate suicide risks, transitional stress (University of Michigan)

Protecting Baltimore from deadly row houses: After a crumbling row house falls and kills a man, Baltimore aims to protect the public  (Baltimore Sun, July 12, 2018)