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Medicaid “A Vital Lifeline” for African Americans and Latino Americans

The Editors — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:19:16 +0000

By Kenneth J. Cooper
A new report for the first time determines how many African Americans and Latinos depend on Medicaid, the state-federal program for the poor, to treat serious diseases or conditions.

The Jobs’ Crisis Collateral Damage: The Coming Mental Health Epidemic

The Editors — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:12:38 +0000

By The Editors
The U.S. is facing “a silent mental health epidemic” as joblessness lengthens and deepens for millions of once-gainfully employed Americans, a new study is warning.

Poverty’s Growing Reach

The Editors — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 02:47:29 +0000

By The Editors
The Census Bureau’s annual report on the status of Americans’ income, the number of Americans living in poverty, and the number of Americans without health insurance that was released last week did double duty.

“Place Matters for Health”

The Editors — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:45:47 +0000

By Kenneth J. Cooper
“Place matters for health.” That opening declaration in one of two new reports distills established wisdom that residential segregation is a big contributor to minority health disparities – because segregated neighborhoods tend to have less access to health care and fresh produce, fewer recreational facilities and more environmental hazards.

Autism in the Black Community: Why African Americans should hear the cry for help

The Editors — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:49:19 +0000

By Tarice L.S. Gray
"Misdiagnosed and undiagnosed [autistic] black children end up in jail," Proctor said. "If I haven't got him any sort of vocational skills, language skills, behavioral skills, instead of my son being Ari, his name is going to be inmate 402197. And I just couldn't be on this earth and let him or another child of color be that."

After 30 Years, AIDS has become a “Black Disease”

The Editors — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 02:52:25 +0000

By George E. Curry
Although African-Americans represent only 12.6 percent of the U.S. population, they represent almost half of all new HIV infections and nearly 50 percent of AIDS-related deaths.

Black Obesity: The Price We Pay for Living Large

The Editors — Tue, 31 May 2011 20:49:42 +0000

By Tarice L.S. Gray
Obesity was common in Marlia Fambrough's family. At gatherings in their native Cleveland, sizable portions of greens mixed with pork, and beef entrees helped some members of the close-knit group maintain their girth. But in 2005, Fambrough's 49 year old mother suffered a massive stroke.

Freshening the Food Supply in Minority Communities

The Editors — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 19:31:50 +0000

By Kenneth J. Cooper
The rap on corner stores in low-income, minority neighborhoods is they’re high on prices at the cash register and low on variety on the shelves, except for candies, snacks and just about everything else that’s bad to eat.

Federal Panel Recommends Banning Sale of Menthol Cigarettes in U.S.

The Editors — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 22:06:04 +0000

By The Editors
An advisory panel of the federal Food and Drug Administration Friday declared that removing menthol cigarettes from sale in the United States would benefit public health.

A Groundbreaking Verdict in Cigarette Death Trial

The Editors — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 16:04:59 +0000

By The Editors
In a groundbreaking judgment, a Massachusetts jury this week found the Lorillard tobacco company responsible for inducing a Boston woman to smoke as a child and ordered it to pay her family a total of $152 million.

Spring 2009: The Alarming Upward Trend in Cigarette Smoking for College-Educated Black Men and Women

The Editors — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:14:54 +0000

In the recent past, college-educated blacks were less likely to smoke cigarettes than similarly educated whites. Now the reverse is true.

A Smokescreen Against Banning Menthol in Cigarettes

The Editors — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:08:35 +0000

By John Payton Related links Counterpoint:Banning Menthol Cigarettes Will Create a Huge Illegal, Contraband Market Lorillard’s Orwellian Assertion: Slavery Is Freedom Before we can analyze whether banning menthol as a tobacco flavor would lead to a market in contraband menthol cigarettes we must first clarify our terminology. Contraband market: That term is today used to [...]

Banning Menthol Cigarettes Will Create a Huge Illegal, Contraband Market

The Editors — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:07:52 +0000

By Jessie Lee
A contraband market of illicit and unregulated cigarettes will be inevitable – and large – if the government bans menthol cigarettes. Illegal menthol cigarettes will find their way to consumers.

Lorillard’s Orwellian Assertion: Slavery Is Freedom

The Editors — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:02:55 +0000

By John Payton
As the Food and Drug Administration considers evidence on the deadly impact of menthol cigarettes, Lorillard Tobacco Company is apparently repositioning itself as a civil rights organization—fighting for “freedom of choice” for African Americans by opposing efforts to ban menthol as an ingredient in cigarettes.

Asking Forgiveness Rather than Permission: Déjà vu in Guatemala and Tuskegee Syphilis ‘Research’

The Editors — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 19:50:42 +0000

By TaRessa Stovall
When Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton apologized on Friday, October 1, to the nation of Guatemala for the United States government’s use of hundreds of their citizens as guinea pigs in the 1940s, millions of Americans—particularly African Americans—had a flash of déjà vu. And few were surprised to learn of common links between the two medical travesties.

Depression and Anxiety: Is the Stuff on Your Mind Killing You

The Editors — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:50:58 +0000

By Janet Singleton It can take your money, your health, and even your life. Yet in the black community mental illness is not taken seriously.

AIDS-Ravaged Africa Now Offers Best Hope for the Future

The Editors — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:17:24 +0000

By George E. Curry Medical trials now underway in the very region most ravaged by the virus hold the best prospect of finally controlling the disease for which there is no known cure.

Science, Sex & Safety: Black Bodies as Proving Grounds, Battlegrounds

The Editors — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 02:49:24 +0000

By TaRessa Stovall A trio of new products designed to protect against rape and STDs, especially HIV/AIDS, raises questions about the gaps and conflicts between scientific progress, lifestyle logistics and human nature. These recent developments also call into question the age-old role of Black bodies as test sites for potential progress.

New Discovery In AIDS Research Promises To Sharply Reduce HIV Infections in Women and Girls

The Editors — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 03:37:08 +0000

By The Editors
Researchers in South Africa announced this week the development of a vaginal microbicidal gel that in clinical trials has sharply reduced the possibility of women contracting H.I.V. from infected partners.

Let Them Drink Water: Why Taxing Sweet Drinks is a Good Move

The Editors — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 19:36:07 +0000

By Stacey Patton Supporters have argued that the sugar tax would generate a projected $1 billion annually for healthcare programs and encourage New Yorkers to cut out sugary soda and fruit drinks that are major contributors to obesity.

The Business of You: Fat Chance of Survival

The Editors — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:44:36 +0000

By Jackie Jones Over the past 20 years, cancer death rates for men have decreased by 21 percent for men and 15-16 percent for women, but increasing obesity rates threaten to reverse those trends, especially for African-American women, according to Otis Brawley, M.D., chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.

The Carrot or the Big Mac: Michelle Obama’s Crusade

The Editors — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 23:25:12 +0000

By C. Nicole Mason
A few weeks ago, I was visiting with a friend and she relayed a troubling story to me. She had visited family down south and threw a slumber party for her nieces and nephews. As a part of her duties for the evening, she fixed dinner and provided the treats. To the usual fare of ice cream and pizza, she added a vegetable tray of carrots and celery. While chowing down, her nephew turned to her and asked what it was he was eating that tasted so good.

It was a carrot.

Chemical Relaxers: The Facts Might Not Be So Relaxing

The Editors — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 02:18:48 +0000

By Janet Singleton Chris Rock’s documentary Good Hair caused bad feelings last summer for many black female film-goers, who felt more betrayed than they did fairly portrayed by the film. Lost in all of the earsplitting debates and viral blog posts, was any deeper discussion of the health implications for black women and girls who use hair straightener

Better to Have Reproductive Rights and Not Need Them: The Scary Truth About the Stupak-Pitts Amendment

The Editors — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:50:32 +0000

By Rev. Susan Newman One of the best lessons my mother taught me as a child is “It is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.” This is how I feel about the looming threat of abortion restrictions being reintroduced in the Health Care Reform bill when debate begins on the Senate floor.

Food Insecurity: America’s Growing Hunger

The Editors — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:49:59 +0000

By TaRessa Stovall Experts call it “food insecurity … meaning that the food intake is reduced and … disrupted at times … because the household lacked money and other resources for food.” And not surprisingly, it’s on the rise.