Racial inequality in top Medicare plans - Health Care - MSNBC.com: NEW YORK - Older black adults are less likely than whites to have their blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar under control, even if they belong to a high-quality Medicare plan, researchers reported Tuesday.
The findings, published in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, show that racial disparities are common throughout the Medicare system.
'This is not a limited problem within a few health plans,' said lead study author Dr. Amal N. Trivedi of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. 'It's something they'll all have to address.'
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Recent Research on the Achievement Gap, an interview with Ronald Ferguson, Harvard Education Letter, November/December 2006
Recent Research on the Achievement Gap, an interview with Ronald Ferguson, Harvard Education Letter, November/December 2006: Recent Research on the Achievement Gap
How lifestyle factors and classroom culture affect black-white differences
An Interview with Ronald Ferguson
For more than a decade, economist Ronald Ferguson has studied achievement gaps. In 2002, he created the Tripod Project for School Improvement, a professional development initiative that uses student and teacher surveys to measure classroom conditions and student engagement by race and gender. The findings inform strategies to raise achievement and narrow achievement gaps. A senior research associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Ferguson is director and faculty cochair of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. He spoke with the Harvard Education Letter about the most recent findings from the Tripod Project surveys.
How do you define “achievement gap”?
There are a lot of different achievement gaps. The achievement gap that I focus the most on is the gap between students of different racial groups whose parents have roughly the same amount of education. It concerns me that black kids whose parents have college degrees on average have much lower test scores than white kids whose parents have college degrees, for example. You can take just about any level of parental education and we have these big gaps.
How much progress has been made in closing black-white achievement gaps?
Huge progress since 1970, not much progress since 1990. Sixty-two percent of the overall black-white reading-score gap for 17-year-olds disappeared between 1971 and 1988. About one-third of the math-score gap disappeared during the same period. Over the last several years the gap has narrowed significantly for both 9- and 13-year-olds, but there’s been a bit of backsliding for the older teens.
There’s been enough progress to establish firmly that these gaps are not written in stone. Even IQ gaps are narrowing. Measurements of the intelligence of kids less than one year old show virtually no racial or social-class differences, yet racial and social class achievement gaps are firmly established by the time students start kindergarten. Something happens before kindergarten that produces differences in proficiency.
Achievement gaps are not facts of nature. They are mostly because of differences in life experience. We’ve got to figure out how to get all kids the kinds of experiences that really maximize access to middle-class skills. That’s the challenge.
How lifestyle factors and classroom culture affect black-white differences
An Interview with Ronald Ferguson
For more than a decade, economist Ronald Ferguson has studied achievement gaps. In 2002, he created the Tripod Project for School Improvement, a professional development initiative that uses student and teacher surveys to measure classroom conditions and student engagement by race and gender. The findings inform strategies to raise achievement and narrow achievement gaps. A senior research associate at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Ferguson is director and faculty cochair of the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University. He spoke with the Harvard Education Letter about the most recent findings from the Tripod Project surveys.
How do you define “achievement gap”?
There are a lot of different achievement gaps. The achievement gap that I focus the most on is the gap between students of different racial groups whose parents have roughly the same amount of education. It concerns me that black kids whose parents have college degrees on average have much lower test scores than white kids whose parents have college degrees, for example. You can take just about any level of parental education and we have these big gaps.
How much progress has been made in closing black-white achievement gaps?
Huge progress since 1970, not much progress since 1990. Sixty-two percent of the overall black-white reading-score gap for 17-year-olds disappeared between 1971 and 1988. About one-third of the math-score gap disappeared during the same period. Over the last several years the gap has narrowed significantly for both 9- and 13-year-olds, but there’s been a bit of backsliding for the older teens.
There’s been enough progress to establish firmly that these gaps are not written in stone. Even IQ gaps are narrowing. Measurements of the intelligence of kids less than one year old show virtually no racial or social-class differences, yet racial and social class achievement gaps are firmly established by the time students start kindergarten. Something happens before kindergarten that produces differences in proficiency.
Achievement gaps are not facts of nature. They are mostly because of differences in life experience. We’ve got to figure out how to get all kids the kinds of experiences that really maximize access to middle-class skills. That’s the challenge.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Study: Expectations matter when it comes to math - CNN.com
Study: Expectations matter when it comes to math - CNN.com: WASHINGTON (AP) -- Telling women they can't do well in math may turn out be a self-fulfilling statement.
In tests in Canada, women who were told that men and women do math equally well did much better than those who were told there is a genetic difference in math ability.
And women who heard there were differences caused by environment -- such as math teachers giving more attention to boys -- outperformed those who were simply reminded they were females.
The women who did better in the tests got nearly twice as many right answers as those in the other groups, explained Steven J. Heine, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Expectations, it turns out, really do make a difference.
'The findings suggest that people tend to accept genetic explanations as if they're more powerful or irrevocable, which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies,' said Heine.
The math study is the latest since Harvard University's president ignited controversy last year by suggesting that innate gender differences may partly explain why fewer women than men reach top university science jobs. The comment eventually cost him his job.
In tests in Canada, women who were told that men and women do math equally well did much better than those who were told there is a genetic difference in math ability.
And women who heard there were differences caused by environment -- such as math teachers giving more attention to boys -- outperformed those who were simply reminded they were females.
The women who did better in the tests got nearly twice as many right answers as those in the other groups, explained Steven J. Heine, a psychology professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Expectations, it turns out, really do make a difference.
'The findings suggest that people tend to accept genetic explanations as if they're more powerful or irrevocable, which can lead to self-fulfilling prophecies,' said Heine.
The math study is the latest since Harvard University's president ignited controversy last year by suggesting that innate gender differences may partly explain why fewer women than men reach top university science jobs. The comment eventually cost him his job.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
hearusnow.org: Latino
hearusnow.org: Latino: Latinos are the largest minority in the United States. Yet, even with their rising numbers and ever increasing purchasing power, Latinos are struggling to find a voice in media. Not only is the largest U.S. minority missing from television shows, movies, and radio programming, Latinos are also missing in the boardrooms of the entertainment industry. This has detrimental effects not only for the Latino community, but for all Americans who deserve access to many different media viewpoints.
RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS
RACE - The Power of an Illusion . Background Readings | PBS: Hispanics who identify themselves racially as black take on economic and social characteristics that more closely mirror those of African-Americans than of other Hispanics, according to a study on the often overlooked group released Monday.
The findings by the Lewis Mumford Center of SUNY Albany said that the nearly 1 million black Hispanics identified by the 2000 U.S. Census are more educated than other Hispanics, less likely to be immigrants and less likely to speak a language other than English.
Yet their economic performance is worse, with a lower median household income than other Hispanics, as well as higher unemployment and poverty rates.
John R. Logan, the author of the study and director of the Mumford Center, attributed the economic disparity between black Hispanics and other Hispanics to the 'very strong color line in the United States.'
'The opportunity structure here is that when people decide who to hire, or to rent to, when it comes right down to it, race does make a difference,' he said.
The findings by the Lewis Mumford Center of SUNY Albany said that the nearly 1 million black Hispanics identified by the 2000 U.S. Census are more educated than other Hispanics, less likely to be immigrants and less likely to speak a language other than English.
Yet their economic performance is worse, with a lower median household income than other Hispanics, as well as higher unemployment and poverty rates.
John R. Logan, the author of the study and director of the Mumford Center, attributed the economic disparity between black Hispanics and other Hispanics to the 'very strong color line in the United States.'
'The opportunity structure here is that when people decide who to hire, or to rent to, when it comes right down to it, race does make a difference,' he said.
Report: Brown University should examine slavery ties - CNN.com
Report: Brown University should examine slavery ties - CNN.com: PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island (AP) -- Brown University should invite fresh reflection of its history involving the slave trade, a panel studying the issue said Wednesday in recommending the creation of a memorial and an academic center focused on slavery and justice.
The 17-member Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice offered several recommendations on how the university should take responsibility, including a commitment from the school to recruit and retain minority students, especially those from Africa and the West Indies.
'We cannot change the past,' according to the 106-page report, released on the university's Web site. 'But an institution can hold itself accountable for the past, accepting its burdens and responsibilities along with its benefits and privileges.'
In 2003, Brown President Ruth Simmons, the first black president of an Ivy League school and a descendant of slaves herself, appointed the committee of students, faculty and administrators to study the university's centuries-old ties to the slave trade.
Brown, the nation's seventh oldest university, was formally chartered in 1764 as the College of Rhode Island. Its founder, the Rev. James Manning, freed his only slave but accepted donations from slave owners and traders, including the Brown family of Providence. One family member, Nicholas Brown Jr., is the university's namesake.
The panel said there was no question that much of the money used to create Brown and ensure its early growth came either directly or indirectly from the slave trade.
The 17-member Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice offered several recommendations on how the university should take responsibility, including a commitment from the school to recruit and retain minority students, especially those from Africa and the West Indies.
'We cannot change the past,' according to the 106-page report, released on the university's Web site. 'But an institution can hold itself accountable for the past, accepting its burdens and responsibilities along with its benefits and privileges.'
In 2003, Brown President Ruth Simmons, the first black president of an Ivy League school and a descendant of slaves herself, appointed the committee of students, faculty and administrators to study the university's centuries-old ties to the slave trade.
Brown, the nation's seventh oldest university, was formally chartered in 1764 as the College of Rhode Island. Its founder, the Rev. James Manning, freed his only slave but accepted donations from slave owners and traders, including the Brown family of Providence. One family member, Nicholas Brown Jr., is the university's namesake.
The panel said there was no question that much of the money used to create Brown and ensure its early growth came either directly or indirectly from the slave trade.
A Two-Way Street for Immigrants - washingtonpost.com
A Two-Way Street for Immigrants - washingtonpost.com: Maha Abdelkader, a teacher at Bryant Woods Elementary School, stood before the roughly 100 teachers, administrators and community members. She passed around a work sheet in Arabic and began delivering a short lecture, also in Arabic.
After a few minutes, she stopped and looked around the room. 'Got it?' she asked. The room was silent.
"That's how our ELLs feel during their first week of school," she said, referring to English language learners.
The focus of Monday night's seventh annual Korean Education Seminar was to help Korean students and their parents better understand the education system. But the event also was designed to help educators better understand them.
After a few minutes, she stopped and looked around the room. 'Got it?' she asked. The room was silent.
"That's how our ELLs feel during their first week of school," she said, referring to English language learners.
The focus of Monday night's seventh annual Korean Education Seminar was to help Korean students and their parents better understand the education system. But the event also was designed to help educators better understand them.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Being a Black Man - washingtonpost.com
Being a Black Man - washingtonpost.com: "In their new book 'Deconstructing Tyrone,' journalists Natalie Hopkinson and Natalie Y. Moore dissect black masculinity through examinations of Detroit's 'Hip-Hop Mayor' Kwame Kilpatrick, NBA poet Etan Thomas, political prisoner Debo Ajabu, as well as babydaddies, strippers and their dads, gay Black men and the 'down low' phenomenom, Black male professionals and convicts.
The authors will be online Wednesday, Oct. 18 at noon ET to discuss their book and the issues it tackles. Submit your questions and comments early or during the discussion.
You can find stories, video, photographs and other interactive features from the ongoing 'Being a Black Man' series on washingtonpost.com/blackmen.
The authors will be online Wednesday, Oct. 18 at noon ET to discuss their book and the issues it tackles. Submit your questions and comments early or during the discussion.
You can find stories, video, photographs and other interactive features from the ongoing 'Being a Black Man' series on washingtonpost.com/blackmen.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
NCCRESt - National Art Contest 2007
NCCRESt - National Art Contest 2007: The National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems (NCCRESt) is sponsoring a national art contest, in conjunction with its National Forum: Leadership for Equity and Excellence: Transforming Education. NCCRESt works to raise awareness of the impact of race, class and culture in our schools.
Friday, October 13, 2006
Education World School Issues: Why the Achievement Gap Refuses to Close
Education World School Issues: Why the Achievement Gap Refuses to Close: While more people are talking about the achievement gap among students of different ethnic backgrounds, progress on providing all students with a quality education remains slow, according to the authors of the book Unfinished Business. Included: Strategies for helping all students succeed.
For years, the achievement gap between different ethnic groups was the footnote to student performance many schools like to keep hidden. But with the No Child Left Behind Act's emphasis on analyzing how different subgroups of students perform, is the gap closing?
No, but awareness of the problem is more widespread, according to Drs. Pedro A. Noguera and Jean Yonemura Wing, authors of Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools. Dr. Noguera and his assistants spent four years studying race and achievement at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, a large school with an ethnically diverse student population. What the research team found in reviewing everything from the school's organizational structure to after-school activities is that attitudes, organizations, and polices often 'sort' students onto different paths that can result in them finding success in school and beyond -- or getting a sub-par education.
For years, the achievement gap between different ethnic groups was the footnote to student performance many schools like to keep hidden. But with the No Child Left Behind Act's emphasis on analyzing how different subgroups of students perform, is the gap closing?
No, but awareness of the problem is more widespread, according to Drs. Pedro A. Noguera and Jean Yonemura Wing, authors of Unfinished Business: Closing the Racial Achievement Gap in Our Schools. Dr. Noguera and his assistants spent four years studying race and achievement at Berkeley High School in Berkeley, California, a large school with an ethnically diverse student population. What the research team found in reviewing everything from the school's organizational structure to after-school activities is that attitudes, organizations, and polices often 'sort' students onto different paths that can result in them finding success in school and beyond -- or getting a sub-par education.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Negro League Great Buck O'Neil Dies - washingtonpost.com
Negro League Great Buck O'Neil Dies - washingtonpost.com: KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Buck O'Neil, the goodwill ambassador for the Negro Leagues who fell one vote shy of the Hall of Fame, died Friday night. He was 94.
Bob Kendrick, marketing director for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said O'Neil died at a Kansas City hospital.
A star in the Negro Leagues who barnstormed with Satchel Paige, O'Neil later became the first black coach in the majors. Baseball was his life -- in July, he batted in a minor league All-Star game.
O'Neil had appeared strong until early August, when he was hospitalized for what was described as "fatigue." He was released a few days later, but readmitted on Sept. 17. Friends said that he had lost his voice along with his strength. No cause of death was immediately given.
Bob Kendrick, marketing director for the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, said O'Neil died at a Kansas City hospital.
A star in the Negro Leagues who barnstormed with Satchel Paige, O'Neil later became the first black coach in the majors. Baseball was his life -- in July, he batted in a minor league All-Star game.
O'Neil had appeared strong until early August, when he was hospitalized for what was described as "fatigue." He was released a few days later, but readmitted on Sept. 17. Friends said that he had lost his voice along with his strength. No cause of death was immediately given.
Friday, October 06, 2006
His Last, Best Cause - washingtonpost.com
His Last, Best Cause - washingtonpost.com: Smith, 54, like many other black men, died before his time. Black men have a life expectancy of 69 years, six years less than white men and far shorter than men of other ethnic group. They are more than twice as likely to die from cancer as white men, according to the National Cancer Institute, and nine times as likely as white men to die of AIDS. They suffer from lung disease, heart disease, hypertension, stroke, diabetes and other chronic illnesses in disproportionate numbers that alarm health-care professionals.
'From cradle to grave, African Americans have the worst statistics in almost every area of health,' said Khan Nedd, founder of the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute in Michigan.
'From cradle to grave, African Americans have the worst statistics in almost every area of health,' said Khan Nedd, founder of the Grand Rapids African American Health Institute in Michigan.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
CNN.com - Some historically black colleges see declining enrollment - Sep 25, 2006
CNN.com - Some historically black colleges see declining enrollment - Sep 25, 2006: RICHMOND, Virginia (AP) -- When Jessica Page visited Hampton University in March, she considered the trip a formality. She had already made up her mind to attend the school, considered by many a jewel among the nation's historically black institutions.
Then she saw the campus.
The dorms weren't as sleek as she had pictured. Buildings seemed antiquated. Was this 'The Real HU' she had heard about?
'I wasn't impressed,' said Page, who later enrolled at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. 'Hampton was my No. 1 choice -- until I visited.'
Page is part of a steady trickle of talented young blacks slipping away from the nation's most prestigious black colleges.
Experts say aging campuses are one reason. But other reasons cited include increasing competition from predominantly white schools that are trying to become more diverse; changes in black students' desires; and the greater opportunities available to them in a society more integrated than that of their parents.
Then she saw the campus.
The dorms weren't as sleek as she had pictured. Buildings seemed antiquated. Was this 'The Real HU' she had heard about?
'I wasn't impressed,' said Page, who later enrolled at the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. 'Hampton was my No. 1 choice -- until I visited.'
Page is part of a steady trickle of talented young blacks slipping away from the nation's most prestigious black colleges.
Experts say aging campuses are one reason. But other reasons cited include increasing competition from predominantly white schools that are trying to become more diverse; changes in black students' desires; and the greater opportunities available to them in a society more integrated than that of their parents.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
CNN.com - Boston school district wins top education award - Sep 19, 2006
CNN.com - Boston school district wins top education award - Sep 19, 2006: WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Boston public school system won the nation's largest prize in public education Tuesday, earning $500,000 in college scholarships for making steady gains in the classroom.
The Boston district won the biggest share of the $1 million Broad Prize for Public Education. The award annually honors urban districts that make notable academic progress, particularly by reducing the test-score 'achievement gap' among poor and minority students.
This year, 100 districts were eligible. The other four finalists were Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut, Jersey City School District in New Jersey, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the New York City Department of Education. They will all receive $125,000.
Boston has been a finalist for five straight years. It won this year's top honor by posting impressive gains among poor and minority kids when compared with other Massachusetts districts.
'Boston has consistently shown that stable leadership in the school district and the city, as well as data-driven teaching, leads to strong student performance,' said Eli Broad, the philanthropist who created the Broad Foundation in 1999, with his wife, Edythe.
'While it is discouraging that there is not more success in this country's public school systems,' he said, 'other large urban districts can learn from Boston's sustained progress.'
Boston's district has about 58,000 students, and almost 75 percent of them are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, an indication of a district's poverty level.
The Boston district won the biggest share of the $1 million Broad Prize for Public Education. The award annually honors urban districts that make notable academic progress, particularly by reducing the test-score 'achievement gap' among poor and minority students.
This year, 100 districts were eligible. The other four finalists were Bridgeport Public Schools in Connecticut, Jersey City School District in New Jersey, Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the New York City Department of Education. They will all receive $125,000.
Boston has been a finalist for five straight years. It won this year's top honor by posting impressive gains among poor and minority kids when compared with other Massachusetts districts.
'Boston has consistently shown that stable leadership in the school district and the city, as well as data-driven teaching, leads to strong student performance,' said Eli Broad, the philanthropist who created the Broad Foundation in 1999, with his wife, Edythe.
'While it is discouraging that there is not more success in this country's public school systems,' he said, 'other large urban districts can learn from Boston's sustained progress.'
Boston's district has about 58,000 students, and almost 75 percent of them are eligible for free or reduced-price school lunches, an indication of a district's poverty level.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Women Aren't Good in Math . . . or Are They?
Women Aren't Good in Math . . . or Are They?: Strange but true: Women score much lower on math tests if they are first asked unrelated questions about gender issues. The phenomenon is called 'stereotype threat' -- a kind of performance anxiety discovered in 1995 when psychologists found that black students at Stanford University did significantly worse on intelligence tests if they were first asked to identify their race on the test form.
Since then, dozens of other experiments have confirmed that subtly cuing women or minorities to think subconsciously about their sex or race causes them do poorly in areas where the stereotype suggests they are weak.
Since then, dozens of other experiments have confirmed that subtly cuing women or minorities to think subconsciously about their sex or race causes them do poorly in areas where the stereotype suggests they are weak.
Digital divide separates white, minority students - The Boston Globe
Digital divide separates white, minority students - The Boston Globe: WASHINGTON -- Many more white children use the Internet than do Hispanic and black students, a reminder that going online is hardly a way of life for everyone, a federal study has found.
Two of three white students, or 67 percent, use the Internet, but less than half of blacks and Hispanics do, according to federal data released yesterday. For Hispanics the figure is 44 percent; for blacks, it's 47 percent.
``This creates incredible barriers for minorities," said Mark Lloyd, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a specialist on how communications influence civil rights.
Not using the Internet ``narrows their ability to even think about the kind of work they can be doing," Lloyd said.
The new data come from the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the Education Department. It is based on a national representative survey of households in 2003.
Overall, 91 percent of students in nursery school through 12th grade use computers; 59 percent use the Internet.
Almost all US schools are connected to the Internet. The gaps in Internet usage between whites and minorities, though sizable, are smaller during the school day.
A total of 54 percent of white students use the Internet at home, compared with 26 percent of Hispanic and 27 percent of black children. Limited access can erode a student's research on assignments or college scholarships.
Two of three white students, or 67 percent, use the Internet, but less than half of blacks and Hispanics do, according to federal data released yesterday. For Hispanics the figure is 44 percent; for blacks, it's 47 percent.
``This creates incredible barriers for minorities," said Mark Lloyd, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a specialist on how communications influence civil rights.
Not using the Internet ``narrows their ability to even think about the kind of work they can be doing," Lloyd said.
The new data come from the National Center for Education Statistics, an arm of the Education Department. It is based on a national representative survey of households in 2003.
Overall, 91 percent of students in nursery school through 12th grade use computers; 59 percent use the Internet.
Almost all US schools are connected to the Internet. The gaps in Internet usage between whites and minorities, though sizable, are smaller during the school day.
A total of 54 percent of white students use the Internet at home, compared with 26 percent of Hispanic and 27 percent of black children. Limited access can erode a student's research on assignments or college scholarships.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Bloomberg.com: Japan
Bloomberg.com: Japan: U.S. Has Life Expectancy Gaps as Wide as 20 Years (Update2)
By Theresa Barry
Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Asian-American women have the top life expectancy in the U.S., while black men in some urban areas have the worst, a gap of almost two decades, scientists said.
The life expectancy of Asian women was 86.7 years and for black men living in high-risk urban areas, it was 68.7 years, according to a national study in today's PLoS Medicine online. Hawaii led 50 states and Washington, D.C., with life expectancy of 80 years, while D.C. ranked last, with 72 years.
The differences are driven by injury and preventable risk factors for long-term disease such as smoking, alcoholism and obesity, especially in Americans ages 15 to 59, said lead investigator Christopher Murray. He said most health-policy initiatives currently focus on children and the elderly.
``The evidence is really quite clear that most of the gap across these groups is due to differences in mortality in young and middle-aged adult men and women and most of that is due to chronic disease,'' Murray, Harvard Initiative for Global Health director, said in a telephone interview. ``It's not HIV. It's not homicide. It's cardiovascular disease. It's chronic respiratory disease, liver disease and somewhat cancers.''
Discovering the factors underlying longevity gaps is important, Murray said in a telephone interview Sept. 8 from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He said the life expectancy gaps won't close until the focus turns to Americans ages 15 to 59.
Seeking Causes
The investigators divided the country into eight groups based on such factors as race, location, population density, income, and homicide rates to look at life expectancy:
-- Asian: 10.4 million people
-- Northland low-income rural white: 3.6 million
-- Middle America: 214 million
-- Low-income whites, Appalachia, Mississippi: 16.6 million
-- Western Native American: 1 million
-- Black middle America: 23.4 million
-- Southern, rural, low-income black: 5.8 million
-- High-risk urban black: 7.5 million.
Gaps in life expectancy have changed little from 1982 to 2001, the investigators said.
Sources for the data included the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics. The study was financed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of Schools for Public Health and the National Institute on Aging.
By Theresa Barry
Sept. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Asian-American women have the top life expectancy in the U.S., while black men in some urban areas have the worst, a gap of almost two decades, scientists said.
The life expectancy of Asian women was 86.7 years and for black men living in high-risk urban areas, it was 68.7 years, according to a national study in today's PLoS Medicine online. Hawaii led 50 states and Washington, D.C., with life expectancy of 80 years, while D.C. ranked last, with 72 years.
The differences are driven by injury and preventable risk factors for long-term disease such as smoking, alcoholism and obesity, especially in Americans ages 15 to 59, said lead investigator Christopher Murray. He said most health-policy initiatives currently focus on children and the elderly.
``The evidence is really quite clear that most of the gap across these groups is due to differences in mortality in young and middle-aged adult men and women and most of that is due to chronic disease,'' Murray, Harvard Initiative for Global Health director, said in a telephone interview. ``It's not HIV. It's not homicide. It's cardiovascular disease. It's chronic respiratory disease, liver disease and somewhat cancers.''
Discovering the factors underlying longevity gaps is important, Murray said in a telephone interview Sept. 8 from Cambridge, Massachusetts. He said the life expectancy gaps won't close until the focus turns to Americans ages 15 to 59.
Seeking Causes
The investigators divided the country into eight groups based on such factors as race, location, population density, income, and homicide rates to look at life expectancy:
-- Asian: 10.4 million people
-- Northland low-income rural white: 3.6 million
-- Middle America: 214 million
-- Low-income whites, Appalachia, Mississippi: 16.6 million
-- Western Native American: 1 million
-- Black middle America: 23.4 million
-- Southern, rural, low-income black: 5.8 million
-- High-risk urban black: 7.5 million.
Gaps in life expectancy have changed little from 1982 to 2001, the investigators said.
Sources for the data included the Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics. The study was financed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Association of Schools for Public Health and the National Institute on Aging.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Blacks, Hispanics pay more for mortgages - Real Estate - MSNBC.com
Blacks, Hispanics pay more for mortgages - Real Estate - MSNBC.com: WASHINGTON - Black and Hispanic home buyers pay more for their mortgages than do whites, according to a Federal Reserve report released Friday.
The Fed’s analysis of 2005 home lending data found that 54.7 percent of black borrowers paid a higher-than-typical interest rate on home mortgages. That was up sharply from 32.4 percent in 2004.
For Hispanics, 46.1 percent paid more than typical for their mortgages last year — more than double the 20.3 percent reported in 2004.
The Fed’s analysis of 2005 home lending data found that 54.7 percent of black borrowers paid a higher-than-typical interest rate on home mortgages. That was up sharply from 32.4 percent in 2004.
For Hispanics, 46.1 percent paid more than typical for their mortgages last year — more than double the 20.3 percent reported in 2004.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Hispanics to pass blacks in buying power - Stocks & Economy - MSNBC.com
Hispanics to pass blacks in buying power - Stocks & Economy - MSNBC.com: ATLANTA - Hispanics will outpace blacks as the most powerful minority consumers in the country next year, according to a new study from the University of Georgia.
Still, the vast majority of states will continue to see blacks as their strongest minority market because the nation's Hispanic population is concentrated in a handful of areas, study author Jeffrey Humphreys said.
Hispanics are expected to have buying power of $863.1 billion, compared with black buying power of $847 billion in 2007. Hispanics — the nation's largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority — will comprise about 8.5 percent of the nation's total consumer market next year.
Still, the vast majority of states will continue to see blacks as their strongest minority market because the nation's Hispanic population is concentrated in a handful of areas, study author Jeffrey Humphreys said.
Hispanics are expected to have buying power of $863.1 billion, compared with black buying power of $847 billion in 2007. Hispanics — the nation's largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority — will comprise about 8.5 percent of the nation's total consumer market next year.
WP: Mystery of Va. slaves is unlocked� - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com
WP: Mystery of Va. slaves is unlocked� - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: JAMESTOWN - They were known as the '20 and odd,' the first African slaves to set foot in North America at the English colony settled in 1607.
For nearly 400 years, historians believed they were transported to Virginia from the West Indies on a Dutch warship. Little else was known of the Africans, who left no trace.
Now, new scholarship and transatlantic detective work have solved the puzzle of who they were and where their forced journey across the Atlantic Ocean began.
For nearly 400 years, historians believed they were transported to Virginia from the West Indies on a Dutch warship. Little else was known of the Africans, who left no trace.
Now, new scholarship and transatlantic detective work have solved the puzzle of who they were and where their forced journey across the Atlantic Ocean began.
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