News | College of Public Health

Black adults under 65 twice as likely to die from cardiovascular disease, study finds

Black adults under age 65 have more than twice the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease as white adults under 65, according to a new study led by Gabriel Tajeu, assistant professor of health services administration and policy. In a study published in the May 2020 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, Tajeu and the research team found that socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease risk-factor differences between black and white adults are the overwhelming factors accounting for the disparity. "We know that race is associated with an increased risk of cardi...

Cardiovascular health

Health Services Administration and Policy

Research

Majority of those under 65 do not take blood pressure medicine as prescribed, study finds

Taking prescribed blood pressure medicine (antihypertensive medication) is a relatively low-commitment way for people with hypertension to reduce health risks that can include cardiovascular damage, stroke and premature death. Yet around half of the people prescribed antihypertensive medication don’t have their high blood pressure controlled within recommended levels. Part of the problem is that they aren’t taking medication as prescribed. With an estimated 100 million U.S. adults having high blood pressure—and the number rising—failure to take recommended medicine crea...

Health Services Administration and Policy

Cardiovascular health

Poor health insurance coverage is likely barrier to effective obesity treatment

One out of every three American adults has obesity, defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 30. About one in 13 American adults has extreme obesity and weighs 100 pounds more than their recommended body weight, leaving them with a BMI of 40 or greater. And yet, only 1 percent of the patients eligible for bariatric surgery, considered to be the most effective treatment for obesity, actually undergo the surgery each year. Prior research has explored sociocultural factors that could contribute to this underutilization, but according to a review authored by Hamlet Gasoyan,...

Health Services Administration and Policy

CORE

Pro-white bias could be more prevalent in non-medical healthcare staff, study finds

Appointments with a medical provider typically entail more than just interaction with the doctor. There are check-ins with reception, a pre-screening with a nurse, and then a follow-up with the office’s front desk after speaking with the doctor. While researchers have studied how physicians’ racial biases affect the experience of minority patients, little attention has been paid to how healthcare staff’s biases might affect patients. In an effort to explore that open question, Gabriel S. Tajeu, assistant professor of health services administration and policy, conducted re...

Health Services Administration and Policy