Muslim patients and health disparities in the UK and the US.

This article provides a framework for understanding how Muslim identity, and the current social and political contexts in which it is shaped, affects the health of Muslims in the UK and the US, and the quality of health care they receive. Key medical and public health literature that addresses health concerns related to Muslim communities in the UK and the US is reviewed. Few data exist specific to health disparities for Muslim minorities. However, the article focuses on emerging studies concerning the consequences of "Islamophobia" for the physical and mental health and health care of Muslim families and children. We argue that, despite substantive structural differences in the health care systems of the UK and the US, social structural and political forces play similar roles in the health of Muslim children in both countries. Finally, we call for significant cultural and institutional adjustments in health care settings and further research studies to provide specific data to address health disparities for these growing and diverse populations.     

Reducing health disparities among children

The ultimate goal of providing public health insurance is to improve the health of low-income children. Yet, acknowledging the limitations of health insurance is important because children's health is shaped by a variety of factors, many of which cannot be influenced by increased access to health care. Health status is also affected by race, language, culture, geography, and socioeconomic class. This article summarizes current research about what health insurance can and cannot do in three areas: providing access to health care, reducing stress and worry for parents, and improving children's health status. This review reveals several important themes, including: A strong link between health insurance and access to care. Evidence that health insurance reduces parental stress--both financial and emotional. Mixed and inconclusive evidence about the link between health insurance and improved health status. The authors discuss some of the barriers to improving the health status of low-income children beyond increasing access to health care. They emphasize that ultimately, the underlying social inequities that lead to disparities in health status based on race, income, and education should be addressed.     

Inequalities in children's health in the UK

Health outcomes for children in the United Kingdom vary depending on socioeconomic risk factors. This article explores the evidence for this association including data on child mortality, developmental progress, educational outcomes and obesity. Fair Society, Healthy Lives was a 2010 report chaired by Professor Marmot and this article describes the framework proposed in the Marmot report to understand how health inequalities occur and what policy objectives could reduce the gap between outcomes for the wealthy and the poor in British society.     

Addressing health disparities in type 1 diabetes through peer mentorship

Pronounced health disparities exist in type 1 diabetes (T1D) based on socioeconomic status (SES) yet there are a lack of programs designed to promote health equity for vulnerable communities. The All for ONE (Outreach, Networks, and Education) mentoring program was piloted pairing college students and publicly insured teenagers with T1D to assess feasibility as a possible intervention. There were 22 mentors recruited (mean age 20 ± 2 years; 17 [77%] females; mean HbA1c 8.4 ± 1.5%) and matched with mentees based on gender. There were 42 teens randomized to treatment and control groups including 22 teens in the treatment group (age 14 ± 2 years; 17 [77%] females; HbA1c 9.8 ± 2.3%) and 20 teens in the control group (age 14 ± 2 years; 15 [75%] females; HbA1c 8.9 ± 2.0%) followed over 9 months. Outcome measures included HbA1c and the Children's Hope Scale. The intervention included automated text reminders for blood glucose monitoring, text exchanges, social events with education, and clinic visits with mentors/mentees. Mean change in HbA1c for teens was +0.09% in the intervention group, compared with +0.28% in the control group (P = .61); college students had a reduction in HbA1c of ?0.22% (P = .38). Treatment group teens had marked improvement in their hope for the future compared to control group teens (P = .04) and were more likely to attend clinic visits (P = .02). This program established feasibility for a model that could be replicated and modified for other types of settings. Additional research is warranted to study the potential long‐term benefits of participating in the All for ONE mentoring program.     

Gender disparities in mental health service use of Puerto Rican children and adolescents

BACKGROUND: Differences in service utilization indicating that boys use more mental health services than girls were analyzed to see if they could be explained by known correlates of service use. These correlates were arranged into individual (severe emotional disturbance, level of impairment and externalizing disorders), family (parental education, psychopathology and parental concern) and school factors (difficulties with school work). The objectives were to understand and identify the factors accounting for gender differences in mental health service utilization in order to develop alternatives to promote equity in service delivery. METHODS: A representative sample of 1,896 children 4 to 17 years of age and their primary caretakers were interviewed for this study. Reports of service use were obtained using the Service Assessment for Children and Adolescents. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between gender and service use, adjusting for known correlates. RESULTS: Our results showed that, except for impairment, other individual, family and school factors did not explain gender differences in service utilization. Males with impairment were 2.87 times more likely to receive services than impaired females (p 相似文献