Boys and Men of Color in California Face Substantial Disparities in Health and Other Areas

The first comprehensive research to examine disparities faced by African-American and Latino boys and men in California provides a sobering look at the disadvantages confronting them across a range of health and social factors. Conducted by a RAND team led by researcher Lois Davis, the study compared how well men and boys of color have fared relative to their white peers in the realms of health, socioeconomic characteristics, public safety, and education. Using a standard method for comparing the information available about disparities, the researchers calculated the “odds” that boys and men of color experience disadvantages compared to their white peers.

The results showed that African-American and Latino young men and boys have fared worse than their white peers across more than 30 different measures, including high school graduation rates, likelihood of going to prison, family poverty, and the chance of being diagnosed with AIDS. In health, African-Americans were more than three times as likely as whites to be hospitalized for asthma and nearly seven times more likely to have HIV or AIDS. Latinos were nearly five times more likely to lack health insurance and more than four times more likely to have a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. In public safety, African-American children were more than two times as likely to be a victim of child maltreatment and are disproportionately represented in the foster care system. In education, both Latinos and African-Americans face poor odds. African-Americans in California over the age of 25 were nearly twice as likely to be without a high school diploma as whites, while California Latinos were nearly seven times more likely not to have completed high school.

A growing body of research suggests that the disparities for these boys and young men of color result from an accumulation of factors, including adverse socioeconomic conditions and unequal access to health care, quality education, adequate housing, and employment. The authors conclude that identifying disparities is only a starting point—the next step is to identify strategies in the policy arena that may help to close the gaps facing boys and men of color in California.

Read the Research Brief »

Methamphetamine Use Is Becoming a Costly National Problem in the United States

The recent increase in the prevalence of methamphetamine (meth) use in the United States is cause for concern. However, the meth situation is complicated by conflicting indicators. On the one hand, reporting systems monitoring drug use among household- and school-based populations suggest that the national prevalence of meth use is relatively low. On the other hand, there is growing evidence from other sources that meth is spreading geographically and demographically. A number of regional data systems, law-enforcement agencies, and county hospitals indicate that meth is one of the most significant problems facing the populations they serve. For example, treatment admissions for meth more than doubled between 2000 and 2005, and emergency department admissions related to meth became almost as frequent as those for heroin.

To provide some perspective on the scope of the meth problem in the United States, a RAND team conducted a comprehensive national assessment of the annual economic burden posed by meth use. The team estimated that the economic cost of methamphetamine use in the United States reached $23.4 billion in 2005 (the latest year for which complete data were available). Nearly two-thirds of the economic costs of meth use resulted from the burden of addiction and an estimated 900 premature deaths among users in 2005. Crime and criminal justice expenses accounted for the second-largest category of costs, including the cost of arresting and incarcerating drug offenders and the harms associated with property crimes, such as thefts committed to support meth habits. Other costs that significantly contributed to the RAND estimate included lost work productivity, the expense and harms inherent in removing children from their parents’ homes because of meth use, and health-related costs.

The researchers cautioned that their estimates contain significant uncertainty and that the true costs may range from $16 billion to $48 billion. The uncertainty is due to data limitations and an emerging understanding of meth’s role in the harms assessed in the study. The RAND report also identifies areas for which costs cannot yet be adequately quantified. While this study provides a useful measure of the consequences of meth use, the researchers conclude that estimates could be refined as more data become available and our understanding of these issues matures. Additional analyses are also needed to identify areas in which interventions to reduce harms can prove most cost-effective.

Read More »

Surgery for Weight Loss May Help Obese Women Avoid Complications in Subsequent Pregnancies

As the obesity epidemic has grown in the United States, so has the use of weight-loss (also known as bariatric) surgery. Among women in their childbearing years, use of these procedures has increased dramatically during the past 10 years, raising concerns about the possible effects on fertility and pregnancy-related health outcomes. A team of researchers from RAND, UCLA, and the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System examined the scientific evidence on the relationship between bariatric surgery and subsequent pregnancies. The team analyzed national trends in bariatric surgery and conducted a comprehensive review of existing studies. The results showed that obese women who had undergone bariatric surgery prior to becoming pregnant had rates of gestational diabetes and high blood pressure that were nearly as low as the rates among women who had never been obese. Newborns of mothers who underwent the surgery also had dramatically reduced rates of premature delivery and health complications compared to offspring of obese mothers who did not have the surgery.

The researchers concluded that, overall, the rates of many adverse maternal and newborn outcomes may be lower in women who become pregnant after having had bariatric surgery compared with rates in pregnant women who are obese; however, additional data from rigorous studies are still needed to clarify some of these findings.

Read More »

RAND Health conducts objective research on health, health behavior, and health policy. Access to all RAND Health research is available at www.rand.org/health/.

The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world.

Learn More »

Copyright © 2009 RAND Corporation. 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401-3208. RAND® is a registered trademark.

We respect your privacy. If you do not wish to receive this periodic newsletter, please email ocr@rand.org or call (703) 413-1100 x5395.