RAND Research Topic: Health Disparities 2012-05-24T14:15:19Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/health-disparities.html The Women's Health Initiative: The Food Environment, Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, BMI, and Blood Pressure http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100129.html Mar 31, 2012 Mar 31, 2012 Post menopausal women living in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status and more supermarkets have lower body mass and lower blood pressure. Integrating Susceptibility Into Environmental Policy: An Analysis of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Lead http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200105.html Mar 1, 2012 Mar 1, 2012 This study examines how characterization of risk may change when susceptibility is explicitly considered in policy development; in particular we examine the process used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead. Pay-for-performance Programs to Reduce Racial/Ethnic Disparities: What Might Different Designs Achieve? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120046.html Feb 1, 2012 Feb 1, 2012 We used patient-level quality scores from the Hospital Quality Alliance and ranked hospitals by overall quality and by racial/ethnic disparities and modeled the effects of different pay-for-performance designs on national disparity scores. Understanding Ethnic and Other Socio-Demographic Differences in Patient Experience of Primary Care: Evidence from the English General Practice Patient Survey http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120002.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 This study examined whether low scores of ethnic minority and other socio-demographic groups reflect their concentration in poorly performing primary care practices, and whether any remaining differences are consistent across practices. Voluntary After-School Alcohol and Drug Programs for Middle School Youth: If You Build It Right, They Will Come http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120049.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 This study describes CHOICE, a voluntary after-school program which targeted AOD use among middle school students. Wealth Effect and Dental Care Utilization in the United States http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200101.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 This article examines the relationship of wealth and income and the relative impact of each on dental utilization in a population of older Americans, using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Gender Differences in Patients' Perceptions of Inpatient Care http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120072.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 Targeting the experiences of women may be a promising means of improving overall patient experience scores (because women comprise a majority of all inpatients); the experiences of older and sicker women, and those in for-profit hospitals, may merit additional examination. Multiple Patient Safety Events Within a Single Hospitalization: A National Profile in US Hospitals http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120096.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 Examines co-occurrence of iatrogenic events in US hospitals. Using Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality patient safety indicators (PSIs), the authors defined multiple patient safety events (MPSEs) as the occurrence of multiple PSIs during a single hospitalization. Targeting Anti-Smoking Messages: Does Audience Race Matter? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200107.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 This study examined whether an adolescent's self-identified race moderates the perceived effectiveness of anti-smoking messages. Masculinity and HIV Risk Among Homeless Men in Los Angeles http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200115.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 HIV continues to be a serious public health problem for men who have sex with women (MSW), especially homeless MSW. Patient Incentives to Motivate Doctor Visits and Reduce Hypertension Disparities http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1167.html Nov 30, 2011 Nov 30, 2011 Assesses whether a one-time $15 patient financial incentive, along with educational materials, would be effective in motivating people with hypertension (HTN) to see their personal physician, compared with educational materials only or no intervention; whether patient incentives and educational materials are differentially effective across racial/ethnic groups in motivating physician visits and improving blood pressure control; and whether these effects lead to a reduction in racial/ethnic disparities in HTN. Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 Mexican citizens are living longer and overall have experienced an improvement in the quality of life compared to that of prior generations. However, the demographic transition in Mexico, combined with the lack of formal sources of income in retirement, places many older persons in a state of financial insecurity. Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health (Spanish-language version) http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179z2.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 The information in this monograph contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others (Spanish-language version). Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary (Spanish-language version) http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179z3.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 The information in this monograph contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others (Spanish-language version). Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179z1.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 The information in this executive summary contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others. AARP, el Centro Fox y la Corporación RAND Hacen Públicos los Resultados de un Nuevo Estudio Sobre el Envejecimiento http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/10/18/index1.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 Mexican citizens are living longer and overall have experienced an improvement in the quality of life compared to that of prior generations. However, the demographic transition in Mexico combined with the lack of formal sources of income in retirement place many older persons in a state of financial insecurity. AARP, Centro Fox and the RAND Corporation Release Findings of New Study on Aging Trends in Mexico http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/10/18.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 Mexican citizens are living longer and overall have experienced an improvement in the quality of life compared to that of prior generations. However, the demographic transition in Mexico combined with the lack of formal sources of income in retirement place many older persons in a state of financial insecurity. Ensuring the ACA Helps Reduce Disparities—Not Exacerbate Them http://www.rand.org/commentary/2011/10/14/AHE.html Oct 14, 2011 Oct 14, 2011 Evidence from past efforts in the U.S. and abroad suggests that the full potential of health reform will not be realized without specific efforts to reduce disparities, write Robin M. Weinick, Malcom V. Williams, and Romana Hasnain-Wynia. Next Big Obstacle for Obama's Affordable Care Act? It's Not Just the Supreme Court http://www.rand.org/commentary/2011/10/03/CSM.html Oct 3, 2011 Oct 3, 2011 The success of the Affordable Care Act to enroll those newly eligible in an appropriate insurance plan depends on clear communication to individuals who have limited health literacy, write Laurie T. Martin and Ruth M. Parker. Social, Structural and Behavioral Drivers of Concurrent Partnerships Among African American Men in Philadelphia http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100218.html Sep 30, 2011 Sep 30, 2011 African American men view sexual relationships with non-main partners as riskier; concurrent relationships are acceptable and often expected.