PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study finds nearly half of U.S. counties have at least one ‘pharmacy desert’

Lack of access can lead to people not taking their medication regularly and having worse health outcomes

Study finds nearly half of U.S. counties have at least one ‘pharmacy desert’
2024-08-23
(Press-News.org) COLUMBUS, Ohio – Nearly half of counties in the United States have at least one ‘pharmacy desert’ where there is no retail pharmacy within 10 miles, according to a new study published by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

“As pharmacies close, more and more Americans are left without easy access to medications, with disproportionate consequences on certain communities. We found that patients in counties with higher social vulnerabilities and fewer primary care providers were up to 40% more likely to reside in a region with a pharmacy desert,” said Timothy Pawlik, MD, senior author of the study and holder of the Urban Meyer III and Shelley Meyer Chair for Cancer Research at the OSUCCC – James. Pawlik also serves as surgeon-in-chief at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and as chair of the Department of Surgery in the Ohio State College of Medicine.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) defines social vulnerability as “potential negative effects on communities caused by external stresses on human health.”

“These findings highlight how disparities compound the lack of access to basic health care and how it can lead to many people not taking their prescribed medications and having worse health outcomes, especially for chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension,” Pawlik added.

Study results were published today in JAMA Network Open.

Methods and Results
Researchers reviewed data on communities located less than 10 miles from the nearest retail pharmacy from the publicly available TelePharm Map. Counties were noted as having a high pharmacy desert density if the number of pharmacy deserts per 1,000 residents was in the 75th percentile. Social vulnerability index (SVI) and healthcare provider data were obtained from the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry and the Area Health Resource File databases, respectively. The researchers used statistical methods to analyze the relationships between these factors.

The study found almost 46% of the 3,143 counties had at least one pharmacy desert. Counties with a high density of pharmacy deserts had higher social vulnerability and fewer primary care providers. People in these high-density pharmacy desert areas were more likely to face difficulties accessing medications and healthcare services.

Collaborators in this study include Giovanni Catalano, MD, Muhammad Muntazir Mehdi Khan, MBBS, and Odysseas P. Chatzipanagiotou, MD.

 

###

 

 

END


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Study finds nearly half of U.S. counties have at least one ‘pharmacy desert’

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

MSU study finds placebos reduce stress, anxiety, depression — even when people know they are placebos

2024-08-23
MSU has a satellite uplink/LTN TV studio and Comrex line for radio interviews upon request.  EAST LANSING, Mich. – A study out of Michigan State University found that nondeceptive placebos, or placebos given with people fully knowing they are placebos, effectively manage stress — even when the placebos are administered remotely.   Researchers recruited participants experiencing prolonged stress from the COVID-19 pandemic for a two-week randomized controlled trial. Half of the ...

MSU discovers method for CRISPR-based genome editing in Nile grass rats

2024-08-23
EAST LANSING, Mich. – A team of researchers at Michigan State University has discovered a set of methods that enabled the first successful CRISPR-based genome editing in Nile grass rats. The study, published in BMC Biology, is the first to successfully edit genomes in Nile grass rats. As diurnal rodents, Nile grass rats have similar sleep/awake patterns to humans which could be advantageous in preclinical or translational research. Currently, preclinical research relies heavily on laboratory mice, which are nocturnal rodents who are active at night and sleep during the day. With these different sleep patterns, diurnal and nocturnal ...

UVA engineering professors target inclusive AI education with $1 million grant

UVA engineering professors target inclusive AI education with $1 million grant
2024-08-23
Underserved high school students often lack access to artificial intelligence education that could prepare them for future careers in technology. Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science and Clemson University are hoping to change that. To help bridge the educational divide, the research team received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to democratize access to AI education. Future fair and equitable technologies depend on a robust AI education, and expanding access to that education is crucial.  The project is part of the NSF’s Experiential Learning for ...

Kids now see fewer TV ads for unhealthy food and drinks, but exposure remains high

2024-08-23
Children’s exposure to food and drink ads during kids’ TV shows has dropped substantially since food and beverage makers pledged to stop advertising unhealthy fare during children’s TV shows. Yet, according to research from the University of Illinois Chicago, children under 12 still see more than 1,000 food-related ads a year, most of them for unhealthy products.  For the study, published in JAMA Network Open, researchers analyzed television ratings and advertising data from 2013 through 2022. The study authors found that a dramatic decline in food and drink advertisements during kids’ shows did not ...

Good sleep habits important for overweight adults, OHSU study suggests

Good sleep habits important for overweight adults, OHSU study suggests
2024-08-23
New research from Oregon Health & Science University reveals negative health consequences for people who are overweight and ignore their body’s signals to sleep at night, with specific differences between men and women. The study published this week in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. “This study builds support for the importance of good sleep habits,” said lead author Brooke Shafer, Ph.D., a postdoctoral researcher in the Sleep, Chronobiology and Health Laboratory in the OHSU School of Nursing.  “Sleep practices, like going to bed when you’re tired or setting aside your screen at ...

Pendulum Therapeutics and BiomeSense launch pioneering study on gut microbiome using continuous sampling technology

2024-08-23
San Francisco, CA (August 12, 2024) – Pendulum Therapeutics, in collaboration with BiomeSense, announces the launch of an innovative new pilot study entitled "Detection of Akkermansia muciniphila Utilizing Serial Longitudinal Samples with the BiomeSense GutLab™: An Open-Label Proof of Concept Study." Pendulum Therapeutics and BiomeSense are two biotech companies at the forefront of microbiome science. Their groundbreaking research aims to advance the scientific understanding of the human microbiome by focusing on continuous detection of Akkermansia muciniphila, a keystone strain in the gut microbiome, using a new data generation technology.  About ...

Unconventional interface superconductor could benefit quantum computing

2024-08-23
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A multi-institutional team of scientists in the United States, led by physicist Peng Wei at the University of California, Riverside, has developed a new superconductor material that could potentially be used in quantum computing and be a candidate “topological superconductor.”  Topology is the mathematics of shape. A topological superconductor uses a delocalized state of an electron or hole (a hole behaves like an electron with positive charge) to carry quantum information and process data in a robust manner. The researchers report today in Science Advances that they combined trigonal tellurium ...

NASA’s DART impact permanently changed the shape and orbit of asteroid moon

NASA’s DART impact permanently changed the shape and orbit of asteroid moon
2024-08-23
When NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) spacecraft collided with an asteroid moon called Dimorphos in 2022, the moon was significantly deformed—creating a large crater and reshaping it so dramatically that the moon derailed from its original evolutionary progression—according to a new study. The study’s researchers believe that Dimorphos may start to “tumble” chaotically in its attempts to move back into gravitational equilibrium with its parent asteroid named Didymos. “For ...

Multiple sclerosis appears to protect against Alzheimer’s disease

2024-08-23
People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are far less likely than those without the condition to have the molecular hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The discovery suggests a new avenue of research through which to seek Alzheimer’s treatments, said Matthew Brier, MD PhD, an assistant professor of neurology and of radiology and the study’s first author. “Our findings imply that some component of the biology of multiple sclerosis, ...

DRI’s AWE+ Summit tackles wildfire resilience and recovery

DRI’s AWE+ Summit tackles wildfire resilience and recovery
2024-08-23
LAS VEGAS, Nevada — DRI, one of our nation’s leading applied environmental research institutes, together with the DRI Foundation, this week held its inaugural AWE+ Summit -Wildfire Recovery and Resilience: Working Across Silos to Drive Solutions. The summit is a call-to-action for communities to implement measures that support resilience and human adaptability to devastating wildfire events.  Nationally recognized scientific leaders discussed challenges, progress, and hope through actions that will lead to solutions. Speakers included:  President of the National Academy of ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Reality check: making indoor smartphone-based augmented reality work

Overthinking what you said? It’s your ‘lizard brain’ talking to newer, advanced parts of your brain

Black men — including transit workers — are targets for aggression on public transportation, study shows

Troubling spike in severe pregnancy-related complications for all ages in Illinois

Alcohol use identified by UTHealth Houston researchers as most common predictor of escalated cannabis vaping among youths in Texas

Need a landing pad for helicopter parenting? Frame tasks as learning

New MUSC Hollings Cancer Center research shows how Golgi stress affects T-cells' tumor-fighting ability

#16to365: New resources for year-round activism to end gender-based violence and strengthen bodily autonomy for all

Earliest fish-trapping facility in Central America discovered in Maya lowlands

São Paulo to host School on Disordered Systems

New insights into sleep uncover key mechanisms related to cognitive function

USC announces strategic collaboration with Autobahn Labs to accelerate drug discovery

Detroit health professionals urge the community to act and address the dangers of antimicrobial resistance

3D-printing advance mitigates three defects simultaneously for failure-free metal parts 

Ancient hot water on Mars points to habitable past: Curtin study

In Patagonia, more snow could protect glaciers from melt — but only if we curb greenhouse gas emissions soon

Simplicity is key to understanding and achieving goals

Caste differentiation in ants

Nutrition that aligns with guidelines during pregnancy may be associated with better infant growth outcomes, NIH study finds

New technology points to unexpected uses for snoRNA

Racial and ethnic variation in survival in early-onset colorectal cancer

Disparities by race and urbanicity in online health care facility reviews

Exploring factors affecting workers' acquisition of exercise habits using machine learning approaches

Nano-patterned copper oxide sensor for ultra-low hydrogen detection

Maintaining bridge safer; Digital sensing-based monitoring system

A novel approach for the composition design of high-entropy fluorite oxides with low thermal conductivity

A groundbreaking new approach to treating chronic abdominal pain

ECOG-ACRIN appoints seven researchers to scientific committee leadership positions

New model of neuronal circuit provides insight on eye movement

Cooking up a breakthrough: Penn engineers refine lipid nanoparticles for better mRNA therapies

[Press-News.org] Study finds nearly half of U.S. counties have at least one ‘pharmacy desert’
Lack of access can lead to people not taking their medication regularly and having worse health outcomes