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

Study finds race, ethnicity impact access to care for children with frequent ear infections

2010-10-26
(Press-News.org) Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars.

When these infections are left untreated, complications can include hearing loss, speech problems and more severe infections that can spread to bone and brain, causing meningitis. But not all kids have the same access to medical specialists and medicines.

A new study by researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Harvard Medical School has found that racial and ethnic disparities among children with frequent ear infections can significantly influence access to health care resources.

The findings, published in the November 2010 issue of the journal Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, show that compared with white children, African American and Hispanic children are at increased odds of not being able to afford prescription medications, not having medical insurance and not being able to see a specialist.

The study also shows that African American and Hispanic children are more likely than white children to visit the emergency room for an ear infection.

"Our goal was to provide an accurate demographic picture of the U.S. so that we could identify disparities to target for intervention," said study co-author Dr. Nina Shapiro, director of pediatric otolaryngology at Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA and an associate professor of surgery at the Geffen School of Medicine. "Clearly, we found that children of certain ethnicities who suffer from frequent ear infections are more likely to face greater barriers to care. This information provides an opportunity for improvements in our current health care reform."

Researchers used data from a 10-year period (1997�) taken from the National Health Interview Survey, a large-scale, household-based survey of a statistically representative sample of the U.S. population.

Parents of children under the age of 18 were asked various questions, including whether their child had three or more ear infections over the previous 12 months. For those who answered yes, researchers pulled demographic data — including age, sex, race/ethnicity, income level and insurance status — to determine the influence of these variables on frequent ear infections.

The study found that each year, 4.6 million children reportedly had "frequent" ear infections —defined as more than three infections over a 12-month period. Overall, 3.7 percent of children with frequent ear infections could not afford care, 5.6 percent could not afford prescriptions and only 25.8 percent saw a specialist.

Among the study's other findings for children with frequent ear infections:

A greater percentage of African American children (42.7 percent) and Hispanic children (34.5 percent) lived below the poverty level than white children (12.0 percent) and those of "other ethnicity" (28.0 percent). A greater percentage of Hispanic children (18.2 percent) and "other ethnicity" children (16.6 percent) were uninsured, compared with whites (6.5 percent). A greater percentage of white children (29.2 percent) reported having access to specialty care than African American children (20.0 percent), Hispanic children (17.5 percent) and "other ethnicity" children (18.9 percent). A greater percentage of African American children (28.4 percent) and Hispanic children (19.8 percent) visited the emergency room at least twice for ear infections over a 12-month period than white children (15.5 percent).

"Emergency room visits for ear infections by African American and Hispanic children may represent their source of primary care services, which is more costly and a significant burden on the health care system," Shapiro said. "This finding, along with the fact that fewer Hispanic and African American children were insured or received specialty care, highlights the importance of targeting interventions that help children with frequent ear infections."

The next stage of the research is to follow the racial and ethnic groups prospectively and to monitor whether changes stemming from health care reform influence disparities in these groups over time.

INFORMATION: Co-authors of the study included Dr. Kalpesh T. Vakharia of the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary and Harvard Medical School, and Dr. Neil Bhattacharyya, of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

The research was not funded. Bhattacharyya is a consultant for Intellus and Intersect ENT, and Shapiro is a consultant for ArthroCare ENT. Vakhaira has no disclosures.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Knowledge gaps, fears common among parents of children with drug-resistant bacteria

2010-10-26
Knowledge gaps and fear — some of it unjustified — are common among the caregivers of children with a drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA, according to the results of a small study from the Johns Hopkins Children Center. These caregivers thirst for timely, detailed and simple information, the researchers add. The study's findings, published online in The Journal of Pediatrics, underscore the need for healthcare staff to do a better job in educating parents, while also addressing concerns and allaying fears, the investigators say. "What these results really ...

Growing crops in the city

2010-10-26
Madison, WI, October 25, 2010 – A case study published in the 2010 Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education by professors at Washington State University studies the challenges one organization faced in maintaining an urban market garden. The journal is published by the American Society of Agronomy. Since 1995, Seattle Youth Garden Works (SYGW) has employed young homeless individuals or those involved in the juvenile justice system. SYGW offers teens and young adults the opportunity to work, develop social skills, and eventually find stable employment or ...

Newfoundland researchers crack the genetic code of a sudden death cardiac killer

2010-10-26
Montreal – Researchers in Newfoundland have cracked the genetic code of a sudden death cardiac killer. As a result, they have developed a unique prevention program in which people with no symptoms, but with a suspect gene and a family history, are being implanted with internal cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) which can restart their hearts if they stop. "Our discovery has led to a targeted genetic screening and individualized therapy that is significantly improving survival rates," Dr. Sean Connors told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart ...

Cardiac wakeup call for Canadian kids

2010-10-26
"Sleep disorders in kids are on the increase. They are marching hand in hand with other increasing cardiovascular risk factors such as overweight and obesity, lack of physical activity, a poor diet, and high levels of unhealthy cholesterol," Dr. McCrindle today told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "Teens who experience more disordered sleep − in terms of duration, quality, and pattern − have a higher body mass index and a correspondingly higher risk of overweight ...

DGAC report offers food and nutrition practitioners insights on helping combat obesity epidemic

2010-10-26
St. Louis, MO, October 26, 2010 – In an insightful Commentary in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, Chair of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and Professor and Associate Dean, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, highlights the key features and noteworthy findings of the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report. While many of the recommendations from previous reports are reinforced, new evidence-based findings will help registered dietitians ...

Consuming polyunsaturated fatty acids may lower the incidence of gum disease

2010-10-26
St. Louis, MO, October 26, 2010 – Periodontitis, a common inflammatory disease in which gum tissue separates from teeth, leads to accumulation of bacteria and potential bone and tooth loss. Although traditional treatments concentrate on the bacterial infection, more recent strategies target the inflammatory response. In an article in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health found that dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like fish oil, known to have ...

Emerging Company To Make Awareness Fashionable Through Genetic Art

2010-10-26
( http://www.inourgenes.com/ ) In Our Genes (IOG) is the first genetic-art clothing line for the mass market; a green line of apparel featuring genetically rendered DNA prints of some of the most challenging diseases. The branded apparel comes with a charitable tie in, making IOG the frontrunner in fighting, managing and eliminating our most notorious ailments by combining science, fashion and compassion. SCIENCE: Dubbed the founding father of genetic art by Newsweek magazine, In Our Genes founder Darrin Grandmason idealized a product that puts substance behind style. ...

John Rosatti Launches Latest World Class Super Yacht, Remember When

2010-10-26
Successful entrepreneur and yachtsman, John Rosatti recently launched his latest luxury yacht, Remember When. The yacht, built by Christensen Shipyards, is said to be the best Christensen built up to date. For those who desire opulence and safety on the water, ( http://www.john-rosatti.com/ ) John RosattiâEUR s new luxury yacht is available for charter. John Rosatti chose Christensen to manufacture the new super yacht for their superior craftsmanship and attention to detail. John Rosatti does not settle for second rate and Remember When is a perfect example of this unwavering ...

United Way of Greater Los Angeles Host Social Media Training with Warren Whitlock: "How Social Media Can Improve Your Business And Our Communities"

2010-10-26
Emerging Leader of United Way Social Media Training and Workshop for businesses and leaders on October 28th at 5:30 at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP in Los Angeles Warren Whitlock of BestSellerAuthors.com will train local business leaders on social media strategies they can use to create a buzz, draw a crowd, raise funds and build a community with a non-profit events. The live interactive training session and workshop will cover how social media can grow your business and help build awareness for campaigns such as United Way's Creating Pathways Out of Poverty ...

BeMo - Project Intelligence and SharkPro Software Turbo Charge Microsoft Project Server 2010

2010-10-26
Six months after the launch of Microsoft's Project Professional and Server 2010, two new project management ventures have teamed up to turbo charge the global deployment of this game changing Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution. With over 20 million Microsoft Project 2007 users ready to step up to the fully integrated, cloud-based 2010 iteration, BeMo - Project Intelligence's on-demand hosting solutions and SharkPro Software's ready-to-use application could not have come at a more opportune time. For the millions of users and businesses around the globe that ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Long-term anticoagulation discontinuation after catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation

Fractional flow reserve–guided complete vs culprit-only revascularization in non–ST-elevation myocardial infarction and multivessel disease

Participation of women in cardiovascular trials from 2017 to 2023

Semaglutide and tirzepatide in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

Changes in biology of internal fat may be the leading cause of heart failure

Transcatheter or surgical treatment of patients with aortic stenosis at low to intermediate risk

Promising new drug for people with stubborn high blood pressure

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

Bivalent RSV prefusion F protein–based vaccine for preventing cardiovascular hospitalizations in older adults

Clonal hematopoiesis and risk of new-onset myocarditis and pericarditis

Risk of myocarditis or pericarditis with high-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine

High-dose vs standard-dose influenza vaccine and cardiovascular outcomes in older adults

Prevalence, determinants, and time trends of cardiovascular health in the WHO African region

New study finds that, after a heart attack, women have worse prognosis when treated with beta-blockers

CNIC-led REBOOT clinical trial challenges 40-year-old standard of care for heart attack patients

Systolic blood pressure and microaxial flow pump–associated survival in infarct-related cardiogenic shock

Beta blockers, the standard treatment after a heart attack, may offer no benefit for heart attack patients and women can have worse outcomes

High Mountain Asia’s shrinking glaciers linked to monsoon changes

All DRII-ed up: How do plants recover after drought?

Research on stigma says to just ‘shake it off’

Scientists track lightning “pollution” in real time using NASA satellite

Millions of women rely on contraceptives, but new Rice study shows they may do more than just prevent pregnancy

Hot days make for icy weather, Philippine study finds

Roxana Mehran, MD, receives the most prestigious award given by the European Society of Cardiology

World's first clinical trial showing lubiprostone aids kidney function

Capturing language change through the genes

Public trust in elections increases with clear facts

Thawing permafrost raised carbon dioxide levels after the last ice age

New DNA test reveals plants’ hidden climate role

Retinitis pigmentosa mouse models reflect pathobiology of human RP59

[Press-News.org] Study finds race, ethnicity impact access to care for children with frequent ear infections