PI's Weekly Media Digest: Colin Kaepernick sits to take a stand; Moms from MASK create violence free safe spaces; and more
Welcome to our media digest for the week of September 2, 2016! Below you’ll find summaries of news coverage on the issues of preventing violence, trauma, nutrition, health equity, mental health, and more. The views expressed in these articles do not reflect those of Prevention Institute.
Health Systems Transformation
CDC running out of funding for Zika
The CDC is almost out of money to fight the Zika virus, the agency’s director said Tuesday — just hours before Florida announced three fresh homegrown cases of the infection. An op-ed in the Washington Post by top CDC and NIH officials pleads for Congress to take action. Fully three quarters of Americans support additional congressional funding to address the Zika crisis. Miami-Dade County’s aerial spraying campaign against Zika-carrying mosquitoes ended yesterday. A KHN article notes however, “Scant published research exists to prove aerial spraying works against the adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes that carry Zika.”
Insurers to reduce participation in ACA exchange markets
About one-third of ACA exchange markets could have only one participating insurer during the upcoming open enrollment period, according to an Avalere analysis released last week. The analysis accounts for recent announcements from major insurers that they intend to reduce their exchange participation for the 2017 coverage year and assumes that no new insurers will enter the exchange markets in their place.
12 million adults have three or more chronic illnesses
Twelve million U.S. adults have three or more chronic illnesses plus a functional limitation that makes it tough to perform basic activities of daily living, and the U.S. health system is not meeting their needs, according to new research from the Commonwealth Fund.
Health Equity
Alameda County increases media attention to housing insecurity in Oakland
The Alameda County Public Health Department is drawing media attention to the health consequences of housing insecurity in Oakland, following its recent release of a survey of the challenges facing county health workers' clients. To cope with rising rents, thousands of low-income, senior and disabled people are over-crowding into unsafe housing units. Many others are facing evictions, displacement and homelessness.
KQED highlights double segregation in Oakland schools
KQED highlights the impact of double segregation -- by race and poverty -- on education. While only 9.6 percent of Oakland's public school students are white, they're concentrated in a handful of high-performing, resource-rich schools. In contrast, African-American students in Oakland attend schools where 72 percent of fellow students are low-income. These schools have a hard time attracting quality teachers, are under-resourced and low-performing. This article suggests ways to integrate schools in Oakland and points to the responsibility of local leaders to create a more equitable school district. (via BMSG)
Colin Kaepernick sits to take a stand
Watch the full interview of 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick explain why he refuses to stand for the National Anthem. This piece discusses the meaning of the Anthem in detail.
Disparities in breastfeeding between black women and white and Latino counterparts
Vast disparities in breastfeeding levels exist between black women and their white and Latino counterparts. The author notes, “…it's crucial that African American infants derive the power of breast milk from their mothers…Black infants have 2.2 times the mortality rate as white infants and are 3.5 times as likely to die as infants due to complications related to low birth weight.”
President Obama grants clemency to more inmates than last 10 presidents combined
President Obama commuted the sentences of another 111 federal inmates—the most by an American president in a single day – the vast majority of which were individuals who received unduly harsh sentences for committing largely nonviolent drug crimes, including 35 individuals serving life sentences (one for selling LSD in his early 20’s). The President has granted clemency to 673 inmates, more than the last 10 presidents combined.
Poverty found to affect formation of young brains
In a new study about the impact of poverty on the human brain, a USC neuroscientist found that poverty and the conditions that accompany it affect the interactions, formation and pruning of connections in the young brain. Similar studies have found that impoverished children have less gray matter, a tissue that supports information processing and executive behavior. In addition, a recent study in the American Journal of Public Health concluded that if all states in 2014 had increased their minimum wages by $1, we’d have had 2,790 fewer low-birth-weight babies and 518 fewer postneonatal deaths that year.
Educational services for low-income families linked to improved academic performance
Though economic segregation, income inequality and racial gaps in education, employment and health are on the rise, the gap in academic performance in high- and low-income children has decreased because of the rapid improvement in skills of low-income children. Increased access to affordable preschool programs and technology for low-income families are cited as possible explanations for this improvement. The writer stresses, however, that much more needs to be done to address the widespread inequality that continues to persist in America. (via BMSG)
Black American female teachers earn up to $4,000 less annually than white counterparts
A new Center for American Progress report looks into the infamously low wages of early childhood workers and finds that female African American full-time teachers make only 84 cents for every $1 earned by their white female counterparts. Sixteen cents less an hour comes out to $366 less per month and $4,395 less per year. This is a big deal in a workforce that makes, on average, less than $30,000 a year and is 95 percent female.
How Title IX in helped U.S. women flourish in this year’s Olympics
The United States, and more notably U.S. women, dominated in this year's Olympics. In These Times takes a look at the role of underlying policies such as Title IX that made the showcase of female talent in this year's Olympics possible. Before Title IX, only 90 of the nation's 500 Olympiads were women. Segregation laws also prevented women of color from competing in competitive sports. (via BMSG)
Medication abortions are more expensive and cause side effects
A new retrospective study in the journal PLOS Medicine found medication abortions dropped 80 percent after the passage of a 2011 Republican-supported Ohio law requiring providers to adhere to FDA guidelines from 2000. Ohio patients also suffered more side effects and paid more for the two-drug regimen. As the lead author notes, "There is no evidence that the change in law led to improved abortion outcomes. Indeed, our findings suggest the opposite. Abortion is a procedure that is so safe that it's hard to substantiate needing a law to make it safer."
Violence Prevention and Unintentional Injury
Domestic abuse contributing factor in the gender wage gap
New York Magazine covers a new report showing domestic violence is a factor in why women get paid less than men. As BMSG notes, “Women who experience violence are more likely to appear unreliable at work or call in sick if injuries are visible. Advocates suggest that employers should look for warning signs of abuse before assuming an employee is flaky.”
Moms from MASK successfully create violence free safe spaces
Mothers Against Senseless Killings (MASK), an organization founded by South Side Chicago resident Tamar Manasseh, organized a safe place for kids to play this summer on a block in the South Side. There has not been a single shooting on that block all summer, as moms from MASK were on duty every day.
UC Davis center studying gun violence to receive state funding
UC Davis will soon become home to the first state-funded center in the country dedicated to studying gun violence. The article notes, “One area that many gun researchers view as vital has to do with impulsivity…many potential offenders are not sophisticated about guns, and they are not sophisticated about the underground gun market… introducing just one or two stumbling blocks between a person seeking to commit violence — to himself or to someone else — and a weapon can make a big difference.”
An average of 306 Americans are shot every day
According to the Brady Center on Gun Violence, an average of 306 Americans are shot every day. John Packam, director of health policy research at the University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine, urges advocates and policy leaders to take a public health approach to address gun violence, noting this approach "requires the careful implementation and evaluation of common-sense, upstream measures and policy to prevent the occurrence of bad things happening downstream."
Healthy Food & Activity Environments
East Bay Times recommends approval of soda tax following Berkeley’s success
This East Bay Times has recommended approval of Oakland Measure HH and Albany Measure 01 on the November 8 ballot, each of which proposes a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on the distribution of sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages. The paper cites a recent U.C. Berkeley study showing that sugary drink consumption has dropped by 21% in Berkeley since passage of the tax while noting that soda is the largest single source of excess calories in the American diet. Meanwhile, beverage company attorneys filed a lawsuit alleging that several claims made by the tax's proponents in their rebuttal argument, which accompanies the ballot measure, are false and misleading. If the soda attorneys win in court, the Oakland City Clerk would be barred from printing the contested text as part of the rebuttal against the No On HH campaign that will appear in the voter pamphlet.
Data on 10,000 New Yorkers will track how biology, psychology and environment intersect
The Kavli HUMAN project, launched by New York University social scientist Paul Glimcher, will track 10,000 New Yorkers via Bluetooth for decades and analyze their genome data, diet, credit card transactions, physical activity and more. The goal of the project is to understand how biology, psychology and the environment all interact to shape our lives.
Junk food and the intersection of poverty, food insecurity, and chronic disease
Julia Belluz of Vox.com explores the complex relationship between poverty, food insecurity, and chronic disease. Nutrients matter more for health and chronic disease prevention than do calories, but junk food is cheaper than fruits and vegetables, and more available to low-income residents. The resulting poor diet, along with stress and anxiety caused by hunger as well as binge eating as a result of worrying where one’s next meal is coming from, helps explain the growing body of evidence linking food insecurity to being overweight.
High lead levels in Indiana housing complex displace 1,100 predominantly black residents
The New York Times reports that about 1,100 predominantly black residents of an Indiana housing complex are being forced to leave their homes after alarming levels of lead were found in the soil within the complex. Many questions remain unanswered, including why neither the state nor the Environmental Protection Agency informed residents until last month that their soil had 30 times more lead than the level considered safe for children to play in. According to a recent investigation by Al Jazeera’s Fault Lines, this shouldn’t come as a surprise, as “at least half a million children in the U.S. have been poisoned by lead. And although it is totally preventable, American children are still poisoned each day.”
PepsiCo Inc. unveils new version of Gatorade to keep afield of natural food movement
In an attempt to keep up with the natural-food movement, PepsiCo Inc. has unveiled a new version of Gatorade that is certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This strategy comes as consumers are becoming more conscious about what they are putting in their bodies, and Gatorade is facing increased competition from challengers like coconut water.
St. Louis County Council unanimously in favor of raising minimum age for tobacco purchases
On Tuesday, St. Louis County Council voted unanimously to move toward final approval legislation that would raise the minimum age for tobacco purchases from 18 to 21. Most critics of the bill support the move, but are asking the council to exempt e-cigarettes. Anti-tobacco advocates argue that e-cigarettes are tobacco products and shouldn’t be singled out.
Mental Health
Hilary Clinton releases mental health agenda
Hillary Clinton released a detailed mental health agenda last week for if she is elected President. Think Progress notes the plan focuses on “…on improving veteran care, protecting mentally ill from police violence, treating drug addiction, and strengthening access to housing and jobs....” The plan also includes initiatives designed to support college students of color and campus LGBTQ communities as well as mental health workers to be trained in ‘Cultural Competency’, and bolster "public awareness and take action to address maternal depression, infant mental health, and trauma and stress in the lives of young children.” A Washington Post editorial called Clinton’s mental health strategy “one of the most consequential announcements of her campaign,” suggesting that it has a better chance than most of her proposals of actually becoming law because of bipartisan support for reforming mental health policies.
Work group examines why proven school programs have not been widely adopted
Health Affairs looks at the initial findings of a work group convened to explore mental health in schools. The group investigated why socio-emotional and other mental health interventions in schools that have proven to be effective in improving school outcomes and curbing substance abuse have not been widely adopted.
Children of parents with psychiatric disorders at greater risk for violent behaviors
A new study of people in Denmark suggests that kids who have a parent that was diagnosed with certain psychiatric disorders may be at increased risk for attempting suicide or committing a violent offense. Researchers suggest that a possible explanation for the link is that people's risk of mental health disorders results from a combination of both nature and nurture. The findings point to the need for early prevention programs to stem rising rates of mental disorders. (via BMSG)
Questions around the magnitude of the opioid epidemic
AlterNet presents research from the Baker Institute of Public Policy at Rice University, which calls into question just how large the opioid epidemic is. Brian C. Bennet, the lead researcher from Rice, cautions: "The tendency is to cherry pick the numbers to paint the worst possible picture. That is why it is so important to consider the complete data sets when discussing these issues." (via BMSG)
California
Concerns about sexual assault policies enacted in response to incidents at Stanford University
California lawmakers are responding to national outrage over former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner, who will be released from prison after serving 3 months, by approving AB 2888, a bill that would establish mandatory minimums for more sexual assault crimes. ThinkProgress’s Tara Culp-Ressler writes that mandatory minimums are not the answer—but instead they are “pursuing the same policies that fed thousands of people into a broken incarceration system, and will do little to fix the problem of rape.” Stanford University is also banning large containers of hard alcohol from campus and warning women to be careful how they might be “perceived” by men if they drink – two more policies the author argues are misguided.
Serious algae outbreaks, worse than ever, impact over 20 states this summer
Serious algae outbreaks have hit more than 20 states this summer. While the blooms are a normal part of summer, the frequency, size and toxicity this year are worse than ever. Organisms are shutting down beaches in Florida, sickening swimmers in Utah and threatening ecosystems in California. California has posted danger signs of at least 30 lakes and reservoirs, with scientists connecting the epidemic with rising water temperatures. The article notes, “Discovery Bay, a community about 60 miles east of San Francisco, is normally buzzing with boats and personal watercraft. But this year, the waterfront has been eerily still for weeks.”