NHLBI researchers available to discuss recent findings and ongoing research addressing health disparities

WHAT: April is National Minority Health Month and experts from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) are available to discuss recent findings and ongoing research projects about health conditions and social determinants that disproportionately affect racial and ethnic minorities and low income populations.

Health disparities are differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States.

The following NHLBI researchers are available for interviews on the findings and implications of these studies:

Sickle Cell Disease and stem cell transplantation

Several recent studies are exploring new avenues of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation for sickle cell disease (SCD), a group of genetic disorders found mainly in African Americans. 

WHO: Courtney Fitzhugh, M.D., Lasker Clinical Research Scholar with the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research.

STUDY: National Institutes of Health Blood and Marrow Transplant Late Effects Initiative: The Healthcare Delivery Working Group Report.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1083879116303883

Hypertension, Exercise and African Americans

A new study published in the journal Hypertension  found the strongest evidence to date that regular moderate to vigorous exercise can help reduce the risk of hypertension in African Americans.

WHO: Nicole Redmond, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., medical officer with the NHLBI Division of Cardiovascular Sciences.

STUDY: Physical Activity and Incident Hypertension in African Americans

The Jackson Heart Study
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/69/3/421

Social determinants of obesity and cardiovascular disease risk

A study just published in the journal Health & Place examines the link between neighborhood and weight using novel metrics to see how changes in the conditions of the neighborhood affected weight gain for old neighbors and new comers. 

WHO: Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Clinical Investigator with the NHLBI Division of Intramural Research.

STUDY: Do neighborhoods matter differently for movers and non-movers? Analysis of weight gain in the longitudinal Dallas Heart Study
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135382921730062X

Physical activity, sedentary behavior in Latino and African American preschoolers

A recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that parents’ physical activity—and their sedentary behavior—directly correlates with the activity level of their preschoolers. Among the study participants, 75 percent were Latino and almost 10 percent were African American.

WHO: Charlotte A. Pratt, Ph.D., MS, RD, FAHA, with the NHLBI Division of Cardiovascular Sciences.

STUDY: Parent’s Physical Activity Associated With Preschooler Activity in Underserved Populations
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0749379716306183