Friday Roundup

Here is a listing of articles published in the last 7-10 days that may be of interest:

Health
1. Minority males in California: Oakland hearings explore health of population; Huffingtonpost.com, January 20, 2011
Brief Introduction: Today's hearing is being convened by the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color in California. Assemblyman Sandré Swanson, D-Oakland, said he formed the committee to examine the adverse conditions that some black, Latino and Asian boys experience and their effects on state resources and agencies. It also will look at the connections among issues like health, foster care, truancy, school dropouts, unemployment and incarceration.

2. Appendicitis racial disparities mostly unexplained; Chicago Tribune, January 18, 2012
Brief Introduction: Poverty and unfavorable health insurance account for only a small portion of the gap in the number of white versus Hispanic or black children who end up with a burst appendix, according to a new study.

3. Little change in U.S. obesity rates in recent years; Reuters.com, January 17, 2012
Brief Introduction: Government researchers found that in 2009 and 2010, about one in three adults and one in six kids and teens were obese. The rates represent no change from 2007 and 2008 figures, and only a slight increase among specific demographics over rates from the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Education
1. Black, Latino students perform at levels of 30 years ago; HuffingtonPost.com January 23, 2012
Brief Introduction: Educators are expressing alarm that the performance gap between minority and white high school students continues to expand across the United States, with minority teenagers performing at academic levels equal to or lower than those of 30 years ago.

2. Many Michigan kids living in poverty, report finds; Detroit Free Press, January 24, 2012
Brief Introduction: Fewer Michigan teens are having babies or dropping out of school, and educational benchmarks for some of the state's youngest students have improved, according to the new Kids Count report.

Race
1. Survey paints portrait of black women in America; The Washington Post, January 23, 2012
Brief Introduction: In a new nationwide survey conducted by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation, a complex portrait emerges of black women who feel confident but vulnerable, who have high self-esteem and see physical beauty as important, who find career success more vital to them than marriage. The survey, which includes interviews with more than 800 black women, represents the most extensive exploration of the lives and views of African American women in decades.

2. More Americans uninsured in 2011; Gallup.com, January 24, 2011
Brief Introduction: Hispanic Americans continue to be the most likely to be uninsured, with more than 40% going without health coverage in 2011, the highest Gallup has found for any key group since it began tracking in 2008. More than 30% of low-income Americans were uninsured in 2011 -- a figure that has been rising since 2008, when it was 26.4%.