Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities
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J Racial Ethn Health Disparities · Jun 2017
Low-Income Housing Rental Assistance, Perceptions of Neighborhood Food Environment, and Dietary Patterns among Latino Adults: the AHOME Study.
Federal rental assistance programs, in the form of the traditional public housing program and the Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP-formerly known as Section 8), are designed to reduce the economic rental burden for low-income residents. While residents using federal housing vouchers, which allow low-income residents in public housing to move out of public housing to rent-subsidized homes, have been found to be have better cardiovascular outcomes compared to the cardiovascular outcomes of low-income public housing residents, the mechanisms explaining these associations remains an understudied area. ⋯ This study shows variability in consumption of sugar sweetened beverage consumption and fast food consumption, but not in availability of fruits and vegetables, across residents participating in HCVP, public housing residents, and unassisted residents. Evaluating the health benefits associated with low-income housing mobility programs, such as HCVP, requires examining how housing may influence dietary patterns above and beyond an individual's socioeconomic position.
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J Racial Ethn Health Disparities · Jun 2017
A National Assessment of Medication Adherence to Statins by the Racial Composition of Neighborhoods.
Adherence to statins is lower in black and Hispanic patients and is linked to racial/ethnic disparities in cardiovascular mortality. Poverty, education, and prescription coverage differentials are typically invoked to explain adherence disparities, but analyses at the level of neighborhoods and their pharmacies may provide additional insights. ⋯ In black and Hispanic neighborhoods, good adherence was associated with co-pays under $10, the use of 90-day refills, and payers other than Medicaid. Efforts to improve medication adherence for vulnerable populations may benefit from interventions at the level of local pharmacies, as well as medication benefit redesign.