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AJPH NEWS Release

EMBARGOED UNTIL January 28, 2003, 4:00 PM (ET)
CONTACT: For copies of articles, call Natalie Raynor, (202) 777-2511

All articles are online at www.ajph.org

American Journal of Public Health: February 2003 Highlights

• Kids who have fun are healthier
• Cancer still more deadly for minority women
• Rubella a higher risk for Hispanic immigrants
• Hispanic women less likely than white women to undergo hysterectomy

The articles highlighted below appear in the February 2003 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, the Journal of the American Public Health Association.

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Kids who have fun are healthier
Children who live in neighborhoods where art, entertainment and recreation are readily available are healthier than children who don't have access to such activities, according to a recent study. Researchers looked at families living in 20 Ohio counties and used Census data to determine how much art, entertainment and recreation were available in each community. Those "fun" activities included live performances; events or exhibits; objects and sites of historical, cultural or educational interest; and spectator sports; museums; zoos; nature and amusement parks, miniature golf. Of the 1,157 people surveyed, the researchers found that "communities that offer arts, entertainment and recreation are more likely to have healthier children." These were not necessarily wealthier neighborhoods. "While the results of this study warrant replication before inferences are drawn, communities that have made an investment in the happiness of children may be encouraged to find that this also may extend to children's health."
[From: "Happiness and Children's Health: An Investigation of Art, Entertainment, and Recreation." Contact: Mary A.M. Rogers, PhD, MS, University of Michgan at Ann Arbor, mayroge{at}umich.edu.]

Cancer still more deadly for minority women than whites
In a review of population-based studies of American women, researchers found that the decline in cancer-related deaths among white women over the past decade was not shared by minority women. Researchers studied cancer incidence and mortality rates among nine minorities: Mexican American; Puerto Rican; Cuban American; African American; Asian American; Native Hawaiian; American Somoan; American Indian; and Alaska Native. The number of women in these groups ranged from 24,500 Alaska Natives to 15.3 million African Americans. The results: while cancer incidence has slowed among minority women, cancer deaths have not. The researchers said more studies are needed to determine the behavioral and cultural factors that contribute to continuing disparities when it comes to deadly cancers. "Understanding cancer-related health disparities in women is an important step toward improving health and the quality of life for millions of minority women," the researchers wrote. "Recent trends in decreased incidence and mortality from most cancers show that preventive strategies, early detection methods and successful treatments of cancer are more readily available. More research is needed to address social, cultural and biological determinants of differential cancer profiles."
[From: "Cancer-Related Health Disparities in Women." Contact: Karen Glanz, PhD, MPH, Cancer Research Center of Hawaii, kglanz{at}hawaii.edu.]

Rubella a higher risk for Hispanic immigrants
In a study of Hispanic immigrants working at a poultry-processing plant, researchers found Rubella continues to be a concern among this population. While most U.S.-born children are immunized against the disease, many immigrants are not, causing a possibility for infection,especially when a large population works together in close proximity. Researchers took blood samples from 343 workers at the Alabama plant and found that Mexican-born workers were twice as likely to be susceptible to rubella infection as were those who were native to the United States. The most vulnerable: Mexican-born women, who were three times as likely to be susceptible to rubella as U.S.-born workers. The study came after several rubella outbreaks in the United States, most among Hispanic immigrant workers. Routine rubella vaccination began in Mexico in 1998, leaving most adults still susceptible to the disease. "To protect these populations at risk for rubella and prevent future outbreaks, new vaccination strategies need to be developed," the researchers wrote. "...health care workers and public health workers should be aware that certain groups of non-U.S.-born persons are more likely to be susceptible to rubella than are U.S.-born adults."
[From: "Identifying Risk Factors for Rubella Susceptibility in a Population at Risk in the United States." Contact: Susan E. Reef, MD, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sreef{at}cdc.gov.]

Hispanic women less likely to undergo hysterectomy
Hispanic women undergo fewer hysterectomies than non-Hispanic white women, but researchers aren't yet sure why. In a study of data collected on 4,684 Hispanic women and 20,604 non-Hispanic white women from the 1998-1999 National Health Interview Survey, researchers found that Hispanic women were far less likely to undergo the operation, especially if they had little education. When compared with white women, the odds ratio for hysterectomy was .36 for Hispanic women with no high school diploma, .57 for high school graduates and .67 for those who had attended college. The study's authors suggested more research is needed to determine why hysterectomy rates vary between the two populations and to look at surgery alternatives. "Because previous research has found a high degree of inappropriate recommendation for hysterectomy, a good next step in this research would be to look at the medical necessity of hysterectomy among Hispanic and non-Hispanic women and to assess any differences."
[From: "Hysterectomy Prevalence by Hispanic Ethnicity: Evidence From a National Survey." Contact: Kate M. Brett, National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, kbrett{at}cdc.gov.]

The American Journal of Public Health is the monthly Journal of the American Public Health Association, the oldest and largest organization of public health professionals in the world and the foremost publisher of public health-related books and periodicals promoting high scientific standards, action programs and policy for good health. The Journal is online at www.ajph.org.

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