New research from the University of Texas shows that children who often go hungry have a greater risk of developing impulse control problems and engaging in violence.

Dr. Alex Piquero with University of Texas.

Those who experienced frequent hunger as kids were more than twice as likely to exhibit impulsivity and injure others intentionally as adolescents and adults, according to the study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The findings were strongest among whites, Hispanics and males.

Many other studies link food insecurity to other adverse outcomes, like poor academic performance and of course health issues. But this is the first to connect it to violent behavior. It simply makes ending the reality of poor access to healthy foods – and enough of it – to all kids an imperative.

“Good nutrition is not only critical for academic success, but now we’re showing that it links to behavioral patterns. When kids start to fail in school, they start to fail in other domains of life,” said Dr. Alex Piquero, a professor of criminology at the University of Texas.

Read the full article at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-06/uota-rlc062016.php

A new UC Berkeley study reports this about the health consequences of explicit racism:

Living in unabashedly racist communities can shorten the lives of both blacks and whites, according to new research from the University of California, Berkeley.

Researchers compared the racial biases of nearly 1.4 million people nationwide to death rates in more than 1,700 U.S. counties. Their findings suggest that blacks and, to a lesser degree, whites who reside in overtly racist communities are more prone to dying from heart disease and other circulatory diseases.

“This suggests that living in a racially hostile environment might be detrimental to both the group targeted by this bias, in this case blacks, as well as the group that harbors the bias, in this case whites,” said study lead author Jordan Leitner, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology at UC Berkeley. The findings were just published in the online edition of the journal Psychological Science.

What’s interesting is the study’s look at the toll on both races. While they’re still exploring the reasons, one idea is that whites holding more explicit racial biases bond less with others in their community, reducing the social supports that are known to lengthen lives. For blacks, the researchers are assessing whether those in communities with higher levels of racial bias experience less access to health care or may even avoid seeking it out of fear of unfair treatment. I’ll also propose one idea: Blacks too in these communities experience lower levels of social supports.

To view the study, visit:

www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-09/uoc–wrt090616.php

Two years after Medicaid coverage was expanded under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in their states, the uninsured rate among low-income residents in Arkansas dropped from 42% in 2013 to 14% in 2015, and in Kentucky it dropped from 40% to 9% during the same time frame. (In comparison, in Texas, which didn’t opt to expand Medicaid coverage under ACA, the uninsured rate went from 39% to 32% during those years.) As a result, “low-income adults in Kentucky and Arkansas received more primary and preventive care, made fewer emergency department visits, and reported higher quality care and improved health compared with low-income adults in Texas,” the study stated.

To read the study, called, “Changes in Utilization and Health Among Low-Income Adults After Medicaid Expansion or Expanded Private Insurance,” Benjamin D. Sommers, Robert J. Blendon, E. John Orav, Arnold M. Epstein, JAMA Internal Medicine, online August 8, 2016, visit:

doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2016:4419

If you’re dealing with the stress of a low-income lifestyle – not able pay all the bills, worried about job security, etc. – having access to green spaces will significantly boost your sense of well being, compared to low-income people without this access, a new study found.

The researchers compared reports of well-being among wealthy people and poorer ones in 34 countries, and found overall wide gaps in the sense of well being between rich and poor – not surprisingly. But among the poor with good access to green or recreational areas, the gap in reported satisfaction between wealthier residents shrank by 40%.

The researchers said that green space could play an important role in reducing socioeconomic health inequalities. Many advocates understand this, and are working to open more parks and recreational options in low-income areas. (One study, several decades back, found even planting more trees improves health and reports of well being.)

An article on the study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is found here:

http://optimistworld.com/benefits-green-space-reducing-gap-rich-poor/