Latest news with #BlackChildren
Bloomberg
16-07-2025
- Health
- Bloomberg
Severe Obesity in US Children Has More Than Tripled Since 2008
The proportion of severely overweight children in the US has skyrocketed in recent years, with the highest rates seen in adolescents and Black children, a new study found. Roughly 23% of all children were obese in 2023, up from 19% in 2008, according to the survey published Wednesday in JAMA Network Open. Additionally, more than 1% of children between the ages of 2 and 18 had 'extremely severe obesity' — a 250% increase from the start of the study, the researchers from the University of California, San Diego, found.
The Independent
01-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
The hidden inequalities children on transplant waiting lists face
Academics at the University of Bristol identified significant inequalities in kidney transplant care for children in the UK, analyzing data from 1996 to 2020. The research found that Black children, those from more deprived backgrounds, and girls were less likely to be placed on the kidney transplant waiting list. Black children were 19 per cent less likely and children from the poorest backgrounds were 33 per cent less likely to be wait-listed compared to their white and wealthiest peers, respectively, while girls were 12 per cent less likely than boys. Although gender and income disparities reduced once children were on the waiting list, disadvantages for Black children persisted, including fewer living donor opportunities and lower odds of receiving a transplant. Experts from Kidney Care UK and NHS Blood and Transplant described the findings as shocking, highlighting the need to address systemic barriers and encourage more organ donations, especially from Black and Asian communities.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Girls and black children face inequalities in transplant treatment, study shows
Sick girls are less likely to be put on the kidney transplant waiting list compared to boys, according to analysis. Academics found that some children in need of a kidney transplant are facing inequalities in their care. Black children are less likely to be put on the transplant waiting list, as are those from more deprived backgrounds, researchers from the University of Bristol found. There are currently 137 children aged 17 and under on the kidney transplant waiting list in the UK. Researchers set out to examine whether inequalities exist in access to kidney transplantation among children in the UK by analysing the UK Renal Registry and NHS Blood and Transplant data between 1996 and 2020. They found that girls were 12% less likely to be put on a transplant waiting list compared to boys. Children from the poorest backgrounds were 33% less likely to be put on the waiting list compared to those from the wealthiest. And black children were 19% less likely to be put on the waiting list compared to their white peers. Once children are on the waiting list, the disparities related to gender and income appeared to reduce, but disadvantages for black children persisted. 'We were particularly struck by how early these disparities appear in the transplant process,' said Dr Alice James, lead author of the study. 'It's not just about who gets a transplant, but who even gets considered in the first place. 'Those from black ethnic backgrounds face systemic disadvantages even after being placed on the waitlist, including fewer living donor opportunities.' When looking at kidney transplants given by a living donor within two years of being on the waiting list, the odds of getting a transplant are lower among those from poorer backgrounds and children of black or Asian ethnicity, according to the study, which has been presented to the ESOT (European Society for Organ Transplantation) Congress 2025. Dr James added: 'It is notable – and particularly disquieting – that such disparities are evident even in a paediatric population within a universal healthcare system like the NHS. 'The persistent disadvantage faced by children from black ethnic backgrounds even after wait-listing is especially striking, suggesting systemic or cultural barriers that extend beyond access alone.' On gender inequalities seen in the study, she added: 'The gender disparity in wait-listing, with girls being less likely to be wait-listed, may reflect implicit gender biases in clinical decision-making, differences in parental advocacy, or variation in disease presentation and severity between sexes. 'There may also be social factors influencing clinicians' assumptions about transplant suitability or family engagement in the transplantation process. 'While evidence is limited in paediatric populations, adult studies suggest that women are often perceived as less suitable candidates due to comorbidities or psychosocial factors— perceptions that may inadvertently extend to female children.' Fiona Loud, policy director at Kidney Care UK, said: 'This research is shocking and it's not good enough to see such heartbreaking inequalities so early in life. 'There are around 1,000 children receiving kidney replacement therapy via either dialysis or transplant in the UK. 'This is a relatively small number which should mean we have a real opportunity to change this and make sure we improve things for the future for children and young people. 'But right now it is very hard for families whose children have kidney failure. 'More work needs to be done to explore local barriers and raise awareness of the value and importance of living kidney donation through personalised and community education programmes.' Professor Derek Manas, medical director for organ and tissue donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, which is responsible for allocating organs to people on the list, said: 'These results will help hospital clinical teams across the UK to further understand and mitigate this issue. 'NHS Blood and Transplant does not decide which individual patients are added to the transplant waiting list, but we do manage how organs are allocated to patients and the research found that once patients are on the waiting list, they had equitable access to donations, irrespective of ethnicity or deprivation. 'The transplant community has come a long way in ensuring equity once listed but this study confirms we all have more to do. 'Kidneys also need to be matched and people from the same ethnicity are more likely to be a match. 'There are currently not enough donors from black and Asian backgrounds and we urge people to show their support for donation on the NHS Organ Donor Register and to tell their families they want to donate.' An NHS England spokesperson said: 'The decision to place somebody on the transplant list should never be affected by their gender, ethnicity or family income and this analysis is a stark reminder that, whilst we have made progress on tackling health inequalities, much remains to be done – and this will be at the heart of the 10 Year Health Plan. 'More widely, we know kidney failure disproportionately impacts people from Black African and Black Caribbean heritage so we would always encourage more donors from these backgrounds to come forward, and we have recently launched a new simple genetic blood test for these groups to help reduce the risk of kidney failure.'
The Independent
30-06-2025
- Health
- The Independent
Why girls are less likely to be put on transplant waiting lists than boys
Academics have found that some children in need of a kidney transplant are facing inequalities in their care. Researchers set out to examine whether inequalities exist in access to kidney transplantation among children in the UK by analysing the UK Renal Registry and NHS Blood and Transplant data between 1996 and 2020. The team at the University of Bristol found that Black children were less likely to be put on the transplant waiting list, as were those from more deprived backgrounds. Girls were also 12 per cent less likely to be put on a transplant waiting list compared to boys. There are currently 137 children aged 17 and under on the kidney transplant waiting list in the UK. Dr Alice James, lead author of the study, said the gender disparity in wait-listing may reflect 'implicit gender biases in clinical decision-making, differences in parental advocacy, or variation in disease presentation and severity between sexes.' 'There may also be social factors influencing clinicians' assumptions about transplant suitability or family engagement in the transplantation process,' she said. 'While evidence is limited in paediatric populations, adult studies suggest that women are often perceived as less suitable candidates due to comorbidities or psychosocial factors— perceptions that may inadvertently extend to female children.' It also found that children from the poorest backgrounds were 33 per cent less likely to be put on the waiting list compared to those from the wealthiest, and Black children were 19 per cent less likely to be put on the waiting list compared to their white peers. Once children are on the waiting list, the disparities related to gender and income appeared to reduce, however, disadvantages for black children persisted. 'We were particularly struck by how early these disparities appear in the transplant process,' Dr James said. 'It's not just about who gets a transplant, but who even gets considered in the first place. 'Those from black ethnic backgrounds face systemic disadvantages even after being placed on the waitlist, including fewer living donor opportunities.' When looking at kidney transplants given by a living donor within two years of being on the waiting list, the odds of getting a transplant are lower among those from poorer backgrounds and children of black or Asian ethnicity, according to the study, which has been presented to the ESOT (European Society for Organ Transplantation) Congress 2025. Dr James added: 'It is notable – and particularly disquieting – that such disparities are evident even in a paediatric population within a universal healthcare system like the NHS. 'The persistent disadvantage faced by children from black ethnic backgrounds even after wait-listing is especially striking, suggesting systemic or cultural barriers that extend beyond access alone.' Fiona Loud, policy director at Kidney Care UK, said the research was 'shocking'. 'More work needs to be done to explore local barriers and raise awareness of the value and importance of living kidney donation through personalised and community education programmes.' Professor Derek Manas, medical director for organ and tissue donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, which is responsible for allocating organs to people on the list, said: 'These results will help hospital clinical teams across the UK to further understand and mitigate this issue. 'NHS Blood and Transplant does not decide which individual patients are added to the transplant waiting list, but we do manage how organs are allocated to patients, and the research found that once patients are on the waiting list, they had equitable access to donations, irrespective of ethnicity or deprivation. 'The transplant community has come a long way in ensuring equity once listed, but this study confirms we all have more to do. 'Kidneys also need to be matched and people from the same ethnicity are more likely to be a match. 'There are currently not enough donors from black and Asian backgrounds and we urge people to show their support for donation on the NHS Organ Donor Register and to tell their families they want to donate.'
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Transitional Kindergarten Participation Declines Despite Expansion, Report Finds
This article was originally published in EdSource. Despite expanding eligibility requirements, California's transitional kindergarten program showed declining rates of participation, according to a recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California. After the state launched the Universal Prekindergarten program in 2021, school districts offering optional transitional kindergarten began incrementally accepting younger 4-year-olds into the program in 2022 — an expansion from the original requirement that students must be 5 or turning 5 in the fall. The report examined recent enrollment trends in the program to patterns before the expansion and the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the program showed an overall increase in enrollment in recent years, the rate of participation in transitional kindergarten dropped by 13% since before the pandemic. In the 2023-24 school year, the state's transitional kindergarten program served over 150,000 students out of an estimated 215,000 eligible children, roughly 70% participation, according to the report. Latino children showed the largest drop in participation, by 18%, while participation among Black children fell by 12%. Dual language learners had an 18% decline compared to pre-pandemic participation, and children from Pacific Islander, Native American, and Black communities also enrolled in transitional kindergarten at lower rates than their white and Asian counterparts. Declining participation may be attributed to family preferences for availability and duration, location, learning environment and curriculum for younger 4-year-olds, according to the report. Although most school districts offer the program, basic aid districts, which are funded mostly through property taxes rather than state funding, are also less likely to offer transitional kindergarten due to the expense, the report states. 'What might suffice for a nearly five-year-old is inadequate for an early four-year-old who may need help with toileting, opportunities for rest, and lots of play-based, behavioral learning,' the report states. 'Of the districts we interviewed, the top challenges included upgrading facilities to be age-appropriate, developing [transitional kindergarten] curriculum, and building staff and leadership capacity to accommodate early childhood education in K-12.' To draw in families, the report's authors recommended that schools provide clear, accessible information about local transitional kindergarten programs to families, including location and after-care options, and that they transition from academic kindergarten-like curriculum to play-based curriculum to accommodate the developmental needs of younger 4-year-olds. This story was originally published on EdSource.
