A weekly roundup of public health news
People of color still face higher cancer death rates
Despite overall decreases in U.S. cancer deaths, Black and American Indian and Alaska Native people continue to be more likely to die from the disease, a new report finds.
Cancer death rates in the U.S. have fallen 35% since 1991, translating to an estimated 4.8 million fewer deaths, according to the Cancer Disparities Progress Report 2026. But those gains have not been shared equally, with gaps in prevention, screening, treatment and survival across many populations, said the report, released June 24 by the American Association for Cancer Research.
Compared with white Americans, Black people were 9% more likely to die from cancer in 2024. From 2020 to 2024, American Indian and Alaska Native people were 4% more likely to die from cancer overall. The disparities reflect unequal access to healthcare, environmental exposures, socioeconomic conditions and the lasting effects of structural racism and discrimination, researchers said.
The disparities were especially pronounced for American Indian and Alaska Native people. While overall cancer incidence was slightly lower than among white people, deaths from stomach, gallbladder and liver cancers were about twice as high. Mortality from kidney cancer was 74% higher, cervical cancer 45% higher and colorectal cancer 39% higher. Rising rates of early-onset colorectal cancer among American Indian and Alaska Native people are also an emerging concern.
Black Americans continue to experience significant disparities as well. Black women were 35% more likely to die from breast cancer, despite having a lower incidence of the disease. Death rates for stomach, prostate, gallbladder and multiple myeloma were about twice as high among Black people as among white people, the report found.
Black and American Indian and Alaska Native people were not the only groups to experience disparities, however. Compared with white people, Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander people had lower overall cancer incidence and death rates but were more likely to develop and die from liver and stomach cancers. Hispanic women also experienced higher rates of cervical cancer, the report found.
A third of women have trouble accessing reproductive healthcare
Access to reproductive healthcare remains out of reach for many women in the U.S., with nearly a third unable to receive at least one type of care they needed in the past year, according to a new Urban Institute analysis.
The findings, released June 24, came from the Reproductive Health Experiences and Access survey. Conducted in 2024 and 2025, the survey of 50,000 women was the first of its kind since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022.
Among the results, about 16% of survey respondents said they did not receive needed preventive gynecologic care in the past year, 10% missed care for irregular or painful periods and 7% experienced delays or difficulty obtaining their preferred birth control. Cost, insurance barriers and difficulty getting appointments were among the most common obstacles.
The barriers were not shared equally. Younger adults, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people consistently reported greater difficulty accessing care than other groups, according to the analysis.
A sampling of state-by-state data also showed differences in access. For example, women in Florida and Georgia reported higher rates of delays in obtaining birth control than the U.S. overall, at 9% and 8%, respectively. In contrast, only 6% of Illinois respondents reported trouble obtaining their preferred birth control.
Occupational exposure to shockwaves linked to later aggression
Workers who are repeatedly exposed to low-level explosive shockwaves may face a higher risk of issues such as anger and aggression later in life, according to recent research.
Published in Military Medicine, the study looked at health records of veterans who had worked in jobs that involved repeated blast exposures, such as artillery personnel, combat engineers and weapons instructors. Firing heavy weapons or working near explosions can create shockwaves that are not strong enough to cause an immediate concussion but may have long-term health effects, research has found.
About 17% of veterans in high-risk occupations had anger, aggression or violence documented in their medical records, compared with 12% in low-risk occupations, the study found.
Researchers suggested repeated blast exposure may contribute to changes in the brain, such as damage to nerve fibers, inflammation or injury to blood vessels. However, they emphasized the emotional and behavioral issues likely result from multiple interacting factors rather than blast exposure alone.
Although the study focused on military veterans, repeated exposure to low-level explosive shockwaves also can occur in civilian occupations, including law enforcement, demolition, mining and pyrotechnics.
Other recent public health news of note includes:
• Burnout is widespread among U.S. public health workers, with younger employees reporting the highest levels, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health. At least one symptom of burnout was reported by 71% of workers who responded to the 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey, which polled state and local governmental public health employees. Persistent burnout was most common among workers younger than 44. Previous research has found workers who report burnout may be more likely to leave their jobs.
• Fair workweek laws help stabilize schedules for hourly service workers without reducing their wages or benefits, according to new findings in Science Advances. Researchers analyzed seven years of survey data from more than 75,000 retail and food service workers in five cities. Workers covered by the laws received more advance notice of their schedules, had fewer last-minute schedule changes and were less likely to work back-to-back closing and opening shifts, giving them more time to rest. The study found the improvements did not come at the cost of worker pay or benefits.
• Hot, muggy weather is becoming more common around the world, with dangerously humid heat now occurring more than twice as often as it did in the 1970s, according to a new Climate Central analysis. In the U.S., days with the weather conditions are most common in the South and Southeast, with some areas of the Gulf Coast experiencing 100 of them a year. Climate change is a primary driver for the increase.
The Watch is written by Michele Late, who has more than two decades of experience as a public health journalist.
