Photo courtesy: Matthew Buckley | Flickr

Senators Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) and Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) recently introduced the Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2012. The bill is the Senate version of legislation introduced in the House by the Congressional Tri-Caucus in 2011. It's designed to improve the health of underserved minority communities and complement the Affordable Care Act. According to Senator Akaka, “When there are barriers to good health care it hurts us all, not only minorities. I…

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Study: Food-Insecure Mothers Risk Obesity

A study in the June issue of Social Science and Medicine examines the intersections of obesity, poverty and gender inequity. According to the study, food insecure mothers are more likely to be overweight or obese than food insecure men. This may be due in part to gender norms that make mothers primarily responsible for managing food in families. In order to protect their children from hunger,…