Despite having the costliest health system, the US underperforms on most measures compared to other countries, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report. The report uses patient surveys and information gathered from primary care physicians to compare the US, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

The likelihood of cancer survivors using support groups varies widely by race, sex, and education, according to a study published in Cancer (Reuters Health).

The percentage of women over 40 who said they had a mammogram in the past 2 years declined from 2000 to 2005, according to a study published in Cancer (Reuters Health).

Married and Unmarried Births to Men, a new ASPE Research Brief, uses data from the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) to examine patterns of fatherhood.

Education by the Numbers: The Fiscal Effect of School Choice Programs, 1990-2006, a new report from the Friedman Foundation, examines the fiscal impact of existing voucher and tax-credit scholarship programs.

The following grant announcements are new this week on the Population Research Institute Funding Announcements web page.

Funding for Faculty Investigators

Addressing the Role of Pregnancy in HIV Prevention (R01) - National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Make Voting Work: Request for Proposals: New Diagnostics and New Solutions - Pew Charitable Trusts

One Year Rural Health Research Grant Program - Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

The May 14 issue of GrantWeek includes a summary of a Foundation Center training seminar on best practices for obtaining private organization funding.

Note: Access to Grants Resource Center publications is limited to subscribers; Penn State users can get login information from the Office of Sponsored Programs.

NCHS has released the following NHANES data updates:

Lab 02 - hepatitis B and D were added to the existing data for 2003-2004, 2001-2002 and 1999-2000. This data is now available in SodaPop and PopNet.

Food Security (2003-2004) is now available in SodaPop and PopNet.

Dietary Supplement Use (2003-2004) were updated to add supplement records collected in the prescription medications section of the SP questionnaire. This data is available on SodaPop and PopNet.

The Census Bureau reported yesterday that the minority population is over 100 million, and about 1 in 3 US residents is a minority. See the press release for links to details tables of the new population estimates.

New Journals at PRI Library: May 2007

May 7-11, 2007

American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 97 No. 5, May 2007

Asian and Pacific Migration Journal, Vol. 16 No. 1, 2007

Bulletin on Aging and Health: The effect of prescription drug insurance on utilization and health among the elderly, Issue No. 18, Winter 2007

National Vital Statistics Reports: Expanded health data from the new birth certificate 2004, Vol. 55 No. 12, April 19, 2007

Population Headliners, No. 316, January-February 2007

Upjohn Institute Employment Research: Evidence about the effectiveness of public training programs for incumbent workers, Vol. 14 No. 2, April 2007

May 14-18

The Center Report, Vol. 27 No. 2, Summer 2007

Cityscape, Vol. 9 No. 1, 2007

Journal of Marriage and the Family, Vol. 69 No. 2, May 2007

Population Reference Bureau: Youth in the Middle East and North Africa: demographic opportunity or challenge?, April 2007

Population Reference Bureau: Young people’s sexual and reproductive health in the Middle East and North Africa, April 2007

World Bank Research Digest: Making finance work for Africa, Vol. 1 No. 3, Spring 2007

May 21-25

Backgrounder, April 2007: Low salaries for low skills: wages and skill levels for H-1B computer workers, 2005

Monthly Labor Review, February 2007, Vol. 130 No. 2: African American women in the labor force: a case study, 1960-1962

National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 55 No. 15: Characteristics of births to single- and multiple- race women: California, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Washington, 2003

May 28-31

Archive Reporter May 2007, Number 67

Demography May 2007, Vol. 44 No. 2

New Annual Reports

Carolina Population Center Annual Review 2000

Carolina Population Center Review, June 2005

Passport: Population Action International Report 2005

Population Action International Annual Report 2004

Population Action International Annual Report 2005

Population Reference Bureau Annual Report 2006

Research on Reproductive Health at WHO Biennial Report 2000-2001