http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/science_society/public_health/ Read about scientific research on a wide-array of public health issues. en-us Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:05:01 EST Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/science_society/public_health/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223172743.htm A new study on 485 Iowa adolescents over a 10-year period (1991-2001) found that early socioeconomic adversity experienced by children contributes to poor mental health by the time they become teens -- disrupting their successful transition into adulthood. Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223172743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231182014.htm Everybody is familiar with the stereotypes of medical education from the student perspective: grueling hours, little recognition, and even less glory. A new study pulls back the curtain on the dominant environment of academic medicine from the perspective of faculty, the providers of medical education in medical schools. The study raises questions about how the prevailing culture of academic medicine shapes the delivery of health care. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231182014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105150843.htm U.S. Government insurance programs that safeguard bank deposits should be reformed to ease taxpayers' undue stake in propping up the nation's banking system, according to new research. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105150843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105090835.htm Two new studies find that women who start their leave in the last month of pregnancy are less likely to have cesarean deliveries, and that new mothers are more likely to establish breastfeeding the longer they delay their return to work. The studies take a rare look into whether taking maternity leave can affect health outcomes in the United States. Mon, 05 Jan 2009 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105090835.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090101083258.htm The indirect costs of untreated insomnia are significantly greater than the direct costs associated with its treatment. The study estimates that the total annual cost of insomnia in the province of Quebec is 6.5 billion Canadian dollars, representing about one percent of the province's $228.5 billion in gross domestic product for 2002. The largest proportions of all insomnia-related expenses are attributed to lost job productivity, absences from work and alcohol used as a sleep aid. Sun, 04 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090101083258.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231131218.htm Researchers have developed an automobile ignition key that prevents teenagers from talking on cell phones or sending text messages while driving. Sat, 03 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231131218.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231114250.htm Subject to sudden unexpected seizures, epileptics are often a subject of discrimination in the workforce. Many employers are hesitant to hire epileptics, fearing that stressful workplace situations might bring on an attack. But a new study suggests these fears are groundless. Researchers find epileptics in stressful jobs can handle the pressure. Thu, 01 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081231114250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229105037.htm Researchers have described how tobacco smoke contamination lingers even after a cigarette is extinguished -- a phenomenon they define as "third-hand" smoke. They examine, for the first time, adult attitudes about the health risks to children of third-hand smoke and how those beliefs may relate to rules about smoking in their homes. Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229105037.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229105035.htm Policymakers and economists often promote managed-care plans based on the assumption that they prevent the overuse of unnecessary surgical procedures or help steer patients to high-quality providers, compared to traditional fee-for-service insurance plans. However a new study found that in the case of one common surgical procedure, the checks and balances assumed with managed care did not improve the quality or outcome of care. Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081229105035.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218051245.htm Head banging increases the risk of head and neck injury, but the effects may be lessened with reduced head and neck motion, head banging to lower tempo songs or to every second beat, and using protective equipment such as neck braces, finds a new study. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218051245.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217190441.htm The public's concerns about costs and increased promiscuity among teenagers appear to be hindering use of a vaccine against the human papilloma virus to prevent life-threatening diseases, according to a new study. Sat, 27 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217190441.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172048.htm A national alcohol research group is concerned that the media's misinterpretation of a recent British research study could encourage pregnant women to be more at ease with temperate alcohol consumption. Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172048.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218051243.htm In a new study, researchers applied rigorous search methodology to explore the science behind six medical myths commonly associated with the holidays yet relevant year-round. Fri, 26 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218051243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218094626.htm Technology can do great things, but it also can be over sold as panacea for a host of social ills. A better use of technology can be gained if those who guide technology policy are clear about how to apply it and know what to expect, according to experts. Fri, 26 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218094626.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223193110.htm Excessive police violence is evident in the types of injury and trauma emergency care doctors are treating in the US, indicates research published in Emergency Medicine Journal. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223193110.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124158.htm The way current patient consent forms are written -- as formal, legal documents -- plants a litigious relationship in both the patient's and the surgeon's mind even before treatment has begun. Researchers propose a set of five recommendations to return consent forms to their intended purpose -- that of allowing patients to meaningfully take part in the decision-making process. Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172133.htm In small towns in the Midwestern United States, people who eat out often at buffets and cafeterias and who perceive their community to be unpleasant for physical activity are more likely to be obese. Tue, 23 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081219172133.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124150.htm A recent study sheds light on the role racial prejudice plays in the wage gap between whites and blacks in the US. Prejudice accounts for approximately one-quarter of the racial wage gap, costing a black worker up to $115,000 over a lifetime depending upon where he or she lives, the authors say. Tue, 23 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223172703.htm Researchers have discovered that more patients with mental illness will seek follow-up care after a hospitalization if their co-payments for mental health care are as affordable as for their primary care. Tue, 23 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081223172703.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201081723.htm The costs that health care providers are charged and reimbursed for childhood vaccines vary widely, and the high cost of some immunizations is leading to significant financial strain for some physicians, according to a pair of new studies. Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201081723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222221437.htm British American Tobacco, one of the world's largest transnational tobacco companies, carried out an extensive, multi-pronged strategy to undermine the health policy agenda on secondhand smoke in China, finds a new study published in PLoS Medicine. Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222221437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222143521.htm The good news — you've been offered the perfect job. The not-so-good news — it's contingent on a medical exam. For the disabled, people with diseases like HIV, or those who are simply mega-stressed at the thought of a doctor's waiting room, undergoing a medical exam to qualify for a job can be daunting. Researchers now propose swapping costly employer medical exams for an efficient, non-invasive quiz. Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222143521.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222074603.htm A new study finds that hospice services -- care that is provided by physicians, visiting nurses, chaplains, home health aides, social workers and counselors -- have restrictions that reduce usage by many patients who are most in-need, particularly African-Americans. Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081222074603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215184341.htm Research suggests that it takes "gross" messaging to get undergraduate students to wash their hands more frequently after going to the bathroom. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215184341.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215074358.htm Despite unprecedented progress in reducing incidence and death rates from colorectal cancer, the gap between blacks and whites continues to grow, says a new report from the American Cancer Society. Fri, 19 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215074358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217192741.htm Embryonic stem cells could provide a new way of testing drugs for dangerous side effects. Since researchers are able to make unlimited human heart cells from embryonic stem cells, they may offer a viable and scientifically exciting alternative. Barack Obama is an ardent supporter of stem cell research. Thu, 18 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217192741.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111311.htm Consumers face a barrage of product claims each day. What makes those claims believable? A new study says both marketers and consumers can benefit from information about the way people process product claims. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111311.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218051249.htm Cancer screening programs could increase attendance by inviting people for screening close to birthdays or other annual milestones such as Christmas and the New Year, finds a new study. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081218051249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124148.htm Policymakers, the media, and the public should focus on 20 specific health indicators as 'yardsticks' to measure the overall health and well-being of Americans, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217124148.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217101434.htm The 2008 Virginia Commonwealth University Life Sciences survey shows that eight in 10 adults nationwide favor making genetic testing easily available to all who want it, and 54 percent say that the benefits of conducting genetic research outweigh the risks. Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081217101434.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212092058.htm Stepping onto a scale after a calorie-filled holiday season isn't an activity many 21st-century Americans relish. But in the late 19th century, scales were all the rage at festive gatherings -- the 1800s' answer to Guitar Hero. "A family would think it fun to weigh themselves before and after a big holiday dinner to see how much they had gained," said Deborah I. Levine, Ph.D. "Knowing your weight was a novelty, a kind of parlor trick." Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212092058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210103039.htm A growing number of adults know about the potential risk of swallowing magnets, but medical complications from magnets continue to be extensive worldwide and throughout childhood. Tue, 16 Dec 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210103039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210171914.htm Deaths due to dementia and Alzheimer's disease are underreported on death certificates, according to a new study, raising concerns about the accuracy of mortality statistics based on these documents. Tue, 16 Dec 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210171914.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210205044.htm Levels of drug-resistant tuberculosis in China are nearly twice the global average. Nationwide research published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases has shown that almost 10 percent of Chinese TB cases are resistant to the most effective first-line drugs. Tue, 16 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210205044.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104021.htm Low-income men are more likely to present with advanced prostate cancers, most likely because they don't receive screening services shown to reduce the diagnosis of later-stage cancers, a UCLA study found. Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104315.htm A new study conducted in three developing countries -- Kenya, the Philippines, and Bangladesh -- finds that people with cataract-induced visual impairment are more likely to live in poverty than those with normal sight. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081216104315.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215184345.htm Can a patient-centered, care management program utilizing nurse care managers and interdisciplinary teams, supported by electronic tracking and care coordination systems reduce the rate of deaths and hospitalizations among chronically ill older adults? The answer, based on a three-year study involving more than 3,400 chronically ill seniors, appears to be "yes." Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215184345.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215183947.htm The number of female doctors in cardiology nearly doubled in the last decade, according to findings from a 10-year follow-up survey published in the Dec. 16/23, 2008, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Still, women account for less than 20 percent of all cardiologists, despite nearly equal numbers of men and women graduating from medical schools. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215183947.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215140938.htm Nearly a quarter of all Californians under age 65 were without health insurance for all or some of 2007, according to a policy brief drawing on comprehensive new data. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215140938.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215074638.htm Just under five per cent of the men who took part in the prostate cancer element of the USA's largest ever cancer screening trial were diagnosed with the disease and the majority of those were picked up by screening programs. Mon, 15 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215074638.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210090821.htm Given the high incidence and prevalence of cancer in older adults and the anticipated growth of this population over the next few decades, oncologists, geriatricians and primary care providers will be challenged to provide timely and appropriate post-treatment care to older cancer survivors. More post-treatment studies are needed to understand the mental, social and physical health issues among older cancer survivors, behavioral health experts say in special supplement to the journal Cancer. Sat, 13 Dec 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210090821.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210131042.htm In this policy brief, the authors examine why low-income teenagers are almost three times more likely to be obese than teens from more affluent households. Specifically, persistent barriers to health were found, including high numbers of neighborhood fast food restaurants, high sugary soda consumption and television viewing and low numbers of parks and other opportunities for physical activity. Fri, 12 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081210131042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212081548.htm The population of the federal state of Saxony-Anhalt most often suffers from obesity and has the greatest waist circumference, followed by Brandenburg. Researchers examined regional differences in prevalence in general medical care. Fri, 12 Dec 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081212081548.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081203184648.htm The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's process of generating risk assessments -- which estimate the potential adverse effects posed by harmful chemicals found in the environment in order to protect public health -- is bogged down by unprecedented challenges, and as a decision-making tool it is often hindered by a disconnect between available scientific data and the information needs of officials, says a new report from the National Research Council. Thu, 11 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081203184648.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208203857.htm Injection drug users sentenced to compulsory detention under China's paradoxical policies on HIV/AIDS and narcotics suffer human rights abuses that may imperil their health, says a new study published in PLoS Medicine. Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081208203857.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125161437.htm Ventricular assist devices, or VADs -- surgically-placed mechanical pumps that can support failing hearts or buy time to transplant -- are associated with high hospital costs and high rates of early death among Medicare recipients, say researchers. Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125161437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201082005.htm A new study is the first to show that high levels of prenatal smoking exposure strongly modify sleep patterns in preterm neonates, which places infants at a higher risk for developmental difficulties that could persist throughout early and middle childhood. Tue, 09 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081201082005.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202133515.htm A new report proposes revisions to medical residents' duty hours and workloads to decrease the chances of fatigue-related medical errors and to enhance the learning environment for these doctors in training. Tue, 09 Dec 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081202133515.htm