Public Health News and Research

RSS

Court rules in favor of graphic labels on cigarette packages

An appeals court ruled on Monday that the government’s planned graphic warnings on cigarette packages was legal and didn’t violate the free speech rights of tobacco companies.

20 Mar 2012

Pediatricians' unconscious racial bias may affect pain medication decisions

Pediatricians who show an unconscious preference for European Americans tend to prescribe better pain-management for white patients than they do for African-American patients, new University of Washington research shows.

20 Mar 2012

Viewpoints: The argument for the health law; No one wins contraception battle

It's said that you can judge a man by the quality of his enemies. If the same principle applies to legislation, the Affordable Care Act - which was signed into law two years ago, but for the most part has yet to take effect - sits in a place of high honor.

20 Mar 2012

UAB to present at annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has a number of presentations and experts available to comment on news being presented at the annual American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions that begin Saturday, March 23, 2012, in Chicago.

20 Mar 2012

Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement honors two experts on air pollution

Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement honors two experts on air pollution with the 2012 Tyler Prize for their work to advance the scientific understanding of air pollution, and develop solutions to reduce the danger to human health and the impact on climate change.

20 Mar 2012

FHCRC research represents potential breakthrough in treatment of pancreas cancer

Pancreas cancer tumors spread quickly and are notoriously resistant to treatment, making them among the deadliest of malignancies. Their resistance to chemotherapy stems in part from a unique biological barrier the tumor builds around itself. Now scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have found a way to break through that defense, and their research represents a potential breakthrough in the treatment of pancreas cancer.

20 Mar 2012

Health must be taken into account in climate change mitigation strategies

Health must be taken into account in climate change mitigation strategies. It is not widely appreciated that there are many benefits to health that are likely to accrue from a low carbon economy, say experts in a special supplement published on bmj.com today.

20 Mar 2012

ADHD diagnosis on the rise among American children

The number of American children leaving doctors' offices with an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis has risen 66 percent in 10 years, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study. Over this same timeframe, specialists, instead of primary care physicians, have begun treating an increasing number of these young patients, the study found.

20 Mar 2012

Americans not adhering to the 7 healthy heart recommendations

A new study of nearly 45,000 adults showed that participants who met more of seven recommended cardiovascular health behaviors or factors (such as not smoking, having normal cholesterol levels, eating a healthy diet), had a lower risk of death compared to participants who met fewer factors. The study was published in Journal of American Medical Association. The study is being published early online to coincide with its presentation at a specialty meeting of the American Heart Association.

19 Mar 2012

Low literacy equals high death risk among elderly

A new study that appeared last Friday in British Medical Journal showed that one in three adults aged over 65 in England have difficulty understanding basic health-related information. They are more than twice as likely to die within five years as adults with no literacy problems, it was found.

19 Mar 2012

Air emissions near natural gas drilling sites may contribute to health problems

In a new study, researchers from the Colorado School of Public Health have shown that air pollution caused by hydraulic fracturing or fracking may contribute to acute and chronic health problems for those living near natural gas drilling sites.

19 Mar 2012

Mobile phone exposure in unborn mice raises risk of behavioral and memory disorders

A new study has shown that unborn mice exposed to mobile phone radiation became hyperactive adults with poor memory. But scientists have added that the findings cannot be translated to humans.

18 Mar 2012

3 million Australians to develop diabetes by 2025

According to the latest figures, one in three of today's young Australians will go on to develop diabetes. A new assessment of national health data released by Diabetes Australia today shows 1.5 million Australians currently have diabetes. It says the diabetes rate is likely to at least double in Australia over the next decade, and predicts 3 million people will have type 2 diabetes by 2025.

18 Mar 2012

U.S. to launch graphic anti-smoking warnings

The United States Government is starting a major new effort to cut the country's smoking rate by showing graphic images of people who have sustained life-altering health problems after smoking for years.

18 Mar 2012

Greater Than AIDS, SiriusXM OutQ to launch SpeakOUT

SiriusXM OutQ, the nation's first and only 24/7 LGBT radio channel, and Greater Than AIDS, a national movement to respond to AIDS in America, announced today the launch of SpeakOUT: Real Talk about AIDS in Gay America, a limited-run series of live, call-in shows that will connect listeners across the country with medical experts, people living with HIV and notable members of the LGBT community to have an honest and challenging dialogue about the current state of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the gay community as well as the country at large.

17 Mar 2012

Study identifies primary care skills and competencies in opioid risk management

Primary care physicians are faced with treating a large proportion of chronic pain patients, but many do not often have specific training in the assessment and management of chronic pain, including the use of opioid medications for chronic pain management.

17 Mar 2012

U.S. Ambassador for Global Women's Issues speaks about GHI's support for family planning in CNN interview

"Family planning is one of the best public health interventions that can be made," U.S. Ambassador for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer said in an interview with Amar Bakshi, editor of CNN World's "Global Public Square" (GPS) blog, adding, "It makes such a difference in a woman's life for her to be able to have the wherewithal -- the family planning contraceptives available so that she can decide the size and the spacing of her children."

17 Mar 2012

Research roundup: Medicaid vs. private pay ER use; Doctors treat black, white patients differently; Caregiver stress

By looking at National Health Interview Survey data of more than 230,000 patients from 1999-2009, researchers were able to compare Medicaid with privately insured patients. More than 39 percent of those enrolled in Medicaid in the sample used the ER versus 17.7 percent of privately insured patients. Medicaid patients wer much more likely to have "specific barriers to timely primary care."

17 Mar 2012

LCA comments on CDC's new anti-tobacco campaign

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) said that the new anti-tobacco campaign just launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is an important revitalization of the efforts to prevent young people from smoking and encourage all who do smoke to quit.

17 Mar 2012

Unconscious racial attitudes affect positive interactions leading to the detriment of patient health

Primary care physicians who hold unconscious racial biases tend to dominate conversations with African-American patients during routine visits, paying less attention to patients' social and emotional needs and making these patients feel less involved in decision making related to their health, Johns Hopkins researchers report.

16 Mar 2012