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States are not taking enough efforts to help smokers quit: American Lung Association

As the debate over health care reform dominates the media and political arena, a new American Lung Association report finds that states aren't doing enough to help smokers quit - and policymakers must fix this in the health care reform process.

11 Nov 2009

Lack of health insurance leads to death of 2,266 U.S. military veterans in 2008

A research team at Harvard Medical School estimates 2,266 U.S. military veterans under the age of 65 died last year because they lacked health insurance and thus had reduced access to care. That figure is more than 14 times the number of deaths (155) suffered by U.S. troops in Afghanistan in 2008, and more than twice as many as have died (911 as of Oct. 31) since the war began in 2001.

11 Nov 2009

Lower socioeconomic status linked with inability to fight H1N1

People who did not earn a high school diploma could be more likely to get H1N1 and the vaccine might be less effective in them compared to those who earned a diploma, new research shows.

11 Nov 2009

Emory researchers present public health research findings at American Public Health Association meeting

Emory University Rollins School of Public Health researchers will present Nov. 11 on a range of topics at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia, including a study that found reduced absenteeism among employees participating in a large-scale worksite wellness program.

11 Nov 2009

One-third of people experience side effects from prescription medications

Twenty-five percent of people who borrow prescription medications experience side effects, according to new research.

11 Nov 2009

Immigrant and refugee violence: Experts recommend preventive and intervention strategies

Last year, the United States provided asylum and resettlement assistance for nearly 80,700 people from other countries, an increase from 71,300 individuals in 2007, according to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants. University of Missouri health experts say the increase has made issues of immigrant and refugee violence and the need for effective intervention strategies more apparent.

11 Nov 2009

No protection for 90% of Africans from secondhand smoke

As African nations are poised to undergo the highest increase in the rate of tobacco use among developing countries, nearly 90 percent of people on the continent remain without meaningful protection from secondhand smoke, according to a new report released at a regional cancer conference today.

10 Nov 2009

Texting linked to pain in neck and shoulders among college students

The world record for fastest text message typing is held by a 21-year old college student from Utah, but his dexterous digits could mean serious injury later on. Most adults aged 18-21 prefer texting over e-mail or phone calls, and ergonomics researchers are starting to wonder whether it's putting the younger generation at risk for some overuse injuries - once reserved for older adults who have spent years in front of a computer.

10 Nov 2009

Health care reform should benefit shift workers: Circadian Age

Circadian Age, Inc. – ‘Working Nights’ – a company dedicated to helping shift workers and their families adjust to their unique lifestyles, is concerned with making sure that any health care reform will benefit the 25 million Americans working shifts. These workers represent 10% of the insured population, but incur 17% of the health care costs.

10 Nov 2009

Tufts University researchers identify strategies to improve community-based participatory research partnerships

Researchers from Tufts University and their community-based colleagues have identified several strategies to improve community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnerships.

10 Nov 2009

CSPI urges Congress to support FDA's efforts in protecting consumers from contaminated oysters

The Center for Science in the Public Interest was joined today by victims, consumer advocacy, and public health organizations in urging Congress to support the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) efforts to protect consumers from contaminated oysters that each year cause scores of serious illnesses and deaths. The blood infection caused by Vibrio vulnificus bacteria in oysters is one of the most deadly foodborne illnesses, killing half of the people infected. Those who survive can have painful lesions and fluid-filled blisters all over their bodies, sometimes requiring limbs to be amputated. Four methods of post-harvest processing have proven effective at destroying the bacteria without harming the texture or flavor of the oysters.

10 Nov 2009

NATC sponsored national quit smoking program to launch second phase of campaign

With the latest research estimating that nearly six million people worldwide will lose their lives to tobacco next year, an innovative approach is critical to helping the 43 million Americans who smoke to finally quit. This month, which is observed as Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the national quit smoking program, EX(R) will debut the second phase of advertising and promotions designed to help smokers "re-learn" life without cigarettes.

10 Nov 2009

Disparities in emergency room waiting times for chest pain patients

Emory University Rollins School of Public Health researchers will present Nov. 10 on a range of topics at the American Public Health Association's annual meeting in Philadelphia, including a study that examined compliance with national recommendations that a physician screen chest pain patients within 10 minutes of their arrival to the Emergency Department (ED).

10 Nov 2009

Environmental factors, obesity and diabetes: Long-term study launched

Three Singapore biomedical institutions have launched a major, long-term study of pregnant mothers and their fetuses as well as infant children to determine just how profoundly environmental factors early in life influence the onset of diseases such as obesity and diabetes in later years.

10 Nov 2009

Human movement is a key factor for dengue spread in Brazil

Human movement is a key factor of dengue virus inflow in Rio de Janeiro, according to results from researchers based at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz) in Brazil. The results, based on data from a severe epidemic in 2007-2008, contribute to new understanding on the dynamics of dengue fever in the second largest city in Brazil. Details are published November 10 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

10 Nov 2009

UC San Diego to launch new multidisciplinary program on health and migration

The University of California, San Diego will lead a new Center of Expertise on Migration and Health as one of three multi-campus initiatives launched by the University of California system under the auspices of the new UC Global Health Institute.

10 Nov 2009

NIOSH funds the DUSTI project

In the construction industry, respiratory disease, often leading to disability or an increased risk of cancer, is a major public health concern. Studies led by Deborah Young-Corbett, a faculty member in Virginia Tech's School of Construction, have shown that specific types of sanding tools are highly effective in reducing the dust that causes these health hazards, yet the industry's usage of the available technology remains very low.

10 Nov 2009

Yo-yo dieting and sugar-bingeing can lead to anxiety and withdrawal symptoms

In research that sheds light on the perils of yo-yo dieting and repeated bouts of sugar-bingeing, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute have shown in animal models that cycling between periods of eating sweet and regular-tasting food can activate the brain's stress system and generate overeating, anxiety, and withdrawal-like symptoms.

10 Nov 2009

Teenage women who are obese at higher risk to develop MS as adults

Teenage women who are obese may be more than twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) as adults compared to female teens who are not obese, according to a study published in the November 10, 2009, print issue of Neurology-, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

10 Nov 2009

Narrow House vote is prologue to Senate health reform battle

The 220-215 pencil-thin margin of victory for the House Democrats' health reform bill foreshadows a potentially tougher fight in the Senate, The Wall Street Journal reports.

10 Nov 2009