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Check in with us as we feature the latest trends, research and news in medicine, health and science. A team of Star Tribune staffers will aggregate updates from news wires, websites, magazines and medical journals.
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Wake-up call: Driving drowsy big problem in U.S.
Posted by: Colleen Stoxen Updated: January 3, 2013 - 1:54 PM
Driving drowsy is a major factor in traffic accidents and deaths in the United States, federal health officials reported Thursday.
Federal statistics state that 2.5 percent of fatal motor vehicle crashes and 2 percent of crashes with non-fatal injuries involve drowsy driving.
According to the report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 4 percent of drivers quizzed said they had driven while drowsy in the month before the survey.
But some studies have estimated that 15 to 33 percent of fatal crashes may involve sleepy drivers.
"One out of 25 people reported falling asleep while driving in the past month," said CDC epidemiologist Anne Wheaton, the report's lead author. "If you think of how many cars you see every day, one out of 25 -- that's a pretty big number."
And those numbers may underestimate the scope of the problem, Wheaton said.
"These were people who realized they had fallen asleep while they were driving," she said. "If you fall asleep for even a moment you may not realize it -- so that's not even taking those people into account."
The report was published in the Jan. 4 issue of the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Read more from U.S. News.
The longest lived among us aren’t necessarily those who are of normal weight, says a new study.
According to new research in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers say that being overweight may lead to a longer life.
The somewhat surprising conclusion comes from an enormous, detailed review of over 100 previously published research papers connecting body weight and mortality risk among 2.88 million study participants living around the world. The new research confirms that obese people, and particularly those who are extremely obese, tend to die earlier than those of normal weight. But the findings also suggest that people who are overweight (but not obese) may live longer than people with clinically normal body weight.
A total of 270,000 people died of any cause during the studies. Scientists found that the significantly obese — a body mass index of 35 or more — had shorter life spans on average than those of normal weight, or BMI of 18.5 to 24.9.
But the scientists also found that people with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 died at slightly lower rates — not higher — than those of so-called normal weight. And they found that those who were mildly obese, with a BMI of 30 to 34.9, died in no greater numbers than their normal-weight peers.
The new report is the largest and most comprehensive review of how weight can influence longevity. Previous studies that have exposed the link in the past, however, have raised questions about whether the overweight advantage is real.
Read more from Time.
Recess: As important as math and reading, docs say
Posted by: Colleen Stoxen Updated: December 31, 2012 - 2:01 PM
Playtime can be as important as class time for helping students perform their best.
Recess is most children’s favorite period, and parents and teachers should encourage that trend, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
Recess can be a critical time for development and social interaction, and in a new policy statement in the journal Pediatrics, pediatricians from the AAP support the importance of having a scheduled break in the school day.
The statement, published Monday, says recess is a "crucial and necessary component of a child's development."
“Children need to have down time between complex cognitive challenges,” says Dr. Robert Murray, a pediatrician and professor of human nutrition at the Ohio State University. “They tend to be less able to process information the longer they are held to a task. It’s not enough to just switch from math to English. You actually have to take a break.”
Read more from Time.
Minnesota moves ahead on insurance exchanges
Posted by: Colleen Stoxen Updated: December 20, 2012 - 2:18 PMThree more states are moving forward to implement the health care law and build health insurance marketplaces, or exchanges.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced the first conditional approval of a State Partnership Exchange in Delaware and Minnesota and Rhode Island are conditionally approved today to operate a state-based exchange.
Today’s conditional approvals follow those issued last week to Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Oregon, and Washington to operate state-based exchanges.
“States across the country are working to implement the health care law and build a marketplace that works for their residents,” said Sebelius. “In 10 months, consumers in all 50 states will have access to a new marketplace where they will be able to easily purchase quality health insurance plans.”
Because of the Affordable Care Act, consumers and small businesses in every state will have access to a new marketplace starting in 2014 where they can access quality, affordable private health insurance. These are similar to those choices that will be offered to members of Congress.
Consumers in every state will be able to buy insurance from qualified health plans directly through these marketplaces and may be eligible for tax credits to help pay for their health insurance.
For more information on Exchanges, go to www.healthcare.gov/exchanges
Only 3% in U.S. report ideal heart health
Posted by: Colleen Stoxen Updated: December 20, 2012 - 12:10 PMOnly 3 percent of Americans reported having ideal heart health and 10 percent reported having poor heart health in a new study.
The study, funded by the Centers for Disease Control, is the first to assess cardiovascular health at the state level.
The results of the study were based on data from a 2009 telephone survey of more than 350,000 in the 50 states and the District in which researchers collected information about seven heart health factors.
Information was collected about their blood pressure, total cholesterol, smoking, body mass index, diabetes, physical activity and consumption of fruits and vegetables.
The study found that the three most heart healthy populations reside in D.C., Vermont and Virginia.
The least heart healthy states, according to the study, are Mississippi, West Virginia and Oklahoma, which — with only 1.2 percent of the population demonstrating ideal heart health — came in last.
Researchers hope the study will help the CDC focus efforts on heart disease and stroke prevention programs.
Read more from the American Heart Association.
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recent posts
- Wake-up call: Driving drowsy big problem in U.S.
- The pleasantly plump may live longer
- Recess: As important as math and reading, docs say
- Minnesota moves ahead on insurance exchanges
- Only 3% in U.S. report ideal heart health
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- Teen marijuana use is at all-time high
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