Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
ER Visits Rise 420% Among Kids Who Accidentally Ate Melatonin
The Wall Street Journal: E.R. Visits Quadruple For Children Accidentally Eating Melatonin
More parents with young children are taking melatonin to sleep. And some of them are going to the emergency room after their children took melatonin accidentally. The number of children who visited emergency rooms for unsupervised melatonin consumption increased 420% from 2009-2020, federal data showed. Melatonin was implicated in some 7% of recent E.R. visits for children 5 and younger who had taken medication without supervision. (Wernau, 3/7)
NPR: TBI: Domestic Violence Can Leave Telltale Patterns Of Brain Damage
About one in three women and a smaller proportion of men say they've experienced severe physical violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Studies suggest most women in this group have sustained at least one mild TBI, a brain injury commonly known as a concussion. The symptoms usually resemble those seen in sports or the military: headaches, dizziness, fatigue, sensitivity to noise and light, and problems with memory and thinking. (Hamilton, 3/8)
Mayo Clinic News Network: Study Shows Daylight Saving Time Has Minimal Effect On Heart Health
A recent Mayo Clinic study examining the effects of daylight saving time (DST) on heart health suggests that the impact is likely minimal. (Jacobbi, 3/7)
St. Louis Public Radio: Black Girls Need Spaces That Promote Self-Worth, Study Says
Research and data show that African American girls are disciplined more harshly in U.S. public schools than white girls. According to data from the U.S. Department of Education, Black girls are suspended from public schools six times more than white girls. In a study published last month in the Journal of Black Psychology, Washington University in St. Louis assistant professor Seanna Leath and co-authors found that spaces created by Black women for Black girls foster community, inspire and promote self-worth. (Henderson, 3/8)
AP: UNICEF: 230 Million Females Are Circumcised Globally, 30 Million More Than In 2016
Over 230 million women and girls have undergone female genital mutilation, most of whom live in Africa, according to a report issued on Friday by the United Nations children’s agency. In the last eight years, some 30 million people have undergone the procedure, in which external genitalia are partially or fully removed, UNICEF estimated in the report, which was released on International Women’s Day. (Elhennaway, 3/8)
