Long-Sought Safety Changes In Car Seats For Side Impact Crashes Hit Multiple Road Bumps. Federal Agency, Industry Can’t Agree On New Rules.
While car crashes are a leading killer of children, seats have only been tested for head-on crashes. Since the early 2000s, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has pushed for new seats that also protect children from side-impact crashes as well. ProPublica reports on what's taking so long and how the industry is dragging its heals. Public health news looks at dementia, measles, vaccines, diets and telemedicine, as well.
ProPublica:
The Car Seat Industry Helped Delay A Child Safety Regulation — Again
A long-awaited federal safety standard to test child car seats for their effectiveness in side-impact car crashes has been delayed to March 2020 — more than six years since the regulation was first proposed and nearly two decades since Congress urged the Department of Transportation to address the issue. Attempts to improve car seat safety have bogged down because of a lack of good data on accidents involving children, antiquated technology and industry lobbying. The car seat industry has sought to delay the side-impact rule, arguing that the government should not act without also updating its other safety standards for car seats. (Porat, 8/20)
The Wall Street Journal:
Can Dancing Prevent Dementia?
Elvis Presley croons in the background as dance teacher Stine Moen gently calls out dance steps. “Right, left, rock step,” says Ms. Moen, demonstrating the Lindy hop to six seniors. “Sloooooow, sloooow, quick, quick.” The seniors follow: some in step, others more tentative. “Stop right there,” she says, and turns the music off. The seniors sit down and a woman comes to take their blood pressure. This is no routine dance class. The participants are part of a study at Albert Einstein College of Medicine looking at whether group dancing might be a useful tool in helping to prevent dementia. (Reddy, 8/19)
Reuters:
U.S. Records 21 New Measles Cases As Of Last Week
The United States recorded 21 new measles cases last week, raising the total number of cases for the year to 1,203 across 30 states in the worst outbreak of the virus since 1992, federal health officials said on Monday. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there had been a 1.8% increase in the number of cases of the highly contagious and sometimes deadly disease between Aug. 8 and Aug. 15. (8/19)
The New York Times:
Premature Babies Lag In Vaccinations
Many premature babies, who are at increased risk for vaccine-preventable diseases, are not getting their vaccinations on time. Researchers in Washington State retrospectively studied vaccination rates among 10,367 infants born between 2008 and 2018 at academic medical centers or affiliated health care settings. About 20 percent were born prematurely. (Bakalar, 8/19)
The New York Times:
The Keto Diet Is Popular, But Is It Good For You?
Low-carbohydrate diets have fallen in and out of favor since before the days of Atkins. But now an even stricter version of low-carb eating called the ketogenic diet is gaining popular attention, igniting a fierce scientific debate about its potential risks and benefits. Both the Atkins and ketogenic diets encourage followers to cut carbs from their diets. But while the Atkins diet gradually increases carbs over time, keto places firm limits on carbs and protein. (O'Connor, 8/20)
Politico Pro:
Telemedicine Could Keep Older Patients Out Of The Hospital. So Why Hasn’t It Taken Off?
For years, experts have touted the use of telemedicine as a way to let elder care organizations tap the expertise of geriatricians or other doctors to treat their residents for problems that don't appear to rise to the level of an emergency. ...Research suggests that about two-thirds of hospital admissions from nursing homes were potentially avoidable. In many cases, a video visit would make more sense. But there are few business models employing virtual care because payers don't cover it, experts say. (Ravindranath, 8/19)
