NCAA Finds Post-Pandemic Mental Health Concerns Plague Athletes
A survey of more than 9,800 college athletes found the rates of anxiety, depression, and mental exhaustion were as much as twice as high as before the covid outbreak.
AP:
NCAA Survey Shows Mental Health Still A Concern For Athletes
A survey of college athletes by the NCAA suggests that rates of mental exhaustion, anxiety and depression remain as much as twice as high as pre-pandemic levels, but feelings of hopelessness have improved. The results of the study, a follow-up to two conducted in the fall of 2020, were released Tuesday. The data is based on input from more than 9,800 respondents and shows that mental health concerns remain sharply elevated. (5/24)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Suicide On Campus: How The Mental Health Crisis Is Changing College Life
Irfan Akbani was worried about one of his newly pledged fraternity brothers at St. Louis University this spring. The student seemed “off” — not like his usual self. Akbani, a junior, didn’t think the younger student would confide in him, but he wanted someone to check in with him. Akbani approached the newly appointed mental health chair in his frat. “There’s something going on,” he said. His fraternity brother promised to look into it. (Sultan, 5/23)
In other public health news —
Oklahoman:
Marijuana Products Recalled In Oklahoma Due To E. Coli, Salmonella
Oklahoma's state health department has shut down a medical marijuana testing lab after state regulators found more than 140 samples containing yeast, mold, salmonella and E. coli the lab allegedly reported as passing. The order immediately suspended the medical marijuana business license for Scale Laboratories in Oklahoma City. Scale is the trade name for Shiv Krupa LLC. On Friday, the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority issued a recall for 99 products related to the lab’s alleged rules violations. (Denwalt, 5/24)
ABC News:
FDA Warns Against Storing Avocados In Water As Seen In Viral Social Media Hack
A recent viral TikTok food hack has been dubbed unsafe by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Videos of halved avocados submerged in bowls or containers of water have bubbled up on TikTok and other social media platforms over the past few months. ... But an FDA official told "Good Morning America" the agency "does not recommend this practice." "The main concern is with the possibility that any residual human pathogens (i.e. Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella spp., etc.) that may be residing on the avocado surface may potentially multiply during the storage when submerged in water," the official said in a statement to "GMA." (McCarthy, 5/24)
Fox News:
Melanoma Can Be Prevented With Regular Skin Checks And The 'ABCDE' Rule: American Academy Of Dermatology
Knowing your "ABCs" may save your life." The Real Housewives of Orange County" star Tamra Judge recently took to Instagram to remind her followers about the dangers of melanoma. "May is melanoma awareness month. Please Go get a full body skin check, it could save your life. #melanomasurvivor," she posted several days ago. The 54-year-old was diagnosed with the skin cancer in 2017 after first noticing a mole that summer on a very sensitive area -- the buttock, but it was later diagnosed as melanoma after a massage therapist encouraged her to make sure it was not serious, according to Self, a wellness and health content platform. (Sudhakar, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
The Dangers Of PFAS, Often Called ‘Forever Chemicals’
Recent Consumer Reports tests of more than 100 food packaging products from U.S. restaurants and supermarkets found dangerous PFAS chemicals in many of the products, including paper bags for french fries, wrappers for hamburgers, molded fiber salad bowls and single-use paper plates. Previous CR tests found PFAS — per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances — in drinking water and bottled water. (Loria, 5/23)
