Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Only So Much Our Bodies Can Take': Health Officials Alarmed By Unexpected Rise In Heat-Related Deaths In Southwest
The New York Times: Heat Deaths Jump In Southwest United States, Puzzling Officials
Heat-related deaths have increased sharply since 2014 in Nevada and Arizona, raising concerns that the hottest parts of the country are struggling to protect their most vulnerable residents from global warming. In Arizona, the annual number of deaths attributed to heat exposure more than tripled, from 76 deaths in 2014 to 235 in 2017, according to figures obtained from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heat-related deaths in Nevada rose almost fivefold during the same period, from 29 to 139. (Flavelle and Popovich, 8/26)
The Wall Street Journal: The Drive For More Living Liver Donors
He is a 28-year-old police officer in North Carolina. She is a 39-year-old child-care provider in West Virginia who stopped working because of a debilitating liver disease. The two never met until the March day they were both discharged from a Pittsburgh hospital. Sarah Chambers had just received a liver transplant; the donor was from Zachary Lechette, who volunteered to give a portion of his liver to her, a complete stranger. (Reddy, 8/26)
Stat: Optimistic Attitude May Help You Live Past 85, New Study Finds
Researchers found that people who scored higher on an optimism assessment were more likely to live past the age of 85. Those with higher optimism levels at the start of the study were more likely to have advanced degrees and be physically active, and less likely to have health conditions like diabetes or depression. However, when researchers accounted for these variables, they still found that optimism was associated with people living significantly longer. (Corley, 8/26)
Stat: NFL Players With Worse Concussions Had Higher Erectile Dysfunciton Rates
Former football players who had experienced more severe concussions were more likely to report erectile dysfunction and low testosterone than other players, according to a team of Harvard researchers. Former athletes were more likely to report that doctors had recommended or prescribed treatments for the sexual health conditions if they had a higher “concussion symptom score,” a measure derived from self-reported head injury symptoms like dizziness and nausea, or if they reported more frequently losing consciousness playing football. (Facher, 8/26)
The New York Times: Helping Children Learn To Eat Well
Earlier this month when Weight Watchers put out its new Kurbo app, designed for children ages 8 through 17, there was an outcry across social media arguing that weight loss programs for children can lead to eating disorders, low self-esteem and yo-yo weight cycling. Critics expressed concern about the harm to children from “fat-shaming.” Some, including in this newspaper, said that weight loss plans for children never work. (Klass, 8/26)
The Washington Post: Lunchtime Is So Short In Some Public Schools, Students Are Going Hungry
The scene was the same every day at Deb Shell’s house in Berkeley, Calif. She would send her three children to elementary school with packed lunches, and they would come home with their lunch bags almost completely full. Shell started talking to other parents and learned that the Berkeley Unified School District had cut lunchtime at some schools to add additional instructional minutes to the classroom. Many kids were going through the day hungry. When Shell and other parents went to observe lunch, they saw that the problem was even worse for students who had to stand in line for their meals. The students are supposed to have 20 minutes to eat, but they often have only 15, Shell said. (Ettinger, 8/26)
WBUR: A Crisis Of Care: As America Gets Older, Who Will Pick Up The Slack?
The older population of the U.S. is skyrocketing, with the number of seniors expected to approximately double in the next few decades – while the population over 85 nearly triples. The aging of the baby boomer generation means millions of job openings for elder care workers, as well as geriatricians, geriatric nurses and other healthcare workers, and soaring health expenses. (Davis, 8/26)
The New York Times: Dog Owners May Have Healthier Hearts
Owning a dog may be good for your cardiovascular health. That is the conclusion of a study of a randomly selected group of 1,769 residents of Brno, in the Czech Republic. None had a history of cardiovascular illness, and 42 percent owned pets. Researchers scored them on the American Heart Association’s seven measures of heart health: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, physical activity, diet, body mass index and smoking. (Bakalar, 8/26)
Kaiser Health News: Mysterious Vaping Lung Injuries May Have Flown Under Regulatory Radar
It was the arrival of the second man in his early 20s gasping for air that alarmed Dr. Dixie Harris. Young patients rarely get so sick, so fast, with a severe lung illness, and this was her second case in a matter of days. Then she saw three more patients at her Utah telehealth clinic with similar symptoms. They did not have infections, but all had been vaping. When Harris heard several teenagers in Wisconsin had been hospitalized in similar cases, she quickly alerted her state health department. (Lupkin and Barry-Jester, 8/27)
The Associated Press: How Much Pot In That Brownie? Chocolate Can Throw Off Tests
How much marijuana is really in that pot brownie? Chocolate can throw off potency tests so labels aren't always accurate, and now scientists are trying to figure out why. In states where marijuana is legal, pot comes in cookies, mints, gummies, protein bars — even pretzels. These commercial products are labeled with the amount of high-inducing THC. That helps medical marijuana patients get the desired dose and other consumers attune their buzz. (8/26)
