Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Overdose Death Rates Among Older Americans Have Soared
The Washington Post: Overdose Deaths Of Older Americans Quadrupled In Past 20 Years
Overdose fatalities among older Americans climbed in recent years, with 6,702 U.S. residents 65 and older succumbing in 2021, according to research published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers reported that the rate of fatal overdoses for the age group quadrupled — rising from 3 deaths per 100,000 people in 2002 to 12 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021. Data indicates that 83 percent were accidental, 13 percent were intentional (suicide), 4 percent were undetermined and 0.07 percent (five deaths) were homicides. (Searing, 4/17)
In other health and wellness news —
CNN: Refined Carbs And Meat Driving Global Rise In Type 2 Diabetes, Study Says
Gobbling up too many refined wheat and rice products, along with eating too few whole grains, is fueling the growth of new cases of type 2 diabetes worldwide, according to a new study that models data through 2018. (LaMotte, 4/17)
CNN: Most US Adults And A Third Of Children Use Dietary Supplements, Survey Finds
Most American adults and more than a third of children use dietary supplements, according to a new study from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and those numbers have remained steady or been on the rise. (Christensen, 4/18)
The Washington Post: A Crisis In Men’s Health Is Getting Worse
In the United States, life expectancy in 2021 was 79.1 years for women and 73.2 years for men. That 5.9-year difference is the largest gap in a quarter-century. (The data aren’t parsed to include differences among nonbinary and trans people.)“Men are advantaged in every aspect of our society, yet we have worse health outcomes for most of the things that will kill you,” said Derek Griffith, director of Georgetown University’s Center for Men’s Health Equity in the Racial Justice Institute. “We tend not to prioritize men’s health, but it needs unique attention, and it has implications for the rest of the family. It means other members of the family, including women and children, also suffer.” (Parker-Pope and Gilbert, 4/17)
The Boston Globe: New Pain Management App SOMA Is Looking To Understand Your Pain
A new mobile app developed by researchers at Brown University’s brain science institute is looking to find what happens in the brain during the transition from acute to chronic pain. The SOMA app, developed by psychiatry and human behavior professor Dr. Frederike Petzschner, is designed to directly support individuals with chronic pain and it gathers data that could help researchers predict how someone’s pain becomes chronic. The app is free and available on the App Store and Google Play Store. (Gagosz, 4/17)
Also —
CBS News: 13-Year-Old Ohio Boy Dies After Attempting The TikTok "Benadryl Challenge," His Parents Say
The parents of a 13-year-old boy who died doing the TikTok "Benadryl Challenge" are warning other parents about the dangerous social media trend. Jacob Stevens died after nearly a week on a ventilator after consuming 12 to 14 pills of the over-the-counter antihistamine in an attempt to induce hallucinations, his family told ABC6.com. (Martinez, 4/17)
