Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pediatricians More Likely To Ask About Smoke Alarm Safety Than Safe Storage Of Guns, Study Reports
CNN: Pediatricians Are More Likely To Ask Families About Smoke Alarm Safety Than Gun Safety, Study Says
Talking about guns can be difficult, even for physicians. That's according to a new study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. The study found that pediatricians and pediatric residents were less likely to ask their patients about gun storage safety than smoke alarm safety — indicating an overall hesitation in bringing up gun safety with their patients. (Asmelash, 10/28)
The Associated Press: Christians, Muslims, Jews Unite Against Assisted Suicide
Leaders from three of the world's major religions have joined forces against assisted suicide and euthanasia, in a declaration issued at the Vatican. The declaration, backed by leaders of Christianity, Islam and Judaism, states that no health care provider should be "coerced or pressured" into providing assisted suicide or any form of euthanasia. (10/28)
The New York Times: Sugary Drink Ban Tied To Health Improvements At Medical Center
In recent years, hospitals and medical centers across the country have stopped selling sugar-sweetened beverages in an effort to reduce obesity and diabetes. Now a new study carried out at the University of California, San Francisco, has documented the health impact of a soda sales ban on its employees. Ten months after a sales ban went into effect, U.C.S.F. workers who tended to drink a lot of sugary beverages had cut their daily intake by about half. (O'Connor, 10/28)
CNN: Tattoo Healing: Common Risks And What You Should Know
If you clicked on this story, you likely either have or are thinking about getting some ink. It might be your first embellishment (in tattoo-speak, you're a tenderfoot), or maybe it's your sixth (on your way to being a showcase). And you're part of a massive trend. Nearly four in 10 millennials ages 18 to 29 have a tattoo; half of those have two to five tats, the vast majority hidden under clothing, according to a 2010 Pew Research Center report. (LaMotte, 10/29)
NPR: Genome Sequencing In NICU Can Speed Diagnosis Of Rare Inherited Diseases
When Nathaly Sweeney launched her career as a pediatric heart specialist a few years ago, she says, it was a struggle to anticipate which babies would need emergency surgery or when. "We just didn't know whose heart was going to fail first," she says. "There was no rhyme or reason who was coming to the intensive care unit over and over again, versus the ones that were doing well." (Harris, 10/28)
The Wall Street Journal: When The Prescription For Teens Is More Social Media, Not Less
Psychologists have a new directive for anxious teens: Post selfies on Instagram and Snapchat. Most teens, it can seem to grown-ups, need to be pulled away from social media. Teens with anxiety disorders, however, may need to be pushed toward it. Social media and texting can be a minefield for any teen, but it is particularly daunting for those who struggle with anxiety: They might worry excessively about posting the “right” picture or comment, count the number of likes on their posts, or negatively compare their Saturday night at home with their peers’ festive party pictures. (Petersen, 10/28)
Boston Globe: Can A Simple Eye Exam Replace Costly And Invasive Alzheimer’s Diagnostic Procedures?
Could a simple eye exam detect signs of Alzheimer’s disease? Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital have begun a study to find out. Dr. Gad Marshall, associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, is testing a special retina camera and software developed by a Canadian startup to determine whether it can identify bits of amyloid plaques in the back of the eye that may indicate Alzheimer’s. (Saltzman, 10/28)
NPR: How To Help A Child With Anxiety
Childhood anxiety is one of the most important mental health challenges of our time. One in five children will experience some kind of clinical-level anxiety by the time they reach adolescence, according to Danny Pine, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health and one of the world's top anxiety researchers. Pine says that for most kids, these feelings of worry won't last, but for some, they will — especially if those children don't get help. (Turner, 10/29)
Boston Globe: Seniors Clamor For High-Dose Flu Shot, But It’s Not Always Easy To Find
A powerful flu shot that provides extra protection for older people with weaker immune systems is becoming a hot commodity for health-minded seniors. But as a new flu season gets underway, it’s not always easy to find. (Weisman, 10/28)
The Washington Post: Study: Taking Hypertension Meds At Bedtime Cuts Health Risks Significantly
When people take their hypertension medications at bedtime, blood pressure is better controlled during the night and the risk of death or illness due to cardiovascular disease is significantly lowered, a new study suggests. Researchers who followed nearly 20,000 patients for a median of six years found that patients who took their medications at bedtime cut their overall risk of dying from cardiovascular causes during the study nearly in half compared with those taking the drugs in the morning, the study found. (10/29)
Stat: ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ Is Fiction, But Its Actors Hear From Real People In Pain
[Alex] Boniello’s experience reflects a tricky problem for shows and plays that portray suicide. Even if producers have tried to handle the issue with sensitivity — by hiring mental health consultants for the script, adding the suicide prevention hotline to their program, or partnering with nonprofits to provide mental health resources — they are still left to grapple with the deeply personal fan mail that pours in after it premieres. (Thielking, 10/29)
The Wall Street Journal: New York Kids Living Near Fast-Food Restaurants Have Higher Obesity Rates
The closer a child in New York City lives to a fast-food restaurant, the more likely the child is to be overweight or obese, according to a new analysis by researchers at New York University School of Medicine. It is the small distances—a half block or a block from a fast-food outlet—that matter the most, said Brian Elbel, of the Department of Population Health, NYU School of Medicine and Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. (West, 10/29)
The New York Times: For Many Widows, The Hardest Part Is Mealtime
When her husband, Bill, died six years ago this month, Michele Zawadzki squared her shoulders to the grief. They had been together for 47 years — since high school, when they were prom dates — so she knew that life without him would be trying. Not just holidays, but even mundane matters like taking care of the car. When a pipe broke in her toilet, spraying water all over, Ms. Zawadzki, 68, didn’t know what valve to turn off or whom to call. Mail for him kept coming. (Nierenberg, 10/28)
