Plan To Lower Sugar, Sodium In School Meals Causes Pushback
The Department of Agriculture's plan to make school meals healthier is unsettling parents, cooks, and kids, Stat reports, with some feeling "the feds" are "targeting" kids by planning to limit chocolate milk and other food items.
Stat:
‘Leave The Chocolate Milk Out Of This’: School Cooks, Parents, Kids Push Back On USDA Effort To Make Lunches Healthier
The feds are coming for your kids’ chocolate milk. At least, so says the stampede of school cooks, administrators, and parents flooding the Department of Agriculture with complaints. They’re “targeting” kids, forcing them to “go thirsty,” and are being “just mean,” they’ve cried. (Florko, 3/14)
On kids' mental health —
Bloomberg:
Zuckerberg Was Warned On Social Media Addiction, Filing Says
Employees at Meta Platforms and ByteDance were aware of the harmful effects of their platforms on young children and teenagers but disregarded the information or in some cases sought to undermine it, according to claims in a court filing. The allegations were disclosed in a lawsuit over social media addiction that had been filed previously but with key portions sealed from public view. (Rosenblatt, 3/13)
Modern Healthcare:
Pediatric Mental Health A Top Patient Safety Concern Of 2023: ECRI
Pediatric mental health, violence against clinicians and uncertainty around reproductive care are among the most pressing issues for health system leadership to address this year, according to ECRI’s 2023 list of top 10 patient safety concerns. (Devereaux, 3/13)
On race and health —
The New York Times:
Hate Crimes Rose 12 Percent In 2021, F.B.I. Finds
Hate crimes surged nearly 12 percent between 2020 and 2021, according to updated statistics released by the F.B.I. on Monday, but the data is far from complete and the actual numbers are likely to be higher, experts tracking the rise in bias-fueled violence said. The new numbers painted a picture of a nation both confronting an alarming yearslong rise in crimes based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability and sexual orientation, and struggling to assess the full toll. (Thrush, 3/13)
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
For Black Community, Strokes Are More Than Just Poor Health Choices
Reggie Jackson was looking forward to breakfast with his wife and mother-in-law on an unseasonably 60-degree day last November. Even before he got behind the wheel of his car, he felt exhausted. On the way to Cracker Barrel, he missed the exit ramp. Then he struck a curb while making a turn. At breakfast, he was unusually quiet. When his wife asked him what was wrong, he told her he just didn’t feel like himself. (Causey, 3/13)
In other health and wellness news —
The Washington Post:
Study Suggests Yoga May Improve Longevity Indicators In Older Adults
Yoga has long been associated with a host of health benefits — and it may even boost physical capabilities associated with longevity, new research suggests. A systematic review by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston published in the Annals of Internal Medicine this week found that yoga improves health indicators linked to reduced frailty and increased longevity in older adults. (Ables, 3/14)
The Washington Post:
Daughter Sues After Claiming She ID’D Her Mother’s Rapist Through DNA Test
Magdalena Cruz learned as a child the tragic story of how she had been born. Cruz’s mother, who is developmentally disabled, nonverbal and unable to take care of herself, had been staying at the Monroe Developmental Center in Rochester, N.Y., when she was raped and impregnated, according to a lawsuit. Cruz was born in August 1986.She was raised by her grandparents and, as she grew older and started her own family, couldn’t ignore the questions she had about her mother’s time at the center. A few years ago, she set out to learn more, having conversations with family members, filing records requests, searching for paternal relatives and swabbing herself for an Ancestry.com DNA test. (Somasundaram, 3/14)
NPR:
Can Your Pet Dog Or Cat Infect You With A Hidden Virus?
"Get ready for a silly question," one reader wrote in response to our series on "hidden viruses" that jump from animals to people. "I love my pups very much – and I think they love me too because I get lots of kisses. Is that bad from a spillover virus perspective – for me or my dogs? Should I train my pups to be less ... kissy? That's gonna be tough. I may just accept the risk :)" (Doucleff, 3/13)
KHN:
Pandemic Stress, Gangs, And Utter Fear Fueled A Rise In Teen Shootings
Diego never imagined he’d carry a gun. Not as a child, when shots were fired outside his Chicago-area home. Not at age 12, when one of his friends was gunned down. Diego’s mind changed at 14, when he and his friends were getting ready to walk to midnight Mass for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. But instead of hymns, Diego heard gunfire, and then screaming. A gang member shot two people, including one of Diego’s friends, who was hit nine times. (Szabo, 3/14)
