Research Roundup: Coverage Of Mental Health; Snacks On TV; Marketplace Assistance

Health Affairs: Trends In News Media Coverage Of Mental Illness In The United States: 1995–2014
To assess trends in this national discourse [on mental illness], we studied the volume and content of a random sample of 400 news stories about mental illness from the period 1995–2014. ... The most frequently mentioned topic across the study period was violence (55 percent overall) divided into categories of interpersonal violence or self-directed (suicide) violence, followed by stories about any type of treatment for mental illness (47 percent). Fewer news stories, only 14 percent, described successful treatment for or recovery from mental illness. The news media’s continued emphasis on interpersonal violence is highly disproportionate to actual rates of violence among those with mental illnesses. (McGinty, 6/3)

Health Affairs: Rapid Growth Of Antipsychotic Prescriptions For Children Who Are Publicly Insured Has Ceased, But Concerns Remain
The rapid growth of antipsychotic medication use among publicly insured children in the early and mid-2000s spurred new state efforts to monitor and improve prescription behavior. A starting point for many oversight initiatives was the foster care system, where most of the children are insured publicly through Medicaid. ... we analyzed patterns and trends in antipsychotic treatment of Medicaid-insured children in foster care and those in Medicaid but not in foster care. We found that the trend of rapidly increasing use of antipsychotics appears to have ceased since 2008. Children in foster care treated with antipsychotic medications are now more likely than other Medicaid-insured children to receive psychosocial interventions and metabolic monitoring for the side effects of the medications. However, challenges persist in increasing safety monitoring and access to psychosocial treatment. (Crystal, 6/6)

Preventing Chronic Disease: Snacking On Television: A Content Analysis Of Adolescents’ Favorite Shows
Snacking is a complex behavior that may be influenced by entertainment media. ... Three episodes each of the 25 most popular shows [among adolescents] were coded for food-related content, including healthfulness, portion size, screen time use, setting, and social context. We also analyzed the characteristics of characters involved in eating incidents, the show type, and the show rating. ... Almost half of food incidents on television shows were snacks. Snacks were significantly more likely than meals to be “mostly unhealthy” .... Young characters and those coded as being of low socioeconomic status or overweight were overrepresented in snacking incidents. Sitcoms and shows rated for a youth audience were significantly more likely to portray snacking than were shows for adult audiences. (Eisenberg, 5/19)

The Kaiser Family Foundation: 2016 Survey Of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs And Brokers
This report is based on findings from the 2016 Kaiser Family Foundation survey of Health Insurance Marketplace Assister Programs and Brokers. ... Assister Programs combined helped an estimated 5.3 million consumers during the third Open Enrollment, roughly a 10% decline from last year. This decline is significant in light of concerns over the slowing rate of annual Marketplace enrollment growth. ... Enrollment assistance shifted toward renewing consumers in 2016, though most who sought in-person help still were uninsured. ... Overall 79% of Programs said they could serve everyone who sought help throughout OE3, but 21% had to turn some away during surge weeks in December and January. ... Significant numbers of Assister Programs (37%) and brokers (53%) said most clients had questions about health plans that were not answered by information on the Marketplace web site. (Pollitz, Tolbert and Semanskee, 6/8)

Here is a selection of news coverage of other recent research:

The New York Times: Graphic Cigarette Warnings Deter Smokers
Putting graphic pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages was required by a law passed in 2009, but a tobacco company convinced a federal appellate court to delay implementation, claiming there was no evidence that pictures helped people quit. Now a randomized controlled trial, published in JAMA Internal Medicine, has provided the evidence. (Bakalar, 6/8)

Reuters: Middle-Aged African-Americans More Likely Than Whites To Die Of Stroke
In middle age, black Americans are four times more likely to die of stroke than whites, a U.S. study suggests. But the reason doesn’t appear to be differences in care after a stroke. Instead, it’s because African-Americans have more strokes at age 45 and throughout middle age, the study found. (Rapaport, 6/8)

Reuters: Race, Gender May Affect U.S. Doctor Paychecks
When it comes to U.S. doctors' paychecks, race and gender may be factors, according to a new study. "Black male physicians earn substantially less than white male physicians, while white and black females have comparable salaries," said senior author Dr. Anupam Jena, of Harvard Medical School in Boston. "Black and white female physicians both have lower incomes than either black or white male physicians." Jena and his colleagues write in the BMJ that there is limited evidence about race-based difference in physician incomes. (Seaman, 6/7)

The New York Times: Is Sugar Really Bad for You? It Depends
The federal government’s decision to update food labels last month marked a sea change for consumers: For the first time, beginning in 2018, nutrition labels will be required to list a breakdown of both the total sugars and the added sugars in packaged foods. But is sugar really that bad for you? And is the sugar added to foods really more harmful than the sugars found naturally in foods? We spoke with some top scientists who study sugar and its effects on metabolic health to help answer some common questions about sugar. (O'Connor, 6/8)

Reuters: Can Frequent Moves Contribute To Childhood Hospitalizations?
Kids who move a lot during their first year of life may end up in the hospital more often than children who stay put in the same home, a recent study suggests. (Rapaport, 6/3)