Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Research Roundup: Mental Health And Social Media Use; Antibiotic Prescribing; And The High Cost Of Healthy Food
JAMA Psychiatry: Associations Between Time Spent Using Social Media And Internalizing And Externalizing Problems Among US Youth
In this cohort study of 6595 US adolescents, increased time spent using social media per day was prospectively associated with increased odds of reporting high levels of internalizing and comorbid internalizing and externalizing problems, even after adjusting for history of mental health problems. (Riehm et al, 9/11)
Pediatrics: Patient Satisfaction And Antibiotic Prescribing For Respiratory Infections By Telemedicine
During DTC telemedicine consultations for RTIs, pediatric patients were frequently prescribed antibiotics, which correlated with visit satisfaction. Although pediatricians prescribed antibiotics at a lower rate than other physicians, their satisfaction scores were higher. Further work is required to ensure that antibiotic use during DTC telemedicine encounters is guideline concordant. (Foster et al, 9/1)
Health Affairs: Financial Incentives Increase Purchases Of Fruit And Vegetables Among Lower-Income Households With Children
The high cost of fruit and vegetables can be a barrier to healthy eating, particularly among lower-income households with children. We examined the effects of a financial incentive on purchases at a single supermarket by primary shoppers from low-income households who had at least one child. Participation in an in-store Cooking Matters event was requested for incentivized subjects but optional for their nonincentivized controls. (Moran et al, 9/1)
The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation: Private Insurers Are Expected To Pay A Record Of At Least $1.3 Billion In Rebates To Consumers Beginning In September For Excessive Premiums Relative To Health Care Expenses
Private insurance companies are expecting to pay out a record of at least $1.3 billion in rebates to consumers this fall based on their share of premium revenues devoted to health care expenses in recent years, surpassing the previous record high of $1.1 billion in 2012, according to a new KFF analysis. Individual market insurers are driving this record year, with expected rebate payments of at least $743.3 million, their highest ever, finds the analysis of data reported by insurers to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (9/10)
The New York Times: Too Little Sleep, Or Too Much, May Raise Heart Attack Risk
Getting less than six hours of sleep a night, or more than nine hours, might increase the risk for heart attack. Previous observational studies have found an association between sleep duration and heart attack. But for the current study, researchers had DNA data about study participants and knew who had a high or low genetic risk for cardiovascular disease. This allowed them to more clearly identify the role of sleep duration by itself on heart attack risk and provided greater certainty that the relationship might be causal. (Bakalar, 9/9)
The New York Times: High Doses Of Vitamin D Don’t Strengthen Bones
High doses of vitamin D do not increase bone density, and they may even lower it, researchers report. In a double-blinded, three-year clinical trial published in JAMA, scientists randomized 311 healthy adults without osteoporosis to daily doses of 400, 4,000 or 10,000 units of vitamin D. At the beginning and end of the study, they used CT scans to calculate bone density in the arm and leg of each participant, and estimated bone strength using mathematical techniques. (Bakalar, 9/9)
