Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Finds Up To 1 In 4 Students Misusing ADHD Drugs
NBC News: Up To 1 In 4 Students Misuse ADHD Drugs, Study Finds
More students from middle school to high school are misusing ADHD prescription drugs, amid an increasing number of children being diagnosed with the condition in the United States, a study published Tuesday finds. At some schools, as many as 1 in 4 students reported misusing drugs for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the previous year — meaning they used the medications without a doctor’s prescription or for nonmedical reasons, according to the study in JAMA Network Open. (Lovelace Jr., 4/18)
On air pollution —
CNN: A Quarter Of Americans Live With Polluted Air, With People Of Color And Those In Western States Disproportionately Affected, Report Says
About 1 in 4 people in the United States – more than 119 million residents – live with air pollution that can hurt their health and shorten their lives, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. People of color are disproportionately affected, as are residents of Western cities. (Christensen, 4/19)
NBC News: California Sees Air Pollution Spike As National Levels Improve
Fewer people in the U.S. are breathing unhealthy air now than a few years ago, but California and other Western states are seeing more dramatic short-term spikes in air pollution, according to a report the American Lung Association released Wednesday. (Bendix, 4/19)
In other health and wellness news —
The Washington Post: An Extra 10 Minutes At Dinner May Help Kids Eat More Healthy Foods
Parents, if you are worried about your children eating enough fruit and vegetables, try spending an extra 10 minutes with them at the dinner table. When families took about 10 minutes longer to eat dinner, children ate “significantly” more fruits and vegetables, amounting to an additional seven pieces of fruits and vegetables — one extra portion — a new study by German scientists shows. (Cimons, 4/18)
Cincinnati Enquirer: Even With Lower BMI, South Asians Face Elevated Risk Of Heart Disease
Usha Kaushik was in good health and good spirits. She exercised regularly. Maintained a healthy diet. Placed a strong emphasis on her own wellness and was thriving in her career. But days before Thanksgiving in 2021, she began to feel chest pains. She went to the emergency room and was stunned to learn from her doctor that she had suffered two separate heart attacks. She was even more stunned when she learned what had caused them. (Sutherland, 4/19)
The Washington Post: Damar Hamlin Plans To Return To NFL, Shares Commotio Cordis Diagnosis
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin said Tuesday he intends to resume his NFL career after receiving clearance from medical experts. Hamlin, 25, made his announcement less than four months after he suffered cardiac arrest on the field during a Jan. 2 game in Cincinnati and was resuscitated by medical personnel. He said doctors had diagnosed that his cardiac arrest was caused by commotio cordis, a rare condition in which an impact to the chest results in an abnormal heart rhythm. (Maske, 4/18)
KFF Health News: The CDC Lacks A Rural Focus. Researchers Hope A Newly Funded Office Will Help
In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published multiple reports analyzing health disparities between rural and urban populations. That effort pleased researchers and advocates for improving rural health because the dozen or so examinations of rural health data provided important details about the 46 million Americans who live away from the nation’s population centers. It began to fill a gap in the information used by those who study and address the issues that affect people in rural communities. (Saint Louis, 4/19)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
This week, the KFF Health News Minute looks at why state lawmakers are worried about yoga pants and how rising inflation is keeping people away from the doctor. (4/18)
