Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study: Newborns With More Body Fat At Higher Risk Of Childhood Obesity
CNN: Higher Newborn Body Fat Is Associated With Obesity
Childhood obesity has become increasingly common in the United States over the past three decades, despite public health initiatives. That means that around 13.7 million children and adolescents are well above the normal or healthy weight for their ages and heights due to their behaviors or genetics. The body fat percentage children had as newborns might have something to do with these statistics, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Pediatrics. (Rogers, 8/13)
KTVQ: In Montana, Doctors Aren't Required To Tell Women They Have Dense Breast Tissue - A Known Risk For Cancer
Research shows that women with dense breast tissue are at a higher risk for breast cancer. But in Montana, they may not know that risk because their healthcare providers aren't required to tell them. Montana continues to be one of a handful of states that doesn’t require healthcare providers, doctors and hospitals to notify women of the cancer risk associated with breast density. (Lutz, 8/13)
ABC News: How Swapping Plant-Based Products For Meat May Improve Cardiovascular Health: New Study
As more consumers turn to plant-based meat alternatives, a new study that swapped Beyond Meat for beef, pork and chicken found that the non-animal protein products lowered some cardiovascular risk factors. The small study published Tuesday in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition conducted by Stanford Medicine found that when participants swapped their protein from animal to plant-based meat participants saw a drop in LDL cholesterol, reduced TMAO levels and in some cases, lost an average of two pounds. (McCarthy, 8/13)
KQED: Raising Chickens At Home Helps Combat Food Insecurity Faced By Farmworkers
Across the country, farmworkers are among those at the highest risk for COVID-19 and face an increased threat of employment reduction or loss. In California, 20% of agricultural workers who are still working have had their hours reduced, according to a study by the California Institute for Rural Studies. On top of that, due to unemployment and lack of access, food insecurity is impacting communities across the United States and is expected to continue into the rest of the year, according to Feeding America. (Sarah and Morga, 8/13)
Heat and fire are ravaging the West —
The Washington Post: California Wildfire Rages As Heat Wave Bakes West
Exceptionally hot temperatures are baking parts of the West, bringing hazardous conditions to many and contributing to wildfires. The sizzling heat is worsening what’s already been the hottest summer on record for some, while fostering explosive wildfire growth in California. The unbearable temperatures come amid a Southwest monsoon that never got started, leaving much of Arizona and New Mexico especially parched. (Cappucci, 8/13)
USA Today: 'Hard To Predict' Lake Fire In Southern California Grows To 11,000 Acres With 5% Containment
A Southern California wildfire that has threatened more than 5,000 structures in rural Los Angeles County continued to rage Thursday, with Angeles National Forest officials describing its movements as "hard to predict." The Lake Fire, burning between Lake Hughes and Lake Castaic, about 65 miles north of Los Angeles, had grown to about 11,000 acres and was 5% contained as of 7 p.m. PDT. The blaze has destroyed three structures and forced evacuations near Lake Hughes. (Aspegren, 8/13)
Also —
Dallas Morning News: ‘I Am Alone’: Opioid Relapses On The Rise As COVID-19 Interrupts Drug Addiction Recovery In Dallas
North Texas addiction treatment centers are working hard to keep facilities open during the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal: to give some of the highest-risk patients access to medications that treat opioid addiction. The opioid epidemic hasn’t been supplanted by the pandemic. Rather, the pandemic has worsened an already existing crisis. In the Dallas area, the pandemic is resulting in an increased number of people in recovery who are relapsing, local clinicians say. At the same time, the pandemic is making it harder for clinics to provide patients with the support they need. (Mantica, 8/13)
NBC News: An Old, Dangerous Drug Has Made A Comeback With A New Generation Of Users
After a rash of overdoses across the United States in the late ’90s, Congress scheduled GHB as a controlled substance in 2000. Exposures to GHB reported to poison control centers fell almost immediately. But 20 years on, a new generation of recreational users — a disproportionate number of them gay and lesbian, according to researchers — has rediscovered the drug. (Richardson, 8/13)
Stat: Many Psoriasis Patients Are Paying Higher Prices Than Ever For Drugs
Over the past decade, wholesale prices for self-administered psoriasis medicines rose substantially, underscoring the ongoing financial burden for many patients, according to a new analysis. Since 2009, the annual mean increase in price ranged from 4% to 12% for nine different psoriasis medicines, although some of the drugs were launched more recently. For instance, the largest rise in wholesale price was for Cimzia, which exceeded $94,000 last year, compared with just under $40,000 when the drug became available 11 years ago. (Silverman, 8/13)
