Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Training A Generation Of Gun Safety Advocates: Johns Hopkins Holds Intensive Course For High Schoolers From Around The Country
The Washington Post: They Grew Up Practicing Lockdown Drills. Now They’re Steering The Conversation On Gun Violence.
The student from Birmingham, Ala., came because she wants to “stir up tough conversations” about gun control in a deep-red state. The teenager from Los Angeles was there because she is sick of learning how to prepare for a school shooting instead of how to prevent one. The boy from Baltimore came because he is tired of bullets ripping through his neighborhood as he tries to sleep. (Richman, 7/11)
Stat: To Tackle Childhood Malnutrition, Researchers Turn To The Microbiome
Nearly half of all deaths worldwide in children under the age of 5 is from malnutrition. And those who manage to survive suffer long-term consequences, such as stunted growth and delays in neurodevelopment. From nutrition bars to energy supplements, the current standards for addressing the nutrition gap focus on providing the recommended amount of calories as well as individual nutrients. (Chakradhar, 7/11)
Reuters: More Breastfeeding Could Save The World $1 Billion Every Day
Not enough breastfeeding costs the global economy almost $1 billion each day due to lost productivity and healthcare costs, researchers said on Friday, as health experts urged more support for nursing mothers. A new website developed by researchers in Canada and Asia showed that the world could have saved $341 billion each year if mothers breastfeed their children for longer, helping prevent early deaths and various diseases. Known as the “Cost of Not Breastfeeding”, the online tool used data from a six-year study supported by the U.S.-based maternal and child nutrition initiative, Alive & Thrive. (Yi, 7/12)
Bloomberg: J&J Gets A New Trial After Jury Awards $417 Million In Talc Case
Johnson & Johnson deserves a new trial after a jury ordered the world’s largest maker of healthcare products to pay $417 million to a woman who blamed the company’s iconic baby powder for causing her cancer, an appeals court concluded. Although there was sufficient evidence to uphold the jury’s finding that a J&J unit improperly failed to warn Eva Echeverria about the health risks of talc-based powder, conflicting evidence about the product’s cancer links warrants another trial, the Los Angeles court said Tuesday. (Feeley and Pettersson, 7/10)
MemoryWell: Hispanic Millennials Are More Likely To Become Caregivers For Elder Relatives
Over the course of two decades, 53-year-old Guillermo Argueta’s diabetes developed into cataracts and later resulted in kidney failure. That was when his sister, Ana Argueta, realized that his care was more than she could take on. So Guillermo’s daughter Lorena stepped up. At just 26 years old, she became her father’s primary caregiver this May. “His health issues were in decline,” says the Houston medical scheduler. “Two months ago, he was at stage 2 kidney disease, and now he’s at stage 5.” (Trevino, 7/10)
The New York Times: After 40 Weeks Of Pregnancy, Risk Of Stillbirth Rises
When pregnancies last for 40 weeks or longer, there is an increase in the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death, a large review of studies has found. The meta-analysis also found that prolonging pregnancy beyond 40 weeks did not reduce the risk for death in the baby’s first month of life. Current practice in the United States is to induce labor at 41 weeks. (Bakalar, 7/11)
The New York Times: Move Over Therapy Dogs. Hello, Therapy Cows.
Even without a psychology degree, Bella’s natural talents made her an excellent therapist: She is calm and accommodating of a range of personalities, with the patience to listen to endless problems without so much as a judgmental moo. From a lush, secluded pasture on the Mountain Horse Farm, a 33-acre bed-and-breakfast in the Finger Lakes region of New York, 3-year-old Bella and 2-year-old Bonnie are the highlander-angus crossbred cows that provide animal-based therapy. (Mala, 7/12)
CNN: Cutting About 300 Calories A Day Might Benefit Your Heart, Study Finds
Cutting just 300 calories from your daily diet could significantly benefit your cardiovascular health, even if you're already at a healthy weight, according to a new study. Such caloric restriction can be achieved through techniques such as intermittent fasting, or by skipping that slice of cheesecake for dessert. (Howard, 7/11)
