Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walking Between 3,800 And 9,800 Steps A Day Reduces Dementia Risk: Study
CNN: Walk This Number Of Steps Each Day To Cut Your Risk Of Dementia
Want to reduce your risk for dementia? Slap on a step counter and start tallying your steps -- you'll need between 3,800 and 9,800 each day to reduce your risk of mental decline, according to a new study. (LaMotte, 9/6)
Stat: Amazon Health Feature Can Accurately Assess Users’ Mobility, Study Finds
As Amazon works to shoulder its way into health care, a new study — funded by the company — suggests that a feature of its wearable devices can accurately assess users’ mobility. (Aguilar, 9/6)
The Wall Street Journal: Nutrition Advocates Urge Front-Of-Package Labels Highlighting Fat, Sugar Levels
Nutrition advocates and food-industry groups are revving up for a fight over whether an additional label should go on the front of many packaged-food items to more clearly indicate whether they pose a health risk. A long-running debate over what those new labels should look like—and whether they should be required—is intensifying ahead of a White House conference on hunger, nutrition and health later this month. (Peterson, 9/6)
The New York Times: A News Anchor Had Stroke Symptoms On Air. Her Colleagues Jumped Into Action
Julie Chin, a television news anchor in Oklahoma, was telling viewers about a local event connected to the now scrubbed launch of the Artemis I rocket over the weekend when, all of a sudden, she was struggling to speak. “I’m sorry,” Ms. Chin said after stumbling over her words. “Something is going on with me this morning, and I apologize to everybody.” (Oxenden, 9/6)
KHN: ‘It’s Becoming Too Expensive To Live’: Anxious Older Adults Try To Cope With Limited Budgets
Economic insecurity is upending the lives of millions of older adults as soaring housing costs and inflation diminish the value of fixed incomes. Across the country, seniors who until recently successfully managed limited budgets are growing more anxious and distressed. Some lost work during the covid-19 pandemic. Others are encountering unaffordable rent increases and the prospect of losing their homes. Still others are suffering significant sticker shock at grocery stores. (Graham, 9/7)
On the infant formula crisis and Cronobacter —
The Washington Post: The Fight To Keep Cronobacter Out Of Powdered Baby Formula
Jeanine Kunkel had been the healthy twin, the one who came home from the hospital that day in 2008 while her brother James stayed a few nights in intensive care. But within days of arriving, she spiked a fever that sent her back to the hospital. The newborn had developed an infection — caused, her doctors said, by ingesting formula tainted with the bacteria Cronobacter sakazakii. The infection led to a severe case of meningitis that caused irreparable brain damage. Jeanine’s family sued the formula maker, Abbott Laboratories, arguing the company was responsible for her illness, but a jury found the company not liable. The company’s lawyers dredged up incidents from the family’s past and argued that the bacteria could have come from anywhere, including the family kitchen. (Reiley and Bogage, 9/6)
The New York Times: How Abbott Kept Sick Babies From Becoming A Scandal
Abbott’s lawyers at Jones Day negotiated secret settlements and used scorched earth tactics with families whose infants fell ill after consuming powdered formula. (Enrich, 9/6)
