Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Your Favorite Junk Food? Big Tobacco May Have Worked To Get You Hooked
The Washington Post: Many Junk Foods Today Were Made And Marketed By Big Tobacco
For decades, tobacco companies hooked people on cigarettes by making their products more addictive. Now, a new study suggests that tobacco companies may have used a similar strategy to hook people on processed foods. In the 1980s, tobacco giants Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds acquired the major food companies Kraft, General Foods and Nabisco, allowing tobacco firms to dominate America’s food supply and reap billions in sales from popular brands such as Oreo cookies, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese and Lunchables. (O'Connor, 9/19)
On mental health —
Axios: Unions Call For More Federal Workplace Mental Health Protections
Two of the country's biggest unions have joined a coalition calling on federal regulators to protect workers' mental health the way they enforce standards for physical health and safety. The press comes amid widespread post-pandemic burnout, growing awareness of the country's worsening mental health and some of the strongest pro-union sentiment in decades. (Owens, 9/20)
NPR: These Habits Can Cut The Risk Of Depression In Half, A New Study Finds
New evidence shows that people who maintain a range of healthy habits, from good sleep to physical activity to strong social connections, are significantly less likely to experience depression. (Aubrey, 9/19)
In other health and wellness news —
MoneyWatch: Work Stress Can Double Men's Risk Of Heart Disease, Study Shows
Male workers who experienced either job strain or effort-reward imbalance were 49% more likely to have heart disease compared to men without those stressors, the study published Tuesday in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, found. Men in both job predicaments were twice as likely to have heart disease compared with men who did not experience the two stressors simultaneously. (Cerullo, 9/19)
Fox News: Dust At Day Care Centers Contained Bacteria That Could Cause Lung Issues In Kids, Study Found
Bacteria-containing dust found at day care centers could put children at a higher risk of asthma, a new study from the European Respiratory Society suggests. In the study, the researchers collected dust samples from 103 different day care facilities in Paris, France. Then they analyzed the samples in a lab to identify the bacteria found in each one. The researchers also asked the parents of 515 children to disclose whether the children experienced any wheezing or other respiratory issues. (Rudy, 9/19)
WMFE: Can Climate Change-Related Heat Bring On More Mosquito-Borne Diseases?
A team dressed head-to-toe, donning breathing masks, and armed with a motorized spray pack of insecticide spread out around a west Orlando neighborhood setting up an aerosol treatment barrier and knocking down any blood-sucking, disease-carrying insects. The Orange County Mosquito Control was on scene for a routine call after a resident tested positive for dengue — a mosquito-borne illness. (Pedersen, 9/19)
USA Today: Dangerous Air Quality In Bay Area Due To California, Oregon Wildfires
California's Bay Area is grappling with poor air quality caused by northern smoke coming into the region from wildfires in California and Oregon. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an air quality advisory for Tuesday and Wednesday as smoky and hazy skies are scattered in parts of the region. Health officials advise anyone who smells smoke to stay indoors, make sure windows and doors are closed and use air conditioning units and car vent systems to prevent outside air from intruding. (Robledo, 9/19)
KFF Health News: Hep C’s Number Comes Up: Can Biden’s 5-Year Plan Eliminate The Longtime Scourge?
Rick Jaenisch went through treatment six times before his hepatitis C was cured in 2017. Each time his doctors recommended a different combination of drugs, his insurer denied the initial request before eventually approving it. This sometimes delayed his care for months, even after he developed end-stage liver disease and was awaiting a liver transplant. “At that point, treatment should be very easy to access,” said Jaenisch, now 37 and the director of outreach and education at Open Biopharma Research and Training Institute, a nonprofit group in Carlsbad, California. “I’m the person that treatment should be ideal for.” (Andrews, 9/20)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
This week on the KFF Health News Minute: Feds clash with business leaders over proposed regulations to protect workers from excessive heat, and scientists are developing tattoos that could one day be medical diagnostic tools. (9/19)
