New pediatric obesity program makes treatment more accessible

Pediatric obesity remains a serious health problem in the United States, where one in five children are affected. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now recommends that pediatricians screen for obesity during primary care visits and refer families to behavioral intervention programs. While there is growing interest in providing these services, accessibility continues to challenge their success.

New research delves into the contributors to obesity-related health disparities

Obesity increases the risk of health conditions such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and diabetes. Recent findings have also revealed that obesity is a risk factor for hospitalization and death due to COVID-19. In a new supplement to the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, researchers identify the complex contributors to obesity and obesity-related health disparities and propose strategies for improving the well-being of populations impacted by these disparities.

Up to 80% of athletes who die suddenly had no symptoms or family history of heart disease

Recommendations on how to use gene testing to prevent sudden cardiac death in athletes and enable safe exercise are published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Life expectancy in the US increased between 2000-2019, but widespread gaps among racial and ethnic groups persist

From 2000-2019 overall life expectancy in the United States increased by 2.3 years, but the increase was not consistent among racial and ethnic groups and by geographic area. In addition, most of these gains were prior to 2010. This is according to a new study that examined trends in life expectancy at the county level. The study was led by researchers at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington's School of Medicine, Seattle, in collaboration with researchers from NIH and published on June 16th in The Lancet.

Armed Forces personnel who are injured in combat are at greater risk of poor mental health

New research from the King's Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) at King's College London has found that members of the British Armed Forces who were physically injured while fighting in Afghanistan are more likely to experience poor mental health compared to their colleagues who did not experience a physical injury during deployment.

Long COVID risk less from omicron variant than from delta

The omicron variant is less likely to cause long COVID than the delta variant, new research has found.

Medicalizing menopause may be unhelpful for some women

Treating menopause as a hormone deficiency requiring treatment is inaccurate and fuels negative expectations which might be harmful to women, argue experts in The BMJ today.

Poor sleep among African Americans associated with diminished cognitive function

More fragmented sleep and longer periods of wakefulness after bedtime among a group of low-income African American adults were associated with lower cognitive function such as poor attention, according to a new study.