Developing a COVID-19 vaccine in record time is a major accomplishment for the U.S. health care system. Now, as drug companies begin to distribute the vaccine across the country, public health experts must confront another challenge: convincing enough people to take it. [Read more…]
What To Do About Vaccine Hesitancy During COVID-19
December 19, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Holiday Weight Gain Stays With Us
December 11, 2020 By Leave a Comment
With COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths rising across the country, the holiday season will certainly look different this year for most Americans. Although most of us are stuck at home without the typical holiday parties and cookie exchanges, there will still be plenty of opportunities to indulge in cookie-baking, candy canes and holiday cocktails. Unfortunately, all of that delicious food means that most of us consume extra calories during this time of year. [Read more…]
Kids These Day: How Youth Behavior Stacks Up
December 5, 2020 By Leave a Comment
If you haven’t said it yourself, you’ve certainly heard other utter the statement that typically begins with “Kids these days…” and describes some deficiency of modern youth. Usually it’s said with a lofty tone that suggests today’s young people are less responsible and well-behaved compared to previous generations. [Read more…]
Gratitude Isn’t Cancelled This Thanksgiving
November 23, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Like many events this year, Thanksgiving will be a starkly different holiday for most people. Rising cases of COVID-19 mean that many will forgo gathering with family and friends, instead staying home during what used to be America’s biggest travel holiday.
While big dinner parties may not be possible, there is one element of Thanksgiving that can stay despite the global pandemic: the notion of giving thanks. [Read more…]
How to Cope With the Winter Blues and COVID-19
November 16, 2020 By Leave a Comment
In the northern hemisphere, darkness now falls before dinnertime. Most northern latitudes have less than ten hours of daylight in November – meaning most people spend the majority of their day light hours at work.
Evidence clearly establishes that darkness impacts the moods and mental health of millions of people. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a well-founded medical condition that affects about 5 percent of Americans; and another 15 percent experience a milder form of SAD, often referred to as the “winter blues.” [Read more…]
The Link Between Food Insecurity and Mental Health
November 10, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Unemployment rates rose to more than 14 percent in April this year with more than 23 million Americans without work when the U.S. shut down to stop the spread of COVID-19. Since economic activity in the U.S. has resumed, millions have returned to their old jobs or found new ones. But there are still more than 11 million Americans unemployed – more than double than were unemployed in February before COVID-19 spread widely in the U.S. [Read more…]
How to Get Kids to Change Their Behavior for the Better
October 29, 2020 By Leave a Comment
When trying to convince someone to take action, our words matter – even more so when talking to a young person.
If you have ever parented a child or worked with youth, you have likely witnessed that lectures rarely lead to whole-hearted behavior change, even when the lecturer has the best intentions. So, what’s the best way to encourage behavior change in young people, especially when there is a serious health problem at hand? [Read more…]
What Research Tells Us About Voter Fraud
October 21, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Allegations of voter fraud date back over a century in the United States. You may have heard stories about a local community sending an absentee ballot to someone who is deceased, or a person trying to vote twice. As the 2020 election approaches, President Donald Trump – like many elected officials before him – is again calling into question the validity of voting in the U.S. [Read more…]
Natural Solutions Can Ease the Effects of Climate Change
October 14, 2020 By Leave a Comment
The last decade was the hottest ever recorded since scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration began keeping records 140 years ago. On average, annual temperatures hovered 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit higher compared to the years from 1950 to 1980.
Although that increase might not sound like much, small shifts in the overall amount of heat stored in the oceans, air, and water can have significant effects on the planet, including rising sea levels, increased severe storm activity and droughts. [Read more…]
Do Online Searches For Health Information Lead to Anxiety?
October 8, 2020 By Leave a Comment
We’ve all done it before. Presented with a new ache, pain or rash, we turn to the internet to find out what’s wrong. Typically, the search results include a myriad of health problems ranging in severity from “it will go away on its own” to “you only have months to live.” [Read more…]
What We Know About Homelessness and Intellectual Disability
September 29, 2020 By Leave a Comment
There are more than a half million homeless people in the United States; more than half of them sleep unsheltered each night, while the other half use emergency shelters and transitional housing.
Research demonstrates that 30 to 40 percent of homeless people have a cognitive impairment, including traumatic brain injury, learning difficulties, intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. [Read more…]
The COVID-19 Pandemic Is Affecting Your Memory
September 22, 2020 By Leave a Comment
Research demonstrates our memories are not as accurate as we believe.
While most people think their memories represent the truth, the evidence demonstrates that our memories depend very much on the circumstances we are experiencing at the time and that they shift over time. A large body of research shows that emotions, especially those provoked by negative events, lead to inaccurate or even completely false memories. [Read more…]
