Child abuse remains a serious problem: Nearly 700,000 children are abused in the U.S annually. No one needs an academic study to understand that abuse and neglect take a terrible toll on young people, their families, and society. We now have clear evidence that child abuse has long-term effects on its victims’ mental and physical health throughout their lives. [Read more…]
Parenting Programs Can Help Prevent Child Abuse
March 30, 2022 By Leave a Comment
How Long-Term Partners Influence Each Other’s Health
March 28, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Many people seek a silver bullet that will help them age gracefully and maintain wellness in their later years. A growing body of research suggests there is an overlooked element that helps determine health status later in life: the health and wellness of one’s long-term partner. Researchers are finding that as long-term couples age together, they develop biological similarities that affect their health in the long run. [Read more…]
Which Diet Works Better, Low-Fat or Low-Carb?
March 26, 2022 By Leave a Comment
If you’ve ever tried to lose weight, you’ve noticed the myriad of diet options out there: keto, paleo, WW (formerly Weight Watchers), the Mediterranean diet, and many more.
Is there a way to tell which one works the best? Public health officials have been asking this question for decades. The answer emerging from the most recent data is unexpected: They all work, and what works best for you depends on a variety of biological and lifestyle factors. [Read more…]
A Drink a Day May Not Be So Good for You, After All
March 24, 2022 By Leave a Comment
After a holiday season full of good cheer—and extra cocktails for many—more Americans than ever participated this year in “Dry January,” a month-long sobriety challenge that began as a public-health campaign in England. Surveys found that between 13 and 15 percent of Americans decided to forgo alcohol that month, an increase from last year.
That’s likely a good thing for their health. [Read more…]
Distracted Driving Is Deadly, Learn How to Prevent It
March 22, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Distracted drivers kill eight people each day in the U.S. on average. While this is a problem that involves everyone, young people are disproportionately at fault. About 25 percent of the distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes are in their 20s, and teen drivers are even more likely to be involved in a distracted driving accident. [Read more…]
What We Know About Radicalization
March 21, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Terrorist attacks – acts of violence with the purpose of creating ideological change – are on the rise in the U.S. and globally. In 2019, there were 68 terrorist attacks in the U.S., up from 18 in 2008. Globally, deaths from terrorism rise and fall each year depending on international relations and politics. Over the past decade, terrorists have killed an average of 21,000 people a year. [Read more…]
Are Plant-Based Diets Really Better for You?
March 18, 2022 By Leave a Comment
An estimated 3 percent of Americans follow a vegan diet, not consuming any animal products at all; an additional 5 percent follow a vegetarian diet, eating eggs and dairy, but not meat. At the same time, Americans are eating more meat than ever. In 2020, we consumed an average of 265 pounds of meat per person, up from 97 pounds per person in 1999. [Read more…]
What We Can Do About Vaccine Hesitancy
March 17, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Currently, 62 percent of Americans age 5 and up are fully vaccinated for COVID-19, with 34 percent having received a booster dose. That leaves more than 100 million Americans who have made the choice to skip the COVID-19 vaccine despite clear evidence that the jabs help prevent serious illness.
Vaccine hesitancy is a serious public health challenge—one that researchers are learning more about. What’s going on here? [Read more…]
What We Know About Preventing Teen Dating Violence
March 16, 2022 By Leave a Comment
Approximately 18 percent of teens in the U.S. experience sexual or physical abuse from a romantic partner, according to the National Survey on Teen Relationships and Intimate Violence. And more than 60 percent report psychological abuse from their romantic relationships. Not surprisingly, this abuse is associated with depression, anxiety, substance use, and suicide ideation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. [Read more…]
