Approximately 20% of teens in the U.S. experience depression by age 17. And data shows that among youth across the globe, the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms has doubled since the COVID-19 pandemic. [Read more…]
How to Cultivate Purpose in Teens
A sense of purpose—a feeling that your life has direction and your actions are meaningful—is fundamental to human well-being.
Now, researchers are learning that finding a sense of purpose is a crucial stage in adolescence, and they are evaluating programs designed to help teens cultivate purpose. [Read more…]
New Evidence on the Best Ways to Quit Smoking
We’ve known for decades that smoking leads to serious health problems including cancer, lung and heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Despite the health risks, quitting smoking is a significant challenge for most people because the nicotine in cigarettes is incredibly addictive.
A new systematic review published in the journal BMC Medicine takes a careful look at non-pharmacological interventions to help people quit smoking. [Read more…]
Do Brain Games Help Prevent Dementia?
More than six million Americans suffer from Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, and that number continues to grow significantly as the U.S. population ages.
Researchers across the globe are trying to find ways to protect aging brains from dementia. Over the past decade, they have zeroed in on “brain training” — puzzles and games designed to improve cognitive skills — as one possible solution. [Read more…]
What Interventions Help to Prevent Suicide?
Every suicide is heartbreaking, leaving loved ones wondering what went wrong and how they could have prevented such a tragedy.
And yet suicide rates are currently at their highest level since World War II, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In 2017, there were more than 47,000 recorded suicides in the U.S. – a 33 percent increase compared to 1999.
But what can we do about the devastating problem of suicide? [Read more…]
How To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain
‘Tis the season for cookie baking, holiday parties, candy canes and countless other opportunities to indulge in delicious food. Unfortunately, all of that delicious food means that most of us consume extra calories during this time of year. [Read more…]
What’s the Best Way to Help Low-Income Mothers?
For 40 years, an intervention program called the Nurse-Family Partnership has been sending public health nurses to visit first-time, low-income mothers to encourage healthy behaviors and offer advice on child development. [Read more…]