How to Get Kids to Change Their Behavior for the Better

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…]

Do Online Searches For Health Information Lead to Anxiety?

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 Are The Mental Health Effects of COVID-19?

Woman wearing a maskAs the COVID-19 pandemic drags on globally, there is little doubt that it is taking a lasting toll on the mental health of millions of people. Fear of getting sick, the loneliness that accompanies quarantine and a fragile economy combine to create complicated challenges to mental well-being. [Read more…]

How to Offer Mental Health Interventions in School

An anxious teenager in study hallApproximately one in six youth ages six to seventeen in the U.S. have a mental illness; depression, anxiety and behavior disorders are among the most common. Data suggest that youth today are five times more likely to experience mental health problems compared to decades past. Today, the uncertainty that comes along with the COVID-19 pandemic is certainly detracting from students’ mental health and well-being. [Read more…]

The Silver Lining of Virtual Learning During COVID-19

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Children are heading back to school this month in many states across the nation. In most school districts, this is the first time that kids have been inside school buildings since COVID-19 spread across the U.S. in March. [Read more…]

Evidence-Based Suggestions to Help Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease

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One in ten Americans older than 65 develop Alzheimer’s disease. While there are medications available to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, there are no treatments to cure the disease or slow its progression.

But a new systematic review from researchers at the University of Shanghai Medical College outlines steps that everyone can take to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. [Read more…]

How Racism Affects Health

Paolese/Adobe StockRace is at the forefront of our national consciousness this week as many mourn the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer, and protests and riots have erupted across the country. [Read more…]

What We Know About Emotional Eating

Nelly Kovalchuk/Adobe StockThe internet if full of memes about gaining weight during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s no surprise; being stuck at home without normal activities and constant access to food can easily lead to overeating. On top of boredom and proximity to food, the worries and stress that accompany a global pandemic can easily lead to emotional eating. [Read more…]

How Not to Get COVID-19: What We Know and What We Don’t

Fabian/Adobe StockAs states across America begin to reopen after months of closures due to the coronavirus pandemic, people must make individual decisions about how much exposure they have to other people. Meanwhile, scientists across the globe are racing to learn as much as they can about how COVID-19 spreads and the best ways to keep people from contracting the disease. [Read more…]

The Evidence on Face Masks

Since the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommended that Americans wear face masks when they go out in public, it’s likely that you are noticing a variety of face coverings – bandanas, homemade fabric masks, medical-grade masks and more – when you venture out. [Read more…]

The Evidence on Loneliness and What To Do About It

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As governments tell huge numbers of Americans to stay home to stop the spread of coronavirus, it’s natural for some people to experience feelings of loneliness – especially those who live alone and may go for days without seeing another human in person. [Read more…]

Understanding the Science of Hand Hygiene

By now, you’ve certainly heard about the coronavirus epidemic that began in China and is now spreading across the globe. Most people who contract the virus will come down with mild, flu-like symptoms including fever, fatigue, dry cough and shortness of breath. But the virus can be life-threatening for older adults or people with poor health. [Read more…]

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