Study finds adolescents are spending more time in front of the computer and less time being physically active

Bioengineers and public health researchers at Harvard University have developed a novel spraying method for delivering the most common tuberculosis (TB) vaccine, providing a new low-cost and scaleable technique that offers needle-free delivery and greater stability at room temperature than existing methods. The process could one day provide a better approach for vaccination against TB and help prevent the related spread of HIV/AIDS in the developing world.

Data exclusivity-the granting of exclusive rights to commercial companies over clinical and preclinical trial data-could jeopardize efforts to create generic versions of life-saving medicines and harm public health, says Karin Timmermans of the World Health Organization (WHO) in an Essay in PLoS Medicine.

More than 18 million men in the United States over age 20 are affected by erectile dysfunction, according to a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The prevalence of erectile dysfunction was strongly linked with age, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and a lack of physical activity.

GAVI Immunization Programmes in 2006 Prevented 600,000 Future Deaths. GAVI to Devote US$ 500 million to Strengthen Health Systems in Developing Countries

The NHS needs to learn from organisations like the John Lewis Partnership that show what can be achieved when employees see that their actions benefit themselves, the organisation they work for, and customers, says Professor Chris Ham in this week's BMJ.

There is no evidence that moderate levels of caffeine consumption during pregnancy lead to a greater risk of premature births and underweight babies despite warnings from some public health officials, finds a new study on bmj.com today.

In the wake of September 11, 2001, the government and the media have periodically alerted the American people to potential threats of bioterrorism. Now, a team of researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University has found that such messages measurably raise anxiety levels, which could pose adverse health effects.

New tests to rapidly detect the flu are allowing doctors to cut down on the number of hospital patients who receive antibiotics, helping soften the rapidly worsening threat of antibiotic resistance, according to a study to appear in the Feb. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study was posted online by the journal Jan. 22 because of the importance of the findings to public health.

A new study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) finds that polio vaccination in the United States has resulted in a net savings of over $180 billion, even without including the large, intangible benefits associated with avoided fear and suffering. This first study to retrospectively demonstrate the enormous benefits of polio vaccination appears as part of a special issue on polio in the December 2006 issue of Risk Analysis.

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examined the connection between Baltimore City's needle exchange program and drug treatment programs.

A reanalysis of nicotine yield from major brand name cigarettes sold in Massachusetts from 1997 to 2005 has confirmed that manufacturers have steadily increased the levels of this agent in cigarettes.