public health

Shrink rich-poor gap, save 1.5m lives, say researchers

Sandy Smith — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:37:36 -0600

Caution: a wide gap between rich and poor could be hazardous to your health. That's the conclusion of a meta-analysis of studies that attempt to determine the connection between income inequality and overall health. The researchers who conducted the study estimate that reducing the income gap in the world's most developed countries could prevent up to 1.5 million deaths a year.

New Heparin standards Will Advance Patient Safety

harminka — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:52:16 -0500

Continuing to help ensure the identity, purity and quality of heparin, the U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP) Convention has revised written and physical standards for the widely used blood thinner. In February, USP released updated heparin standards at the request of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in response to the 2008 public health crisis in which more than 200 people died as a result of heparin adulterated for economic gain.

Maternal health problems in Myanmar widespread

harminka — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 13:59:15 -0600

The maternal health care issues facing women in eastern Burma (also known as Myanmar) are widespread and underreported, according to surveys by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Primary care records improve public health information

harminka — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 14:07:12 -0500

Gaining a fuller and more accurate picture of trends in the most important disease risk factors is now possible, thanks to a project between the NHS Information Centre and QResearch®.

Climate change will affect public health

harminka — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:53:57 -0500

Extreme heat events (EHE), or heat waves, are the most prominent cause of weather-related human mortality in the United States, responsible for more deaths annually than hurricanes, lightning, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined.

Excluding inmates from health research thwarts advancement of public health

harminka — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:21:11 -0500

More and more persons with mental illnesses, addiction disorders, and chronic and infectious diseases receive their medical care in a jail or prison, according to the October issue of the Journal of Correctional Health Care (JCHC), published by SAGE. As of mid-2007, approximately 13 million inmates had been admitted to U.S. jails during the previous 12 months.

Protecting patient privacy the new fashioned way

harminka — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 07:32:09 -0500

Protecting patient privacy has been recognized as the duty of health-care providers for about as long as doctors have seen patients. In 1996 that duty became a legal obligation when Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Exercise Pill is No Replacement for Exercise

harminka — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 08:27:52 -0500

Recently, researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, a research organization focused on biology and its relation to health, published a study in the journal Cell on the results of a substance that increased exercise endurance without daily exertion when tested in mice.

Energy Drinks Linked to Risk-Taking Behaviors Among College Students

harminka — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 02:18:53 -0500

Over the last decade, energy drinks -- such as Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar -- have become nearly ubiquitous on college campuses. The global market for these types of drinks currently exceeds $3 billion a year and new products are introduced annually.

Climate Change, Tropical Storms Affect Public Health

Armen Hareyan — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 08:01:25 -0500

Tropical storm Dolly is moving over the Gulf of Mexico and it has already affected the oil prices as the major refineries are located in the Gulf of Mexico. However, what about the public health. In what ways tropical storms affect the public health?

Waterpipe smoking on college campuses may contribute to growing public health problem

harminka — Wed, 07 May 2008 08:38:25 -0500

More and more U.S. college students are smoking tobacco using waterpipes – or hookahs – and it's becoming a growing public health issue, according to a new study led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher.

$45 billion a year on health costs for full-time workers, families

harminka — Fri, 02 May 2008 01:05:53 -0500

19 million full-time workers and dependents are uninsured and 11 million members of working families are on public programs