The COVID-19 pandemic set kindergarteners’ development back in several ways, a new study says. Post-pandemic kindergarten students on average scored significantly lower in language and thinking skills, social competence, and communication and general knowledge, when compared to pre-pandemic kids, researchers reported March 10 in JAMA Pediatrics. “The domains of language and cognitive development and communication… read on > read on >
A brain drain is underway in states that banned or severely restricted abortion after the fall of Roe v Wade, a new study suggests. A significant decline in the number of practicing obstetricians/gynecologists has occurred in the 12 most restrictive states, according to findings published March 10 in JAMA Network Open. “Health care providers are… read on > read on >
A group of former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) employees is fighting to get their jobs back after being abruptly laid off last month. In a letter sent Monday to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CDC leadership, they argue their dismissals were unfair and violated due… read on > read on >
The nation’s top health official, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is taking steps to tighten oversight of chemicals in the U.S. food supply, a key component of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda. On March 10, Kennedy directed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider new rules that would close a decades-old loophole allowing… read on > read on >
Two key federal advisory committees on food safety have been shut down, raising concerns among food safety advocates. The move was part of a Trump administration push to cut costs and shrink the government. Last week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) eliminated the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods and the National… read on > read on >
Well-to-do and better-educated Americans have far lower rates of heart disease than the rest of the population, a new study says. The top 20% of high-income, college-educated Americans have less heart disease risk than others, and this gap has widened over the past two decades, researchers say. “The accumulation of economic and educational advantages appears… read on > read on >
Purposeful splishing and splashing can help you trim your waist size and drop excess pounds, a new evidence review has concluded. Water aerobics led to about 6 pounds of weight loss and more than an inch off the waists of overweight and obese people, researchers reported in the journal BMJ Open. “Specifically, water aerobics interventions… read on > read on >
Kids are more likely to maintain a healthy weight if their parents adopt a responsive style while they’re babies and toddlers, a new study suggests. Children had a significantly lower average body mass index (BMI) through middle childhood if they were raised using responsive parenting, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics. BMI is an estimate of… read on > read on >
Knee or hip replacement is a major surgery, and many people must lean hard on their spouses to care for them during weeks to months of recuperation. But all that hassle is absolutely worthwhile for the one providing care for their temporarily disabled partner, a new study suggests. Spouses experience significant improvements in their quality… read on > read on >
Love pickleball, but facing a knee or hip replacement? Odds are you’ll return to the court in no time, a new study suggests. More than 7 of 10 regular pickleball players pick up their paddle promptly following joint replacement surgery. What’s more, three-quarters say they’re playing as well as before — or even better. “The… read on > read on >
