An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously on Thursday to recommend that COVID booster shots be updated for the fall to protect solely against one of the three XBB variants that have taken hold in the United States. Those three XBB variants, which are all sublineages of the Omicron variant,… read on > read on >
For the first time, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have broken down statistics on depression among Americans, pinpointing which states the debilitating illness is most likely to strike. Adjusted for age, 18.5% of all American adults included in the new analysis said they’d been diagnosed with depression at least once… read on > read on >
A majority of insured Americans have struggled with a wide array of stumbling blocks when trying to get coverage for their health care needs, a new national survey shows. All told, the KFF report uncovered numerous obstacles to coverage with all types of health insurance, including an inability to find a covered in-network provider; delays… read on > read on >
Fido really needs a friend. That’s the main takeaway from a new survey that included more than 21,400 dogs and their owners, and showed that pups who have companions (whether furry or human) live healthier, longer lives than those who don’t. The strength of a dog’s social support network had an even greater effect on… read on > read on >
COVID-19 boosters may be offered this fall, but first scientists need to determine what strains to target and who should receive the shots. Advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are slated to meet Thursday to discuss plans for fall, a decision with a deadline because drugmakers will need to have the time to… read on > read on >
While the challenges of farm work are well noted, the stressors affect not just the mental health of adults, but also their teenage children, according to new research. In results from the first year of a five-year study, researchers found that 60% of both adults and teens on U.S. farms met the criteria for at… read on > read on >
Every grocery shopper must pass through the “temptation alley” that is the checkout aisle, surrounded by candy bars, salty snacks and sugary sodas. Those who’d like a healthy option for an impulse buy while they wait in line — fruit, veggies, nuts or water — will be left wanting, a new study says. About 70%… read on > read on >
Many studies have suggested that light drinking can do the heart some good, and now researchers think they have found one reason why: It helps the brain relax. It’s no secret that many people pour a drink as a way to unwind and shed the stressors of the day. And research suggests that is not… read on > read on >
Humans are inhaling microplastics from the degradation of plastic products in the environment, and these tiny plastic particles are sticking in human airways, according to researchers. People inhale about 16.2 bits of these microplastics every hour — the equivalent of a whole credit card each week — according to a study published June 13 in… read on > read on >
About one in every seven American kids aged 5 to 17 underwent some form of mental health treatment in 2021, the latest year for which statistics are available. So finds a new report from researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which pegs the percentage of kids who got mental health care… read on > read on >
