Obese people have a tougher time fighting COVID-19, even if they have a milder form of the virus, a new study finds. Researchers looked at more than 500 patients who tested positive for COVID but didn’t require hospitalization. Teens and adults who were overweight or obese had more symptoms, including cough and shortness of breath,… read on > read on >
Smokers may think electronic cigarettes will help them quit, but a new study finds no evidence that’s the case. Researchers found that among Americans who’d recently quit smoking, those who were using e-cigarettes were just as likely to relapse in the next year as non-users were. And the risk of relapse was actually slightly increased… read on > read on >
With all of the fear, grief and isolation the pandemic has brought, it would stand to reason that there would be a big jump in the number of Americans seeking treatment for anxiety, depression and other mental health issues. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, according to a new report from the U.S.… read on > read on >
The White House on Wednesday unveiled a national plan to roll out coronavirus vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds that is designed to make getting shots as easy and comfortable as possible for both kids and their parents. Rather than mass vaccination sites, the Biden administration plans to have pediatric COVID shots delivered in settings that… read on > read on >
As COVID-19 has surged throughout the United States for the past year and a half, some may have picked up an old bad habit or started a new one. How do researchers know this? They discovered that cigarette sales jumped during the first 15 months of the pandemic, exceeding their own estimates by 14%. It’s… read on > read on >
Dust mites and smoke are known triggers of asthma in children. Now, scientists have identified previously unknown combinations of air pollutants that appear tied to the respiratory disorder. “Asthma is one the most prevalent diseases affecting children in the United States. In this study, we developed a list of air pollutants a young child may… read on > read on >
It is a fear that millions of parents have been harboring since the pandemic began: Will their children fall behind in school due to disruptions caused by lockdowns, closings and social distancing? A new U.S. poll finds that fear is widespread, with just over half of more than 3,000 parents and caregivers of children under… read on > read on >
The number of Americans seeking treatment for anxiety and depression has soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, creating what a leading medical association terms a “mental health tsunami.” That’s the key takeaway from a nationwide survey of psychologists by the American Psychological Association (APA). “[The findings] highlight what we have been saying since the early days… read on > read on >
Preschoolers with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rarely receive the gold-standard treatment recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for their condition, a new study reports. The AAP recommends a behavioral therapy technique called “parent training in behavior management,” or PTBM, as first-line treatment for ADHD kids ages 4 and 5. But only 1… read on > read on >
Affordable over-the-counter hearing aids could soon bring relief to millions of Americans suffering from hearing loss, under a landmark proposal announced Tuesday by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The proposal would create a category of hearing aids that could be sold directly to consumers, without either a medical exam or a fitting by an… read on > read on >
