The U.S. fast-food industry has boosted spending on ads targeting kids, especially Black and Hispanic youth, new research shows. For the study, the researchers analyzed data on ad spending and TV ad exposure for 274 fast-food restaurants and found that annual spending hit $5 billion in 2019, up more than $400 million between 2012 and… read on > read on >
When depression strikes teachers, they can suffer mightily, but a new study suggests their students’ ability to learn might also be harmed. Researchers found a correlation between teachers’ depressive symptoms and math skills in early learners enrolled in Head Start programs. Head Start is a U.S. government program providing early education, nutrition, health and parent… read on > read on >
Strict rest isn’t advised after athletes suffer a concussion because it could slow their recovery, an updated consensus statement from a U.S. expert panel says. Most adult athletes fully recover within two weeks and children within four, according to the statement published June 15 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The number and severity… read on > read on >
When young adults are seeking a casual dating relationship, drinking is likely to follow, new research suggests. Meanwhile, those who are already in a serious relationship are likely to drink less. The study included more than 700 people in the Seattle area, aged 18 to 25, who filled out surveys every month for two years.… read on > read on >
Researchers say an extra dose of two-dose COVID-19 vaccines may improve immune system protection for organ transplant patients, a group that’s so far responded poorly to two-dose vaccines. “Our findings suggest clinical trials are warranted to determine if transplant recipients should receive COVID-19 vaccine booster doses as standard clinical practice, similar to what is currently… read on > read on >
More teens in the United States are reporting their sexual identity as gay, lesbian or bisexual, nationwide surveys show. Between 2015 and 2019, the percentage of 15- to 17-year-olds who said they identified as “non-heterosexual” rose from 8.3% to 11.7%, according to nationwide surveys by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Although our… read on > read on >
Suffering through a case of COVID-19 unleashed a host of other health problems in hundreds of thousands of Americans participating in the largest study yet of the long-term effects of coronavirus infection. Tracking the health insurance records of nearly 2 million people who caught the coronavirus last year, researchers found that one month or more… read on > read on >
Children may have an increased risk of obesity if their mothers were exposed to high levels of air pollution during pregnancy, researchers say. In a new study, 123 Hispanic mother-infant pairs were enrolled in an ongoing trial in the Los Angeles region. Before pregnancy, about one-third of the mothers were normal weight, one-third were overweight… read on > read on >
Novavax, a Maryland biotechnology company that has struggled mightily with delays in developing its coronavirus vaccine, announced Monday that its two-shot regimen was over 90% effective overall in a trial that unfolded even as more contagious variants emerged. Among 30,000 volunteers — all of them from either the United States or Mexico — vaccinated people… read on > read on >
A rising number of young Americans, including children, are taking their own lives using firearms, a new study finds. Researchers found that between 2008 and 2018, gun suicides showed an “alarming” increase among Americans aged 5 to 24. And while those suicides remain rare among children, the rate among kids under 15 quadrupled during the… read on > read on >
