How Moving the Homeless to Hotels During the Pandemic Helps Everyone

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• March 5, 2021
• Full Page

Giving homeless COVID-19 patients a free hotel room for their quarantine and recovery pays huge health dividends for the entire community, according to a new study out of San Francisco.

Only 4% of homeless folks transferred from Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital ...

Big Paychecks Pay Off in Self-Confidence, Study Finds

• Cara Murez
• March 5, 2021
• Full Page

Can money buy you happiness? Maybe not, but a new study suggests it's linked to greater feelings of confidence and pride.

Researchers analyzed five past studies that included a survey of more than 1.6 million people in 162 countries.

They found that higher income p...

Pandemic Unemployment Has Taken Its Own Deadly Toll

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• March 1, 2021
• Full Page

MONDAY, March 1, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- With U.S. deaths from COVID-19 passing the grim milestone of a half-million, a new study suggests that another 30,000-plus Americans have died due to pandemic-related unemployment.

Using various data sources, r...

U.S. Flu Vaccinations Hit New Record High This Season

• Robert Preidt
• March 1, 2021
• Full Page

While many Americans await their turn for the COVID vaccine, a potentially record-setting number have already had their flu shot.

That's the key finding in a nationwide poll of more conducted in December by the University of Georgia, involving more than 1,000 adults . I...

Pandemic Is Hitting Hospitals Hard, Including Their Bottom Line

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• February 26, 2021
• Full Page

U.S. hospitals are expected to lose billions again in 2021, leaving them in dire financial shape as the COVID-19 pandemic guts the industry for a second year.

Hospitals could lose $53 billion to $122 billion in revenue in 2021, between 4% and 10% of their total revenue, ...

1 in 3 Americans Delayed, Skipped Medical Care During Pandemic

• Robert Preidt
• February 17, 2021
• Full Page

If you've put off or skipped needed medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic, you've got plenty of company.

More than a third of U.S. adults say they have delayed or gone without care either because they fear exposure to the virus or because health care services are har...

Specialist Care for Alzheimer's Is Tough to Find for Poorer, Rural Americans

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• February 9, 2021
• Full Page

Although Alzheimer's disease is a devastating diagnosis that is better delivered earlier rather than later, new research suggests poor patients living in rural areas may not have access to the specialists who could spot the first signs of memory declines.

The team from V...

Bans on Evictions, Utility Shutoffs Are Curbing COVID Infections: Study

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• February 8, 2021
• Full Page

Bans on evictions and utility shutoffs during the pandemic may not only be keeping people safe and warm in their homes: They might also limit the spread of COVID-19, new research suggests.

Over the first nine months of the pandemic, the study found, U.S. counties with th...

Many U.S. Adults Aren't Getting Healthy Amounts of Fruits, Vegetables

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• February 5, 2021
• Full Page

Nearly all U.S. adults get some vegetables every day, but the old "apple a day" adage is falling out of favor, a new government survey suggests.

Researchers found that a full 95% of U.S. adults said they ate some amount of vegetables on any given day. On the other hand, ...

Segregation, Poverty Tied to Worse Outcomes for Black Lung Cancer Patients

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• February 3, 2021
• Full Page

Racial segregation may help explain why Black Americans with lung cancer do more poorly than their white counterparts, a new study suggests.

For years, U.S. studies have documented racial disparities in lung cancer. Black Americans are less likely to receive surgery for ...

Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Helped Keep Millions of Americans From Going Hungry

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• February 1, 2021
• Full Page

Expanded unemployment benefits, passed by Congress last spring to ease the economic pain of the pandemic, appear to have held hunger at bay for millions of Americans, new research shows.

Called "The CARES Act" when it was put into effect nearly a year ago, the law expand...

Legacy of Racist Neighborhood 'Redlining': Fewer Healthy Green Spaces Today

• Robert Preidt
• January 28, 2021
• Full Page

A racist mortgage appraisal practice used in the United States decades ago has resulted in less green space in some urban neighborhoods today, researchers say.

Those so-called "redlined" neighborhoods have higher rates of air and noise pollution, racial segregation and p...

Just 2% of U.S. Teens Eat Recommended Amount of Veggies

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• January 26, 2021
• Full Page

In findings that may ring true to parents, a new government survey shows that a paltry 2% of U.S. high school students are eating enough vegetables.

The study is the latest look at teenagers' eating habits by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And exper...

Maybe Money Can Help Buy Happiness, After All

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• January 21, 2021
• Full Page

Millionaires, rejoice! It turns out that money can, in fact, buy happiness. And a new study suggests more is better, with well-being rising as earnings grow.

"Having more money gives people a greater sense of control over life," said study author Matthew Killingsworth.

Do You Socially Distance? Your Income Might Matter

• Cara Murez
• January 19, 2021
• Full Page

Do you you keep 6 feet apart from others to help stop coronavirus spread? New research shows that the wealthier you were at the start of the pandemic, the more likely it is you'll maintain social distance.

The new study looked at social distancing and mask wearing, and ...

Many Americans Don't See Links Between Racism,  Health Outcomes: Poll

• Robert Preidt
• January 14, 2021
• Full Page

Many Americans most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic don't believe that racism is associated with poorer health, a nationwide poll shows.

The ongoing poll of more than 4,000 lower- and middle-income Americans focuses on communities of color.

"It really struck us t...

Crowdsourcing Raises Billions for Families Hit Hard by Medical Bills

• Cara Murez
• January 12, 2021
• Full Page

You have probably seen the social media posts: Your good friend's co-worker is raising money online to help pay for cancer treatments or another friend needs funds to pay medical bills after a car crash.

Crowdsourced fundraising seems to, at least partly, fill a gap bet...

When Soda Tax Repealed, Soda Sales Rebound: Study

• Cara Murez
• January 7, 2021
• Full Page

After a short-lived tax on sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages was repealed, consumption of sugary drinks in an Illinois County escalated again, according to a new study.

The tax was pitched to reduce Cook County budget deficits. It lasted four months --...

Moves, Evictions Often Trigger Harmful Breaks in Health Care: Study

• Amy Norton
• January 6, 2021
• Full Page

Research brings grim findings for these economically tough times: People who must move because they can't make the rent often miss out on needed medical care.

The study, of over 146,000 California residents, found a connection between unaffordable housing and health care...

Even Rich Americans Don't Get World-Class Health Care: Study

• Dennis Thompson
• December 31, 2020
• Full Page

THURSDAY, Dec. 31, 2020 -- Even the most privileged people in the United States with the best access to health care are sicker and more likely to die than average folks in other developed nations, a new study finds.

People living in the highest-income counties in the Uni...

Money Woes Hit Many Americans Early in Pandemic: Study

• Robert Preidt
• December 22, 2020
• Full Page

For many Americans, financial struggles started early on during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study finds.

The researchers analyzed data from a Federal Reserve Board survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults that was conducted from April 3 to 6, when there were about 374,000 ...

Involved Dads Make a Difference for Disadvantaged Teens

• Robert Preidt
• December 21, 2020
• Full Page

Dads matter: New research shows how attentive, involved fathers can really boost the mental well-being and behavior of teens from low-income families.

The study looked at 5,000 U.S. children born between 1998 and 2000, and their fathers' involvement with them between ag...

COVID Vaccine Won't Reach All the World's People Until 2022: Study

• Robert Preidt
• December 16, 2020
• Full Page

Amid hopes stirred by the recent rollout of an approved COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, a new study warns that shots may not be available to nearly one-quarter of the world's people until 2022.

A second study estimates that 3.7 billion adults worldwide are willing...

Why Do Black Patients Fare Worse With Blood Cancer Than Whites?

• Serena McNiff
• December 11, 2020
• Full Page

A pair of studies shed new light on why a relatively rare blood cancer — acute myeloid leukemia (AML) — is more deadly among Black patients.

The takeaways: Where patients live and their access to quality health care matter. And even when Black people with AML have th...

Years Before Diagnosis, People With Alzheimer's Lose Financial Acumen

• Steven Reinberg
• December 3, 2020
• Full Page

Even before signs of Alzheimer's disease or dementia appear, people are prone to make poor financial decisions, a new study finds.

Older people diagnosed with dementia or Alzheimer's were more likely to miss credit card payments as early as six years before their diagnos...

Pandemic Is Devastating Low-Income Black Households

• Robert Preidt
• December 3, 2020
• Full Page

Low-income Black Americans had more job losses, more difficulty getting food and medicine, and higher levels of debt in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic than their white or Hispanic peers, a new study finds.

"Media coverage has focused on the racially disparate ...

Relief for America's Unemployed Could Be Crucial for Health

• Dennis Thompson
• December 2, 2020
• Full Page

Americans who lost their jobs this year due to the coronavirus pandemic have remained healthier and more secure thanks to expanded unemployment insurance, a new study reports.

Struggling folks who received benefits reported that they were less likely to go hungry, miss a...

Heart Anatomy May Put Blacks at Higher Stroke Risk

• November 25, 2020
• Full Page

Black Americans face a heightened risk of stroke, and a new study suggests that abnormalities in the heart's upper chambers play a role.

Experts said the findings, published Nov. 25 in the journal Neurology, point to an under-recognized factor in Black Americans...

Black Cancer Survivors Often Face Added Challenges: Study

• Robert Preidt
• November 25, 2020
• Full Page

Social and financial struggles are common among Black American cancer survivors and take a heavy toll on their health-related quality of life, according to a new study.

Health-related quality of life among cancer survivors -- how a person perceives their mental, physical...

Obamacare Boosts Colon Cancer Diagnosis, Care: Study

• Robert Preidt
• November 25, 2020
• Full Page

Colon cancer treatment for low-income Americans has improved with Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, a new study says.

That includes earlier diagnosis, increased access to treatment and better surgical care, according to the researchers.

They compare...

Dirty Air Endangers Homeless People: Study

• Robert Preidt
• November 19, 2020
• Full Page

Air pollution poses a threat to homeless people's mental and physical health, researchers say.

They asked 138 homeless people in Salt Lake City about when and how they knew the air was polluted and how air pollution makes them feel. They also examined their health record...

'A Struggle:' Physical, Mental Ills Can Linger Months After COVID Recovery

• Alan Mozes
• November 18, 2020
• Full Page

Patients who survive severe COVID-19 after being hospitalized are not necessarily home-free upon discharge, new research warns.

After tracking outcomes among 1,250 COVID-19 patients for two months after being released from the hospital, investigators found that nearly 7%...

Large Study Finds Blacks, Asians More Vulnerable to COVID

• Robert Preidt
• November 13, 2020
• Full Page

Black and Asian people in the United States and the United Kingdom have significantly higher odds of COVID-19 infection compared to white people, a large research review finds.

The study authors analyzed data from more than 18 million COVID-19 patients who were part of 5...

Telecommuting Shields Workers From COVID-19: CDC Report

• Steven Reinberg
• November 5, 2020
• Full Page

Working from home during the pandemic significantly reduces your risk of catching COVID-19, U.S. health officials say.

The option to work remotely, however, appears to be available mostly to college-educated white employees with health insurance who make $75,000 a year o...

Obamacare Boosted Health of Poor Women Before, After Pregnancy

• Robert Preidt
• November 4, 2020
• Full Page

The health of low-income women before they become pregnant has improved in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), researchers report.

The time before a woman becomes pregnant is critical for her health and that of her infant, but many poor wom...

Losing a Sibling a Common Tragedy in Poorer Nations, Study Finds

• Robert Preidt
• October 27, 2020
• Full Page

The loss of a sibling is all too common among young women in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new study.

The researchers found that roughly one-third of young women in those countries have experienced the death of a brother or sister by age 25. In sev...

Poverty Might Raise Black Kids' Health Risks as Early as Age 5

• Steven Reinberg
• October 23, 2020
• Full Page

Kids growing up in poverty show the effects of being poor as early as age 5 -- especially those who are Black, a new study suggests.

The research adds to mounting evidence that children of Black parents who are also poor face greater health inequities than whites. <...

Homeless More Likely to Die After Heart Attack

• Steven Reinberg
• October 22, 2020
• Full Page

Homeless people are three times more likely to die after a heart attack than other patients, a new study finds.

"Our study shows a dramatically higher rate of mortality after heart attacks in people experiencing homelessness compared to non-homeless patients," said ...

Cancer Takes Heavy Toll on Women's Work and Finances: Study

• Steven Reinberg
• October 12, 2020
• Full Page

Young women with cancer are at a high risk for employment and financial consequences, a new study finds.

"Our study addresses the burden of employment disruption and financial hardship among young women with cancer -- a group who may be at particular risk for poor f...

Kids' Hospitalizations Accompany Rising Unemployment Rates: Study

• Robert Preidt
• October 9, 2020
• Full Page

COVID-19 has led to widespread job loss in the United States. And now a new study reports that when unemployment rates rise, so do hospitalizations of children.

For the study, researchers analyzed 12 years of data (2002 to 2014) from 14 states. They found that for e...

Money Worries Raise Suicide Risk in People With ADHD: Study

• Robert Preidt
• October 5, 2020
• Full Page

There's a link between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), financial stress and suicide risk, a new study suggests.

Researchers analyzed data on ADHD and suicide in Sweden from 2002 to 2015, as well as credit and default data from a random sample of more...

President Trump in Hospital After Testing Positive for Coronavirus

• Robin Foster and E.J. Mundell
• October 4, 2020
• Full Page

SATURDAY, Oct. 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- President Donald Trump was being treated for coronavirus infection at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Saturday, after announcing that he had tested positive for COVID-19 early Friday morning.

Trump is strugg...

President Trump, First Lady Test Positive for Coronavirus

• Robin Foster and E.J. Mundell
• October 2, 2020
• Full Page

FRIDAY, Oct. 2, 2020 (HealthDay News) -- President Donald Trump announced early Friday morning that he and his wife, Melania Trump, have tested positive for the coronavirus.

In a tweet sent out at 1 a.m., Trump said they will both quarantine in the White House for ...

Midwest Latest Region to be Hit Hard by COVID Spread

• Robin Foster and E.J. Mundell
• October 1, 2020
• Full Page

Coronavirus infections are surging in the American heartland, with Wisconsin bearing the brunt of COVID-19's relentless spread.

Many Midwestern states are seeing some of the nation's highest per capita rates of infection, and while federal health officials have again...

Alcohol-Linked Deaths Rise Sharply in Rural America

• Steven Reinberg
• October 1, 2020
• Full Page

In rural America, drinking has become particularly deadly for many, a new government report shows.

Deaths related to alcohol use in those regions rose 43% between 2006 and 2018, health officials reported.

Over that time, the rate of deaths went from 11...

Most American Families Facing Financial Danger During Pandemic: Poll

• Robin Foster and E.J. Mundell
• September 30, 2020
• Full Page

More than 60% of households with children in the United States have struggled with serious financial problems during the coronavirus pandemic, a new poll shows.

Black and Hispanic households with children have borne the brunt of the hardships, which include strug...

Is Rural Appalachia a Hotspot for Alzheimer's?

• Robert Preidt
• September 11, 2020
• Full Page

Alzheimer's disease is more common in rural Appalachian areas of Ohio than in other rural parts of the state, new research shows.

For the study, the investigators analyzed 11 years of Medicare data, ending in 2017, and found that Alzheimer's rates were 2% to 3...

As Jobless Rates Climb, Study Finds Financial Stress Greatly Ups Suicide Risk

• Cara Roberts Murez
• September 3, 2020
• Full Page

As millions of people struggle with economic hardships during the coronavirus pandemic, a new study shows that financial stressors may make people up to 20 times more likely to attempt suicide.

The research suggests that mental health providers should consider financ...

New Weight-Loss Program Shows Promise Among Low-Income Americans

• Serena McNiff
• September 2, 2020
• Full Page

Lifestyle interventions can help people lose weight, but experts have worried whether such programs can work in low-income communities where obesity rates can be high and access to health care can be limited.

Until now.

A new study found that when these pro...

Being a Jerk Not a Recipe for Getting Ahead at Work

• Robert Preidt
• September 1, 2020
• Full Page

Being a selfish jerk won't pave a path to success, new research suggests.

The study involved hundreds of participants who completed personality assessments when they were undergraduates or MBA students at three universities.

The researchers checked in with ...