Long Bouts of Space Travel May Harm Astronauts' Brains

• Robert Preidt
• October 18, 2021
• Full Page

Prolonged stays in space appear to damage astronauts' brains, a small, new study suggests.

The researchers studied five Russian cosmonauts, mean age 49, who stayed on the International Space Station (ISS) for an average of 5.5 months.

Blood samples were taken from...

Many Americans May Quit, Change Jobs Due to Pandemic Stress: Survey

• Steven Reinberg
• October 5, 2021
• Full Page

The pressures of the pandemic have dramatically altered the American workplace, and now a new survey shows that many folks who have struggled with low salaries, long hours and lack of opportunity plan to change jobs.

More than 40% of workers said they plan to make the sw...

U.S. Appeals Panel Backs New York City's Vaccine Mandate for School Staff

• Cara Murez
• September 28, 2021
• Full Page

All of New York City's teachers and school staff will still need to get a coronavirus vaccine following an unexpected ruling from a federal appeals panel on Monday that upheld the school system's vaccine mandate.

While Mayor Bill de Blasio recently ordered the city's sc...

CDC Endorses Booster Shots for Millions of Americans

• Cara Murez and Robin Foster HealthDay Reporters
• September 24, 2021
• Full Page

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday recommended booster shots of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for millions of older and high-risk Americans, kicking off a new chapter in the national effort to protect the vulnerable from severe disease.

First,...

Why Logging May Be the Most Dangerous Profession

• Steven Reinberg
• September 17, 2021
• Full Page

Logging and landscaping are the most dangerous jobs in America, a new study finds.

The risk of death for loggers is more than 30 times higher than for all U.S. workers. Tree care workers also encounter hazards at rates far higher than a typical worker.

"This was th...

Trouble Concentrating at Work? Your Office Air May Be to Blame

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• September 14, 2021
• Full Page

It's fair to say most bosses want their employees to have high productivity.

Unfortunately, the air that office workers breathe may put a damper on quick thinking and fast work.

A new study found increased concentrations of fine particulate matter, called PM2.5, a...

Most Older Americans Believe Health Care Workers Should Be Vaccinated: Poll

• Steven Reinberg
• September 14, 2021
• Full Page

Eight in 10 older Americans think health care workers should be vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a new poll.

Among 50- to 80-year-olds, 61% of respondents said the vaccine should be required for all health care workers. Another 19% said vaccination should probab...

9/11 First Responders Face Higher Cancer Risk 20 Years Later

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 13, 2021
• Full Page

Twenty years on, responders to the World Trade Center attacks in New York City are showing increased risks of certain cancers, two new studies confirm.

Researchers found higher-than-average rates of prostate cancer among firefighters, medics and other workers who to...

Is Your Workplace an Asthma Trigger?

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• September 9, 2021
• Full Page

Workers, take heed: Your place of work can help bring on or exacerbate asthma, a new study suggests.

Common workplace triggers include poor ventilation and moldy air conditioning systems, cleaning products and even the toner used in printers, the researchers said. Employ...

Postponing Retirement Might Help Keep Dementia at Bay

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• September 7, 2021
• Full Page

Early retirement may sound appealing, but a recent study hints that putting it off a few years might help older adults retain more of their mental sharpness.

Using data on more than 20,000 older Americans, researchers estimated that if all of those people waited until ag...

Few U.S. Workers Know About COVID Sick Leave Protections

• September 7, 2021
• Full Page

While the United States is one of the only developed nations without universal sick leave, workers with COVID-19 can take paid emergency leave -- at least for now.

Problem is: Fewer than half of U.S. workers know it's available, according to a new study. And, the researc...

Teachers Have No Higher Risk of Severe COVID-19: Study

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• September 2, 2021
• Full Page

As the new school year begins, teachers can take comfort in a new report that finds they have no greater risk of catching or being hospitalized for severe COVID-19 than anyone else.

Researchers in Scotland say that might be because many schools take precautions that othe...

Got 'Zoom Fatigue'? Taking Breaks From the Camera Can Help

• Cara Murez
• September 2, 2021
• Full Page

If you feel exhausted after a day filled with online meetings, well, you are not imagining it.

A new study found that the pressure of having the camera on for a long time is draining. This so-called "Zoom fatigue" is even worse if you're a woman or a new employee.

...

Feel Guilty About 'Useless' Leisure Time? Your Mental Health Might Suffer

• Cara Murez
• August 26, 2021
• Full Page

Struggling to decide whether to spend another hour at the office or take a late afternoon stroll?

Put on your walking shoes.

Making leisure time a priority is good for your mental health. For many, though, especially folks who prize productivity above all, it's a ...

Pentagon Says Troops Must Start Lining Up Now for COVID Shots

• Robin Foster and Robert Preidt
• August 25, 2021
• Full Page

Unvaccinated U.S. troops must immediately start getting COVID-19 vaccines, says a memo issued Tuesday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which recently received full approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will be added to the li...

Teachers' Unions, Doctors Agree: Vaccines, Masks Crucial for Return-to-School

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 23, 2021
• Full Page

Schools are reopening as the Delta variant surges across America, a scary prospect for educators and parents alike.

But experts representing teachers and doctors say reopening must happen for the sake of students, and a combo of vaccination and safety measures will help ...

In Florida County Where 3 Teachers Died, School Board Member Pleads for Safeguards

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 19, 2021
• Full Page

Like it or not, Broward County, Fla., has become a flashpoint for the national debate over reopening public schools in the middle of a COVID-19 surge driven by the highly infectious Delta variant.

Coronavirus infections claimed the lives of three Broward educators within...

Working Night Shifts Could Raise Odds for A-Fib

• Robert Preidt
• August 17, 2021
• Full Page

Long stints on the night shift could set you up for the dangerous heart rhythm disorder known as atrial fibrillation (a-fib), new research suggests.

For the study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 283,000 people in the UK Biobank database, and found that those...

Sit All Day for Work? Simple Step Can Cut Your Health Risk

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• August 16, 2021
• Full Page

Take a work break: A small, new study suggests that getting out of your chair every half hour may help improve your blood sugar levels and your overall health.

Every hour spent sitting or lying down increases the risk for metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, the study...

Heading Back to the Workplace? Here's Some Tips to Help Re-Adjust

• Cara Murez
• August 16, 2021
• Full Page

Freaked out about trading Zoom meetings and the privacy of working at home for a return to the office?

You've got plenty of company. As more workplaces reopen, stress about health risks and new routines is front and center.

The Center for Workplace Mental Health kn...

Wildfires Ravage Firefighters' Long-Term Physical, Mental Health

• Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
• August 11, 2021
• Full Page

Roaring, fast-moving blazes. Choking smoke. Fiery tornados. Thunderstorms and lightning.

The Dixie Fire -- now the single largest wildfire in California history -- continues to spread, having burned through more than 750 square miles of forest land north of Sacramento.

All Health Care, Long-Term Care Workers in California Must Get COVID Shots

• Robert Preidt
• August 6, 2021
• Full Page

All 2.2 million health care workers and long-term care workers in California will now have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 30, the California Department of Public Health said Thursday.

Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom said health care workers would have the...

White Men's Grip on U.S. Health Care May Be Slipping

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• July 20, 2021
• Full Page

The U.S. medical field is less dominated by white men than it used to be, but there are still few Black and Hispanic doctors, dentists and pharmacists, a new study finds.

The study, which looked at trends over the past 20 years, found that white men no longer make up the...

Do Women or Men Make the Best Doctors?

• Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
• July 19, 2021
• Full Page

When you're hospitalized, you'll want qualified medical professionals treating you, but does it matter if your doctor is a man or a woman?

It might.

A new study in Canada found that patients cared for by female physicians had lower in-hospital death rates than tho...

Your Job Could Put You at Much Higher Risk for Flu

• Robert Preidt
• July 9, 2021
• Full Page

Your job may significantly increase your risk of catching the flu, with potential implications for the spread of other infectious diseases including COVID-19, according to new research.

On average, working folks are 35% more likely to get the flu than those without jobs,...

Depression Plagues Many Coal Miners With Black Lung Disease

• Robert Preidt
• July 8, 2021
• Full Page

Mental health problems and thoughts of suicide are common among U.S. coal miners with black lung disease, a new study finds.

Black lung is a progressive illness caused by inhaling toxic coal and rock dust in coal mines. There are few treatment options.

"Although co...

Pandemic Day Care Closures Forced 600,000 U.S. Working Moms to Leave Jobs

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• June 29, 2021
• Full Page

When child care centers were forced to close in the pandemic's early months, hundreds of thousands of American working mothers lost their jobs, new research shows.

The study is just the latest illustration of the toll the pandemic has taken on working women in the United...

Stress Has Many U.S. Teachers Leaving Profession: Survey

• Robert Preidt
• June 23, 2021
• Full Page

Teaching has always been a stressful job, and now a new survey suggests the pandemic could be driving even more teachers from the time-honored profession.

"Teacher stress was a concern prior to the pandemic and may have only become worse," said study author Elizabeth Ste...

Volunteer Firefighters Have High Levels of Potentially Toxic Chemicals

• Robert Preidt
• May 4, 2021
• Full Page

Volunteer firefighters have higher levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in their bodies than the general population does, a new study finds.

It also found that levels of these potentially toxic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in volunteer firefighters' bodi...

Why U.S. Hispanics Got COVID at Higher Rates: Their Jobs

• Robert Preidt
• May 3, 2021
• Full Page

Workplace exposure to the new coronavirus is a major reason for Hispanic Americans' disproportionately high COVID-19 death rate, a new study claims.

In 2020, Hispanics accounted for 19% of the U.S. population but nearly 41% of COVID-19 deaths, data from the U.S. Centers ...

Stressed, Burned-Out Nurses Make More Medical Errors: Study

• Robert Preidt
• May 3, 2021
• Full Page

Critical care nurses with poor mental and physical health are more likely to make mistakes, but a more supportive work environment could improve the situation, a new study suggests.

"It's critically important that we understand some of the root causes that lead to those ...

These Factors Could Lead to a Real Pain in the Neck

• Robert Preidt
• April 26, 2021
• Full Page

Neck pain? Poor posture can cause it, but may not be the only reason why, new research suggests.

Lifestyle is a key culprit -- particularly long periods of time spent hunched over handheld devices or working on computers. So a team at Texas A&M University set out to lear...

Workers' Deaths From Paint Stripping Chemicals Are on the Rise

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• April 21, 2021
• Full Page

A deadly chemical in paint strippers continues to kill workers despite its known dangers, a new study finds.

The chemical methylene chloride, also known as dichloromethane (DCM), is a solvent found in paint strippers, cleaners, degreasers, adhesives and sealants. When in...

Little Progress in Boosting Numbers of Black American Doctors

• Robert Preidt
• April 21, 2021
• Full Page

The percentage of U.S. doctors who are Black has barely risen in the past 120 years, and there's still a wide pay gap between white and Black physicians, a new study finds.

The analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data from 1900 to 2018 included about 150,000 physicians, with ...

What Makes for a Satisfying Work Zoom Meeting?

• Robert Preidt
• April 20, 2021
• Full Page

Video conferencing has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, but many workers are developing what some call "Zoom fatigue."

Now, new research suggests a prime factor behind the trend: A lack of inclusion. The study finds that when people feel they're really part of the g...

Many Employees Have Mixed Feelings as Offices Reopen

• Sarah D. Collins HealthDay Reporter
• April 19, 2021
• Full Page

Bye-bye Zoom meetings: As America begins to emerge from the pandemic, many companies are welcoming employees back into physical work spaces.

But Taylor Villanueva, an entrepreneurship specialist at the Girl Scouts of Orange County, counts herself among the millions of A...

Nurses Are Dying From Suicide at Higher Rates

• Alan Mozes HealthDay Reporter
• April 14, 2021
• Full Page

Before the pandemic began, suicide risk was twice as high among female nurses compared with American women as a whole, a new study warns.

Even within the health care community itself, female nurses were found to be roughly 70% more likely to die by suicide than female do...

Physically Active at Work? It's Not as Healthy as Leisure Exercise

• Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
• April 13, 2021
• Full Page

Going for a brisk walk after a long day at work may be better for your heart than getting all of your exercise on the job.

New research suggests that while current health guidelines indicate that leisure-time activity and physical activity at work are created equally whe...

Sluggish Coworker? Maybe They 'Pigged Out' Last Night

• Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
• April 12, 2021
• Full Page

Midnight snacks might feel satisfying in the moment -- but they can also knock people off their game at work the next day, a new study suggests.

The study, which followed nearly 100 employees, found a connection between "unhealthy" eating in the evening and under-perform...

Stressed, Exhausted: Frontline Workers Faced Big Mental Strain in Pandemic

• Robert Preidt
• April 9, 2021
• Full Page

Doctors, nurses and other frontline health workers in U.S. emergency departments have struggled with significant mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new poll reveals.

"As the nation moves into what many believe is a fourth wave of COVID, this study i...

Not Just Keyboards: Many Types of Workers Can Develop Carpal Tunnel

• Robert Preidt
• April 8, 2021
• Full Page

In a discovery that shows carpal tunnel syndrome doesn't strike just office workers, researchers report that people who work in construction or manufacturing have a higher risk of carpal tunnel syndrome than those with desk jobs.

Why the higher rates of injury among manu...

Strain of COVID Care Has Many Health Professionals Looking for an Exit

• Cara Murez
• April 6, 2021
• Full Page

After the pandemic, the next great health care challenge in the United States could be retaining highly trained doctors, nurses and scientists, a new study warns.

Up to one in five employees at an academic medical institution are considering leaving their professions ...

Most Injured Workers Resume Jobs After Recovery, But Finances Suffer

• Robert Preidt
• April 5, 2021
• Full Page

About six in 10 U.S. workers who've been hospitalized for an injury return to their jobs, but physical disabilities and financial struggles are common, researchers say.

For the study, investigators analyzed federal survey data from trauma patients who were hospitalized w...

Survived a Heart Attack? Long Work Hours Raise Your Odds for Another

• Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
• March 30, 2021
• Full Page

Sometimes it's best to say no to overtime: A new Canadian study finds that working too hard after a heart attack could boost your odds for a repeat.

Their new study found that people who work more than 55 hours a week after a heart attack are twice as likely to have anot...

Eye Care Is Key When You're Working From Home

• March 27, 2021
• Full Page

If you're one of the many people who've switched to working at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, you need to take care of your eyes, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says.

Staring at a screen too long can lead to digital eye strain. Symptoms include blurry vision, ...

Another Study Finds COVID Doesn't Spread in Schools With Proper Safeguards

• Robert Preidt
• March 24, 2021
• Full Page

COVID-19 transmission is rare in schools that follow precautions such as mandatory masks, social distancing and frequent hand-washing, a new study finds.

And that's true even among close school contacts of people who test positive for the new coronavirus, according to re...

Try 'Microbreaks' for a Real Workday Boost

• Robert Preidt
• March 22, 2021
• Full Page

If you're feeling tired at work, a "microbreak" could help restore your pep, a new study claims.

Microbreaks are short, unplanned timeouts that include activities such as having a snack, chatting with a workmate, stretching or doing a crossword puzzle, the researchers ex...

Health Care Workers More Likely to Catch COVID at Home, Not Workplace

• Robert Preidt
• March 16, 2021
• Full Page

Health care workers are more likely to catch COVID-19 at home or in their community than on the job, a new study finds.

"The news is reassuring in that it shows the measures taken are working to prevent infections from spreading in health care facilities," said study co-...

Stressed and Distracted, Kids and Their Teachers Say Virtual Learning Isn't Working

• Serena McNiff HealthDay Reporter
• March 2, 2021
• Full Page

For Morgan Compton, 7, who has attended school remotely for nearly a year, the stress of the pandemic manifests itself in meltdowns.

On one particular day, Morgan "threw a fit and decided to go upstairs," said her mother, Tracy Compton. Hearing the sound of his daug...