Some of the leading hotspots in the United States are on track to become even more sweltering in the coming decades — thanks to a combination of greenhouse gas emissions, urban development and population growth. In a new study, researchers estimate that over the course of this century, the biggest relative increases in extreme heat will hit cities in the Sunbelt — including Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Miami and Orlando, Fla. And lest Americans outside those areas breathe a sigh of relief, the study also warns of rising temperatures in major metropolises like New York City, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. That is, at least, if no efforts are taken to counter the trend. The projections are based on a “business-as-usual” model, explained lead researcher Ashley Broadbent. He’s an assistant research professor at Arizona State University, in Tempe. “We’re imagining what would happen if we keep going along as we are,” said Broadbent, who noted that’s not an unrealistic assumption. “But,” he stressed, “there are things we can do.” The biggest and broadest would be tackling greenhouse gas emissions — heat-trapping gases that are spewed into the air when fossil fuels (like coal, oil and natural gas) are burned. But on the local level, Broadbent said, greenhouse gases are not the only contributor to rising temperatures and people’s actual experience of heat. There are also factors…  read on >

As the school year begins across America under the shadow of COVID-19, a new survey shows most parents are feeling overwhelmed and abandoned. Just 1 in 7 parents said their children would be returning to school full time this fall, and most children need help with remote schooling, The New York Times survey released Wednesday found. Yet, 4 in 5 parents said they would have no help in that endeavor, whether from relatives, neighbors, nannies or tutors. As well, more than half of parents said they will be taking on this burden while still holding down paid jobs. Of course, when both parents are wage earners who need to work outside the home, they cannot be in two places at once. But three-fourths of these parents said they will be overseeing their children’s education, and nearly half plan to handle child care, according to the survey of more than 1,000 parents polled between Aug. 4 and Aug. 8. Of the parents who are both working remotely during the pandemic, 80 percent will also handle child care and education, the survey showed. One in five are considering hiring a private teacher or tutor to help with remote learning. “All the choices stink,” Kate Averett, a sociologist at the University at Albany in New York who has been interviewing parents since the spring, told the Times. “There…  read on >

People with diabetes face a higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19, but a new survey reports they have also suffered more economic fallout from the pandemic. In June, 18% of people with diabetes were out of work compared to 12% of the general population. And one-third of people with diabetes have lost at least some income since the pandemic began versus about 29% of the general population, the survey released by the American Diabetes Association and dQ&A found. That loss of work and income can have immediate and serious consequences for people with diabetes. Nearly one in four people with diabetes — and half of those who’d lost income since the pandemic began — said they had to dip into savings, take out a loan or use their stimulus money to get their diabetes supplies. Worse, one in four people with diabetes have rationed their insulin, other medications or diabetes supplies. (Rationing insulin can lead to serious illness requiring hospitalization, and even death.) “When you lose your job, you lose your health insurance. When you lose your health insurance, you might ration your medicines, and then people end up with poorer outcomes. This was going on well before COVID, but now COVID has cast a very bright light on an existing problem,” said Tracey Brown, CEO of the American Diabetes Association. The new research…  read on >

Child abuse reports have plunged during the coronavirus pandemic, a troubling sign that the constraints of social distancing may mean thousands of cases are being missed, a new survey suggests. The survey, conducted by the Children’s National Alliance, found that children’s advocacy centers across the country reported serving 40,000 fewer children nationwide during the first six months of this year than the same period last year, the Washington Post reported. In 2019, more than 192,000 children were served by the centers while just over 152,000 were helped in 2020, a 21 percent drop, the survey showed. But in no way can the decline be viewed as good news, said Teresa Huizar, executive director of the alliance. “We have absolutely no reason to believe the actual incidence rate has declined,” she said. “What we really believe is that there are 40,000 fewer kids that haven’t been saved from abuse.” “What we were dreading did in fact happen,” Huizar told the Post. And the damage may be even more widespread, since the numbers from the centers, which receive referrals from child protective services departments and law enforcement, do not take into account all child abuse reports nationwide. A full third of U.S. counties don’t even have access to a children’s advocacy center, the Post reported. More than two-thirds of child abuse cases are reported by teachers and…  read on >

Back-to-school season can be a time of stress for many kids — even in the best of times. But pandemic fears add to the anxiety many kids will experience with the start of the 2020-2021 academic year, according to David FitzGerald, a child and adolescent psychologist at UConn Health in Farmington, Conn. “COVID-19’s continued presence for this year’s back-to-school season will bring with it more challenges than ever before,” he said in a university news release. “We need to model calm for the kids at all times, and provide as much structure as possible, especially during these unpredictable times.” FitzGerald said parents need to pay close attention to their children’s emotional health and well-being, and give them the support they need for a smooth transition back to class. Here are some tips to help reduce back-to-school and pandemic-associated anxiety, stress and behavior issues: Keep calm: Parents need to lead by example. Slow down and give your family extra time in the morning so you aren’t anxious and rushed. Teach kids to take deep breaths to calm themselves. Start a healthy routine: A nutritious diet, exercise and good sleep are important. Children need a routine and a serene, structured schedule. Keep informed: Parents need to know what is happening with the COVID-19 virus. Consult trusted health organizations and your local school district. Don’t rely on social…  read on >

High levels of air pollution may increase young children’s risk of developing asthma and persistent wheezing, researchers warn. The findings “support emerging evidence that exposure to air pollution might influence the development of asthma,” according to a report by Torben Sigsgaard, of Aarhus University in Denmark, and colleagues. For the new study, the researchers analyzed data on more than 797,000 Danish children who were born between 1997 and 2014 and followed from ages 1 year up to 15 years of age. Nearly 123,000 of the children developed asthma or persistent wheezing, just before age 2 on average. The researchers then checked data on air pollution levels at the children’s home addresses, parents’ asthma, mothers’ smoking, parental education and income. After accounting for other potentially influential factors, the investigators found higher levels of asthma and persistent wheezing in children of parents with asthma and in children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy. Lower levels of asthma and persistent wheezing were found in children of parents with high levels of education and high incomes. The researchers also found that children exposed to higher levels of fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) were more likely to develop asthma and wheezing than those who weren’t exposed. In people with asthma, the airways become inflamed and produce extra mucus, which makes it difficult to breathe. The study was published online Aug.…  read on >

The Trump administration has blocked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from regulating a wide swath of laboratory tests, including ones for the coronavirus. The new policy, which was posted Wednesday and is strongly opposed by the FDA itself, stunned health experts and laboratories because of its timing, the Washington Post reported. The change could result in unreliable coronavirus tests getting on the market, potentially worsening the testing crisis in the United States, experts told the newspaper. The one thing the change won’t do is solve testing shortages, because those are due mostly to a lack of the swabs and chemical reagents needed to perform COVID-19 tests, the Post reported. However, supporters claimed it could help get innovative tests to market more quickly. They said that the FDA review process sharply slowed testing at the beginning of the pandemic, and that the new policy could guard against future bottlenecks, the Post reported. Administration officials told the Post that the decision was made for legal reasons. But FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn staunchly opposed the change, arguing that such authority is critical during a public health emergency like the pandemic, the newspaper reported. The tests affected by the change are those developed by and used at laboratories regulated under the federal government’s Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments program, the newspaper said. Such labs are in big academic medical…  read on >

FRIDAY, Aug. 14, 2020 (HealthDay News) The novel coronavirus is surging once more in U.S. nursing homes, where it killed tens of thousands at the start of the pandemic. Federal data cited by two long-term care associations this week illustrated the troubling trend: The number of new cases in nursing homes bottomed out at 5,468 during the week of June 21, but it climbed to 8,628 for the week of July 19, the Washington Post reported. That’s a 58 percent increase, which roughly parallels the rise in overall U.S. cases during that period. On Thursday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that more COVID-19 deaths at nursing homes and assisted-living facilities may be coming, even as total caseloads have begun to decline. Florida has seen an outbreak of coronavirus cases this summer and has a large elderly population, the Post reported. “Over the next couple weeks, I’m concerned of seeing kind of a tail, where we start to see some of these long-term-care deaths,” DeSantis said at a forum in Tallahassee. In a different analysis of 35 states, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that cases in long-term care facilities jumped 11 percent in the two weeks ending July 10. But in 23 hot spot states, they rose 18 percent, compared with just 4 percent in 12 states that had the virus under better control, the Post…  read on >

Be careful that the COVID-19 information you’re getting is accurate and not opinion masquerading as the real McCoy, says the American College of Emergency Physicians. Watch out for bold claims and instant cures touted on social media or by friends. Get health and medical information from experts like the ACEP and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the physicians’ group says. “A troubling number of purported experts are sharing false and dangerous information that runs counter to the public health and safety guidelines endorsed by ACEP and the nation’s leading medical and public health entities,” said Dr. William Jaquis, president of the college. “This kind of misinformation can not only be harmful to individuals, but it hinders our nation’s efforts to get the pandemic under control,” he added in a college news release. You should know that there is no cure or vaccine for COVID-19. Scientists keep learning more about the virus and how to treat it. COVID-19 can be spread by anyone — even people who don’t think they’re infected. About 40% of those infected don’t have symptoms, but can spread the virus. The virus isn’t harmless, and its long-term effects are still being studied. Without a cure, the best defense is making smart choices and safe behaviors, the college says. “There are still many questions about COVID-19, but we know these…  read on >

Depression, anxiety and inactive lifestyles are all too common among college students, and a new study finds they may have escalated during the initial outbreak of COVID-19. Using a mix of smartphone data and online surveys from more than 200 students, researchers at Dartmouth College determined that the coronavirus pandemic had an immediate impact on the mental health of this particular undergraduate group. The students involved in the study were participating in a research program tracking mental health at the New Hampshire university. They reported spikes in depression and anxiety at the beginning of the pandemic in early March, just as the school pushed students to leave campus and begin remote learning. While their self-reported anxiety and depression lessened slightly later on in the semester, the study found that their overall anxiety and depression levels remained consistently higher than in previous years. “We observed a large-scale shift in mental health and behavior compared to the observed baseline established for this group over previous years,” said study author Jeremy Huckins, a lecturer at Dartmouth. In addition, around spring break period in mid-March, the students reported that their day-to-day lives were dramatically more sedentary than previous terms. “This was an atypical time for these college students. While spring break is usually a period of decreased stress and increased physical activity, spring break 2020 was stressful and confining…  read on >