The COVID-19 pandemic revealed that for-profit long-term care homes had worse patient outcomes than not-for-profit homes. A new study found that of those for-profit homes, long-term care homes (LTCs) owned by private equity firms and large chains have the highest mortality rates. The study conducted by researchers at the University of Waterloo traced the growing...
Even for superheroes, regular physical activity and strong social bonds are important for healthy ageing, suggest researchers in the Christmas issue of The BMJ. Being able to stay healthy in later life is a crucial issue for everyone. Environmental and socioeconomic factors determine ageing trajectories at a population level, but evidence also highlights the importance of...
First study examining the impact of COVID-19 certification introduction on vaccine uptake in six countries suggests it led to increased vaccination uptake, but this depended on countries’ prior levels of vaccine coverage and availability. Countries starting at lower-than-average COVID-19 vaccine coverage (France, Israel, Italy, Switzerland) experienced a large uptick in vaccination, but there was no...
Recent cannabis use is linked to extremes of nightly sleep duration–less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours–reveals a study of a large representative sample of US adults, published online in the journal Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. This pattern was even more pronounced among heavy users–those using on 20 out of the previous 30...
As many as a half of all drinkers underestimated how drunk they were, judging themselves still safe to drive despite having exceeded the legal driving limit, according to new research. Worldwide, drunk driving is a major problem, despite decades of health promotion activities. Road traffic injuries have become the leading killer of people aged five...
The COVID-19 pandemic is associated with higher blood pressure levels among middle-aged adults across the U.S., according to new research published today in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation. According to the American Heart Association, nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure, a leading cause of heart disease, and nearly 75% of all cases remain...
A recent study finds that Black adults experience more pronounced mental health challenges than white adults in response to stresses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also found that younger white adults were less adversely affected by stress related to COVID-19 than older white adults. “We wanted to see how race and age affected...
In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, while many of us remained in the safety of our own homes, frontline healthcare workers faced a sudden influx of patients with the new, highly contagious, life-threatening disease. This undoubtedly caused a great deal of stress among hospital staff. But what exactly were the most difficult aspects...
The COVID-19 pandemic was responsible for a nationwide healthcare and economic slowdown. Surprisingly, even during months of quarantine and isolation as masks and face coverings became the norm, people continued to spend money on products to enhance their attractiveness and to seek out cosmetic procedures. “During the lockdown, doctor-patient interactions slowly resumed largely in the...
In May 2021, the Centers for Disease Control officially recognized that SARS-CoV-2—the virus that causes COVID-19—is airborne, meaning it is highly transmissible through the air. Now University of California San Diego Professor and Endowed Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry Rommie Amaro, along with partners across the U.S. and around the world, has modeled the delta...
