A new Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP) study on Texas organizations receiving family planning funds finds that proposed federal guidelines restricting abortion counseling and referrals for Title X providers may adversely impact the health care of pregnant women. The study, published in Contraception, compares pregnancy options counseling and referral practices at state-funded and federal Title X-funded...
Health
Is That Selfie Edited? Why It May Matter for Women Viewers
There’s a surprising upside to the fact that many people edit their selfies on Instagram and other social media sites to enhance their appearance. A new study found that when women believed that selfies of thin and sexualized women had been edited, viewing these images had less negative impact on one aspect of their mental...
Exercise Can Help Beat Cocaine Addiction, Study Finds
Exercise can help prevent relapses into cocaine addiction, according to new research led by the University at Buffalo’s Panayotis (Peter) Thanos, PhD. “Cocaine addiction is often characterized by cycles of recovery and relapse, with stress and negative emotions, often caused by withdrawal itself, among the major causes of relapse,” says Thanos, senior research scientist in...
Got the ‘Drunchies’? New Study Shows How Heavy Drinking Affects Diet
They’re called the “drunchies,” or drunk munchies. It’s the desire one has to eat salty, fatty, unhealthy foods during or after a night of heavy drinking. With obesity continuing to rise in America, researchers decided to look at a sample of college students to better understand how drinking affects what they eat, both that night...
‘Substantial Portion’ of Childhood Cancer Survivors Not Concerned About Future Health
A research team led by a St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital epidemiologist has conducted the largest analysis to date of how adult survivors of childhood cancer view their health risk. The scientists found that a surprisingly high number of survivors showed a lack of concern for their future well-being. The analysis of questionnaire data from...
What Nipple Size Means for Evolutionary Biology
Nipple size varies markedly from woman to woman, whereas male nipples are more uniform. This finding goes against a common assumption of evolutionary biology, say Ashleigh Kelly and her colleagues from the University of Queensland in Australia in a study published in Springer’s journal Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology. A major goal in evolutionary biology has been to...
Normalization of ‘Plus-Size’ Risks Hidden Danger of Obesity, Study Finds
New research warns that the normalisation of ‘plus-size’ body shapes may be leading to an increasing number of people underestimating their weight – undermining efforts to tackle England’s ever-growing obesity problem. While attempts to reduce stigmatisation of larger body sizes – for example with the launch of plus-size clothing ranges – help promote body positivity,...
Daily Cannabis Use Is on the Rise in American Adults
Cannabis use may be decreasing among teens, but a new study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health showed that American adults have increasingly used cannabis daily since 2007. The findings are published online in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The legal status of cannabis for medicinal and recreational use...
Neonics Are Being Ingested by Free-Ranging Animals, U of G Study Finds
Health impacts of neonicotinoids may go well beyond bees, according to a new University of Guelph study. U of G researchers found residues of the insecticides in the livers of wild turkeys, providing evidence that this common agrochemical is being ingested by free-ranging animals. The researchers from the Ontario Veterinary College are among the first to...
What a Pain: the iPad Neck Plagues Women More
Is your iPad being a literal pain in the neck? The answer is likely yes — especially if you’re a young adult or a woman. “iPad neck” — persistent pain in the neck and upper shoulders caused by slouching or bending into extreme positions while using tablet computers — is a growing problem among Americans,...