The battle against COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy—an issue for nearly a quarter of Americans recently polled—can be won if messages promoting vaccination suggest most people will take it and political motivations did not rush its development, research at Georgia State University has found. Those who were introduced to messages suggesting most people would not take the […]
The pandemic continues to pose huge challenges to health services worldwide. Hospitals are in crisis as the pace of new COVID-19 cases outstrips their capacity. What makes things particularly difficult is that the coronavirus doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Being able to better predict which patients will get seriously ill would allow hospitals […]
Many older adults are becoming increasingly isolated during the pandemic as people continue to physically distance. Families may be afraid of getting loved ones sick, seniors may sequester themselves over fear of contracting the virus or shared living facilities may have visiting restrictions. All of this contributes to loneliness, which can ultimately lead to a […]
Why do we do things that are bad for us—or not do things that are good for us—even in light of overwhelming evidence? As someone with a long career in pharmacy, I have witnessed some pretty dramatic shifts in public health behavior. But I won’t sugarcoat it. It generally takes years—or even decades—of dragging people, […]
Child care programs can be safe within the context of low community transmission of COVID-19, according to new research from Case Western Reserve University, based on data from child care programs throughout Ohio. The study took place from Aug. 15 to Nov. 20, during a timeframe of relatively low community transmission of COVID-19. The team […]
SARS-CoV-2 emerged with a bang, appearing out of nowhere and spreading with lightning speed. It affects the body in ways similar to other respiratory illnesses, yet also differently. It forced countries to take drastic actions—mask-wearing, social distancing, shutting down economies—never before seen or most recently experienced a century ago. Now, just a year after the […]
The first people have begun to receive vaccines in the UK and US as part of mass vaccination campaigns to immunize people against COVID-19. Excitement is building—finally, the end of the coronavirus crisis is in sight. Since early December, elderly patients and health workers in 50 hospitals across the UK have been given the vaccine […]
Having hope for the future could protect people from risky behaviors such as drinking and gambling—according to new research from the University of East Anglia. The researchers studied “relative deprivation”—the feeling that other people have things better than you in life. They wanted to find out why only some people experiencing this turn to escapist […]
Artistic mediums such as visual art, music, dance and creative writing may empower people recovering from mental health issues to share their stories and gain confidence and understanding of their illness. A Griffith University study published in PLOS ONE, describes follow-up interviews with eight creative workshop participants recovering from mental health issues 12 months after […]
The holiday season can be a tricky time to maintain physical health, and with COVID-19 keeping many people indoors and isolated, there are even more barriers to wellness. “When we spend more time isolated and indoors, our physical health can become an afterthought,” says Madhan Prabhakaran, M.D., family medicine physician, Mayo Clinic Health System in […]
