In-Store Calorie Signage Results in Teens Purchasing Fewer Sugary Beverages
A new study reveals that adolescents who saw printed signs with easy-to-understand calorie information about sugar-sweetened beverages-including the amount of exercise required to burn off the calories in these beverages or the numbers of teaspoons of sugar in these beverages-were more likely to purchase a drink with fewer calories. Researchers also found that the purchasing behavior persisted for 6 weeks after the signs came down. The study was published by the American Journal of Public Health. The signage caused the likelihood of buying a sugar-sweetened beverage to drop from 98% before the signage was displayed to 89% while the signs were posted, and the number of sugar-sweetened beverage calories purchased went from 203 to 184. Additionally, the likelihood of buying a sugar-sweetened beverage larger than 16 oz dropped from 54% before the signs were displayed to 37% while the signs were posted. The reduction in calories purchased can be attributed to teens buying fewer sodas and sports drinks and more bottled water and diet soda.
The information conveyed by the signs proved to have a lasting effect. During a 6-week period after the signs were removed, teens' likelihood of buying a sugar-sweetened beverage dropped from 98% before the signs were posted to 91%, and the number of sugar-sweetened beverage calories purchased went from 203 to 178. Additionally, the likelihood of buying a sugar-sweetened beverage larger than 16 oz in that 6-week period after the signs were removed dropped from 54% before the signage was displayed to 37%.
The study, which was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation through its Healthy Eating Research program, was conducted in six corner stores located in low-income, predominantly Black neighborhoods in Baltimore.
Study: High School Football Players Need More Education on Concussion
More needs to be done to educate high school football players on the dangers of concussions, according to a new study in the Journal of Athletic Training. Researchers surveyed 334 varsity players from 11 Florida schools. Based on a written questionnaire, although most know that headache, dizziness, and confusion were potential concussion signs, they did not know the link to other signs such as nausea, neck pain, and difficulty concentrating. In addition, 25% said they had no education about concussions at all. "Our results showed that high school football players did not have appropriate knowledge of concussion. Even with parents or guardians signing a consent form indicating they discussed concussion awareness with their child, nearly half of the athletes suggested they had not," study coauthor Brady Tripp, from the University of Florida, said in a National Athletic Trainers' Association news release. Emergency rooms treat more than 300,000 people for brain injuries related to sports each year.
California Has "Well-Educated" Nurse Force, Study Finds
California, the nation's most populous state, has a "well-educated" nursing workforce, according to a survey published in June by the state's Board of Registered Nursing. About 60% of the state's registered nurses have earned a bachelor's or graduate degree in nursing or another field, the survey found. Still, the Golden State has a long way to go before it reaches a nurse education goal set in 2010 by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its landmark report on the future of nursing. The IOM recommended that 80% of nurses hold bachelor's degrees or higher by 2020. Ever since, a national campaign supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and AARP has been working to implement that and other IOM report recommendations.
Nursing is the largest healthcare profession in the United States, and nurses spend more time with patients than other providers. A more highly educated nursing workforce is needed to play a greater role in the delivery of primary care and community-based services and to meet increasing demands for highly skilled care for an older and increasingly complex and diverse patient population, according to the IOM report. Studies have also linked higher nurse education levels with improved quality and safety of care and better patient outcomes.
Nuts for Health
Nuts used to be considered bad for you because they are high in fats. Yet people who eat nuts on a daily basis may live longer than those who do not. In a recent study, the Nurses' Health Study found that one daily serving of nuts was associated with a 20% lower mortality rate. The benefit was also observed for most major causes of death. People who ate nuts five or more times per week had a 29% reduction in deaths from heart disease, and an 11% reduction in deaths from cancer. Our findings are consistent with a wealth of existing data to support health benefits of nuts on many chronic diseases. We now appreciate that the specific fat types (unsaturated fats) and other nutrients in nuts (e.g., fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytosterols) are beneficial. These benefits confer cardioprotective, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Interestingly, a subsequent study of women in the Nurses Health Study II and their children in the Growing Up Today Study found that increased nut consumption by pregnant mothers (who were not themselves nut-allergic) was associated with lower risk of nut allergy in their children. This finding may help to alleviate the widespread worry that eating nuts during pregnancy will cause the child to develop a nut allergy.
WHO: Wider Use of Naloxone Could Prevent 20,000 U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Each Year
More than 20,000 U.S. deaths from drug overdoses could be prevented each year if naloxone were more widely available, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Approximately 69,000 people around the world die each year from overdoses of heroin or other opioids. Opioids are commonly prescribed for chronic noncancer pain and are the most addictive substances in common use. Naloxone can be used to counter opioid overdoses. "If opioids are easily available in people's bathroom cabinets, it might make sense for naloxone to be equally available," said WHO expert Nicolas Clark.
Quiz: Preventing Hospital Readmissions
Test your knowledge about unplanned hospital admissions on Medline, a free Web resource for healthcare providers. It is free, but registration is required. While you are there, catch up on daily health news and browse the free continuing-education courses. The quiz is available at: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/828773
National Wear Red Day: February 6, 2015
Heart disease is the Number 1 killer of women in the United States, claiming more lives than all forms of cancer combined. For more than 10 years, the American Heart Association has sponsored National Wear Red Day to raise awareness in the fight against heart disease in women.
Celebrate National Wear Red Day with Go Red for Women on Friday, February 6, 2015, to help fight women's Number 1 killer-heart disease. Join the movement nationwide and learn how you can honor women like you on this important day in the information below.
How Safe is Your Hospital?
Hospital Safety Scores are assigned to more than 2,500 hospitals across the nation twice annually. The Hospital Safety Score uses national performance measures from the Leapfrog Hospital Survey, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the American Hospital Association's Annual Survey and Health Information Technology Supplement. Taken together, those performance measures produce a single score representing a hospital's overall performance in keeping patients safe from preventable harm and medical errors. The Hospital Safety Score includes 28 measures, all currently in use by national measurement and reporting programs. You or your patients can visit http://www.hospitalsafetyscore.org/ to determine the safety score of your local hospital.
From NIH: Helping Older Adults Talk With Their Doctors
Do you work with seniors? Help them get the most out of their medical appointments with the new Talking With Your Doctor Presentation Toolkit. This free, easy-to-use resource from National Institutes of Health includes most everything you will need to lead a 45-minute workshop designed to help seniors prepare for a doctor's visit.
You do not need special expertise or training to use the toolkit. The presentation offers ideas that can help seniors effectively talk with doctors about health concerns, play an active role in treatment decisions, and remember what was discussed following the appointment. It includes tips to help you prepare for the presentation, encourage audience participation, and reinforce some of the points in the discussion.
Download the free toolkit-including slides, speaker's notes, and handouts-at http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/talking-your-doctor-presentation-toolk.