Poor neighborhoods, health care barriers are factors for heart disease risk in Black mothers

Living in a disadvantaged neighborhood contributes to a rare form of heart failure known as peripartum cardiomyopathy, a potentially deadly disease that disproportionately affects Black mothers. That’s the key finding…

Simple strategies can boost vaccination rates for adults over 65 − new study

Knowing which vaccines older adults should get and hearing a clear recommendation from their health care provider about why a particular vaccine is important strongly motivated them to get vaccinated.…

Philly’s street fentanyl contains an industrial chemical called BTMPS that’s an ingredient in plastic

As much as half of the fentanyl sold on Philly’s streets contains an industrial chemical used in plastics manufacturing. That’s according to our November 2024 testing of fentanyl samples collected…

Many gluten-free foods are high in calories and sugar, low on fiber and protein, and they cost more − new research

U.S. consumers often pay more for gluten-free products, yet these items typically provide less protein and more sugar and calories compared with gluten-containing alternatives. That is the key finding of…

Rural Americans don’t live as long as those in cities − new research

Rural Americans – particularly men – are expected to live significantly shorter, less healthy lives than their urban counterparts, according to our research, recently published in the Journal of Rural…

With more Americans able to access legalized marijuana, fewer are picking up prescriptions for anti-anxiety medications – new research

In states where both medical and recreational marijuana are legal, fewer patients are filling prescriptions for medications used to treat anxiety. That is the key finding of my recent study,…

Providing driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants improves birth outcomes, research shows

When states give driver’s licenses to undocumented immigrants, it affects nondrivers, too — even the littlest ones. Babies born to immigrants from Mexico and Central America are bigger and healthier…

Black adults with long COVID report higher levels of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts − new research

Black adults living with long COVID pointed to challenges with their physical health – rather than their mental health – when asked to describe their long-COVID symptoms. That is one…

208 million Americans are classified as obese or overweight, according to new study synthesizing 132 data sources

Nearly half of adolescents and three-quarters of adults in the U.S. were classified as being clinically overweight or obese in 2021. The rates have more than doubled compared with 1990.…

Light exercise can yield significant cognitive benefits, new research shows

Everyday physical activity, like going for a short walk or playing with the kids, may provide short-term benefits for cognitive health, equivalent to reversing four years of cognitive aging. That…