Moderate alcohol intake reduces gallstone risk – two units of alcohol per day reduces the risk of developing gallstones by a third. – Health researchers at the University of East Anglia have found that drinking two units of alcohol per day reduces the risk of developing gallstones by a third.
“Hidden Health Tax” for Family Health Coverage Climbed to $1,017 in 2008 – The “Hidden Health Tax” Is the Undisclosed Premium Surcharge that Pays for the Uncompensated Health Care Costs of the Uninsured. – The so-called “hidden health tax” for family health coverage grew to $1,017 in 2008 according to a report released today by the consumer health organization Families USA.
Reduced physical activity and increased energy intake have been major drivers of the obesity epidemic. – A study presented on Friday at the European Congress on Obesity is the first to examine the question of the proportional contributions to the obesity epidemic by combining metabolic relationships, the laws of thermodynamics, epidemiological data and agricultural data.
Survey finds nearly half of Americans concerned they or their family may get sick from swine flu. – Following the declaration of a public health emergency due to the new H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, the Harvard Opinion Research Program at the Harvard School of Public Health conducted a poll about how concerned Americans are about the outbreak, how they are responding and what they believe about transmission, prevention and treatment.
Avalere Health Finds New Plan to Reform Medicare Post-Acute and Long Term Care System Could Save U.S. Approximately $35 Billion Over Ten Years – Saying the opportunity now exists for the Obama Administration and Congress to both enhance U.S. seniors’ care choices as well as save approximately $35 billion over ten years by adopting a new Medicare post-acute and long term care reform plan, the nation’s leading long term care advocacy organizations today warned any broad-based reform of the nation’s health care system in the months ahead will be incomplete without including long term and post-acute care.
A US Paralysis Population Survey Shows Over a Million More Paralyzed Than Previously Estimated. – A survey of over 33,000 households released shows that 40 percent more Americans live with paralysis and over five times the number of Americans live with spinal cord injury than previously estimated.
Universal health insurance coverage may reduce persistent disparities in Americans from different racial, socioeconomic or ethnic groups. – Health care disparities in the U.S. have long been noted, with particular attention paid to the gaps separating racial and economic groups.
Chronic insomnia with short sleep duration is a significant risk factor for hypertension. Findings suggest that chronic insomnia is a major public health concern, and its diagnosis and appropriate treatment should become the target of public health policy. – Chronic insomnia with objectively measured short sleep time is an independent and clinically significant risk factor for hypertension.
Public transit users 3 times more likely to meet fitness guidelines: UBC research – A new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia suggests taking public transit may help you keep fit.
Lack of strategies to manage MRI wait lists a key reason for excessive wait times – A new study headed by Dr. Tom Feasby, Dean of UCalgary’s Faculty of Medicine, shows that while Canada lags behind other countries in the number of diagnostic imaging devices, more machines are not the only solution to long wait times.
