Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Precision Medicine Initiative Seeks Partners In Research, Not Just 'Human Subjects'
Government scientists are seeking a million volunteers willing to share the innermost secrets of their genes and daily lives as part of an ambitious 10-year research project to understand the causes and cures of disease. Those selected to be members of the 鈥減recision medicine cohort鈥 will be asked to provide a detailed medical history and blood samples so researchers can extract DNA. They will also be asked to report information about themselves 鈥 including their age, race, income, education, sexual orientation and gender identity, officials said. (Pear, 7/23)
In other public health news,聽sitting聽increases heart disease risk if it's for more than聽10 hours a day, teenagers see e-cigarettes as cool and a new study looks at football players' severe head trauma聽鈥
Being sedentary in moderation is unlikely to cause heart disease, according to a new review of past research. Researchers concluded that only very high levels of sedentary time 鈥 more than 10 hours a day 鈥 are linked to an increased risk of heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular-disease-related death. Compared with sitting for less than three waking hours a day, more than 10 hours of sedentary time was tied to an 8 percent increase in the risk of developing heart disease, according to results in JAMA Cardiology. (7/24)
A recent study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal claims the vibe of "cool/fun/something new鈥 is what鈥檚 motivating kids to try e-cigarettes. Many of my friends crave new experiences and sensations; plus, who doesn't want to break the rules once in a while? According to the CDC, in 2015, 16 percent of high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the last month. For comparison, teen cigarette use is the lowest it's been in 40 years, reports the CDC, with just 9 percent of high schoolers reporting smoking in the last 30 days. (Michaels, 7/22)
In football, player-vs.-player hits will likely cause more severe head impacts than other impacts, according to a new study by a University of Georgia researcher. The research also points to potential rule changes to further protect players. The study, which is published in the most recent issue of the journal Pediatrics, analyzed nearly 7,000 head impacts during 13 games in a high school football team鈥檚 season and post-season. (Morales, 7/22)
