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Through government programs that included the expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food insecurity among low-income US adults dropped by nearly 5% during the pandemic but rose by 2022, according to a study today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The findings were based on results from the 2019, 2021, and 2022 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), a nationally representative survey from the National Center for Health Statistics; 2020 was excluded due to pandemic-related restrictions on conducting the survey. Adults aged 18 and older were included in the survey, and low-income adults were those with household incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty limit. (Soucheray, 1/2)

More than 225,000 low-income Texas women and young children are in danger of losing federal nutrition assistance as Congress battles over government funding, activists and the White House warn. In Texas, nearly 800,000 pregnant women and children under 5 years old rely on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, which helps low-income families access tools to boost infant nutrition. That includes nutrition counseling, help with breastfeeding, fresh produce and other nutrition assistance. (Choi, 1/3)

Nearly half of Black D.C. residents live in medically underserved areas — neighborhoods with a shortage of primary care services where the rates of heart disease, hypertension and other serious chronic conditions are more prevalent than in the rest of the city, a Washington Post analysis of federal data shows. The numbers underscore the troubled state of health outcomes for Black residents in the nation’s capital, who for decades have been disproportionately affected by ailments like heart disease, diabetes, asthma and HIV, despite a flurry of initiatives to stem the tide. That concern is especially acute in the low-income communities concentrated east of the Anacostia River, where outcomes are notably worse than for White, Asian and Latino residents citywide. (Brice-Saddler, Portnoy, Harden and Chen, 1/3)

One of the new laws that will probably affect the most people is called Earned Safe and Sick Time. It requires employers in Minnesota to provide employees one hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked. It’s capped at 48 hours each year. That means after six weeks, a worker could be eligible for an eight hour day off. (Wurzer, 1/2)

Minnesota schools are now required to provide access to free menstrual products to students in grades 4 through 12. It's one of several new laws now in effect in the new year. "It's been a long time coming," Erica Solomon Collins, executive director of the National Council of Jewish Women Minnesota, said. (Leone, 1/2)

In 2024, North Carolina’s leading child health and welfare advocates hope to build on some of last year’s successes and tackle other threats to children in the state. The Child Fatality Task Force, which is made up of volunteer experts in child health and safety, state agency leaders, community leaders and state legislators, has been working since 1991 to prevent child death and promote child well-being. (Fernandez, 1/3)

A number of states require places like gyms and sports arenas to keep automated external defibrillators (AEDs) on hand, but those laws have made little difference in how often the life-saving devices are deployed in emergencies, a new JAMA Internal Medicine study finds. (Reed, 1/3)

Â鶹ŮÓÅ Health News: California Is Poised To Protect Workers From Extreme Heat — Indoors 

The stifling heat inside some warehouses where workers might spend 10-hour days isn’t just a summer problem. In Southern California, it can feel like summer all year. It’s easy to break into a sweat and grow tired, workers say. The ventilation feels inconsistent, they say, and workers have testified in a public hearing about nosebleeds, nausea, and dizziness. In some warehouses, the walk to find a place to cool down is at least half a mile. (Young, 1/3)