Training A Generation Of Gun Safety Advocates: Johns Hopkins Holds Intensive Course For High Schoolers From Around The Country
Inspired by the Parkland students who started a global movement after the mass shooting at their high school, Daniel Webster, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, said he wanted to tap into that activist base and help more teenagers become advocates. Public health news focuses on childhood malnutrition, breastfeeding, a new talc trial, caregiving, stillbirths, therapy cows and healthy hearts, as well.
The student from Birmingham, Ala., came because she wants to 鈥渟tir up tough conversations鈥 about gun control in a deep-red state. The teenager from Los Angeles was there because she is sick of learning how to prepare for a school shooting instead of how to prevent one. The boy from Baltimore came because he is tired of bullets ripping through his neighborhood as he tries to sleep. (Richman, 7/11)
Nearly half of all deaths worldwide in children under the age of 5 is from malnutrition. And those who manage to survive suffer long-term consequences, such as stunted growth and delays in neurodevelopment. From nutrition bars to energy supplements, the current standards for addressing the nutrition gap focus on providing the recommended amount of calories as well as individual nutrients. (Chakradhar, 7/11)
Not enough breastfeeding costs the global economy almost $1 billion each day due to lost productivity and healthcare costs, researchers said on Friday, as health experts urged more support for nursing mothers. A new website developed by researchers in Canada and Asia showed that the world could have saved $341 billion each year if mothers breastfeed their children for longer, helping prevent early deaths and various diseases. Known as the 鈥淐ost of Not Breastfeeding鈥, the online tool used data from a six-year study supported by the U.S.-based maternal and child nutrition initiative, Alive & Thrive. (Yi, 7/12)
Johnson & Johnson deserves a new trial after a jury ordered the world鈥檚 largest maker of healthcare products to pay $417 million to a woman who blamed the company鈥檚 iconic baby powder for causing her cancer, an appeals court concluded. Although there was sufficient evidence to uphold the jury鈥檚 finding that a J&J unit improperly failed to warn Eva Echeverria about the health risks of talc-based powder, conflicting evidence about the product鈥檚 cancer links warrants another trial, the Los Angeles court said Tuesday. (Feeley and Pettersson, 7/10)
Over the course of two decades, 53-year-old Guillermo Argueta鈥檚 diabetes developed into cataracts and later resulted in kidney failure. That was when his sister, Ana Argueta, realized that his care was more than she could take on. So Guillermo鈥檚 daughter Lorena stepped up. At just 26 years old, she became her father鈥檚 primary caregiver this May. 鈥淗is health issues were in decline,鈥 says the Houston medical scheduler. 鈥淭wo months ago, he was at stage 2 kidney disease, and now he鈥檚 at stage 5.鈥 (Trevino, 7/10)
When pregnancies last for 40 weeks or longer, there is an increase in the risk of stillbirth and neonatal death, a large review of studies has found. The meta-analysis also found that prolonging pregnancy beyond 40 weeks did not reduce the risk for death in the baby鈥檚 first month of life. Current practice in the United States is to induce labor at 41 weeks. (Bakalar, 7/11)
Even without a psychology degree, Bella鈥檚 natural talents made her an excellent therapist: She is calm and accommodating of a range of personalities, with the patience to listen to endless problems without so much as a judgmental moo. From a lush, secluded pasture on the Mountain Horse Farm, a 33-acre bed-and-breakfast in the Finger Lakes region of New York, 3-year-old Bella and 2-year-old Bonnie are the highlander-angus crossbred cows that provide animal-based therapy. (Mala, 7/12)
Cutting just 300 calories from your daily diet could significantly benefit your cardiovascular health, even if you're already at a healthy weight, according to a new study. Such caloric restriction can be achieved through techniques such as intermittent fasting, or by skipping that slice of cheesecake for dessert. (Howard, 7/11)