Graph of the Day: Adult obesity rates in the United States, 1990-2017

14 September 2018 (Trust for America’s Health) – According to the most recent Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data, adult obesity rates now exceed 35% in seven states, 30% in 29 states and 25% in 48 states. West Virginia has the highest adult obesity rate at 38.1% and Colorado has the lowest at 22.6%. […]

As opioid crisis raged, Insys pushed higher doses of addictive drug and pushed salespeople to “own” doctors – “Don’t Forget the Doses”

By Emma Court 21 October 2018 (MarketWatch) – To sell addictive opioids, sales representatives were encouraged to “own” doctors, keeping a close eye on how and how much they prescribe. Speaker programs that helped drive sales left out safety problems and, in one instance, didn’t say that Insys, the drug’s manufacturer, was sponsoring the event. […]

Growing “ecological grief” is the mental health cost of climate change – Rising rates of anxiety, anger, and sadness follow extreme weather and global warming

By Duncan McCue 21 October 2018 (CBC Radio) – Monika Willner had only five minutes to pack her family’s pets and precious items, before fleeing the wildfire that raged in their backyard. The fire still haunts her two months later. “I suffer from bad dreams and nightmares, waking up at night, screaming, seeing the fire,” […]

Opioid crisis: Incalculable pain and a $1 trillion hit to the U.S.

By Irina Ivanova 24 October 2018 (CBS News) – President Donald Trump is set Wednesday to sign another bill that aims to stem America’s opioid crisis. It comes as overdose deaths from the drugs have continued to surge. Roughly 70,000 people died from overdoses last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, […]

Austin urged to boil water as Texas flood shuts down treatment plants – Wettest autumn on record in Dallas

By Mark D. Wilson 22 October 2018 (The Statesman) – Silt and debris from floodwaters have overwhelmed Austin’s ability to produce clean water, prompting an unprecedented citywide alert Monday that urged residents to avoid drinking tap water without boiling it first. By Monday evening, the situation led to a run on bottled water supplies at […]

Record measles outbreak raging in Europe – “It’s unacceptable to have in the 21st century diseases that should have been and could have been eradicated”

By Lauren Dunn and Linda Carroll 21 October 2018 (NBC News) – A raging measles outbreak in Europe may be a warning sign of what could occur in the U.S. if something doesn’t change soon, experts say. So far this year, there have been 41,000 cases in Europe and 40 deaths, according to the World […]

The shocking numbers behind America’s opioid epidemic – “The hard truth is that, unless bold action is taken, the opioid epidemic is projected to claim nearly 500,000 lives over the next decade”

By Nick Routley 13 October 2018 (Visual Capitalist) – Drug overdoses are the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, who are now more likely to die from a drug overdose than from car accidents or firearms. The United States has the dubious distinction of having the highest percentage of drug-related […]

U.S. has the highest maternal death rate in the developed world – “It should not be allowed to continue. It is America’s shame.”

By Chris Heide 24 August 2018 (Second Nexus) – A USA TODAY report has determined that the United States has become the “most dangerous place to give birth in the developed world.”More than 700 women in the United States die from complications directly related to childbirth each year. In addition, more than 50,000 American women […]

Children in indefinite detention in Greek island camps attempting suicide and self-harm – “At this level of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions, the risk of disease outbreaks is very high”

ATHENS, Greece, 17 September 2018 (MSF) – Medical teams working with asylum seekers on Greek islands are seeing multiple cases each week of minors who have attempted suicide or otherwise harmed themselves, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said today, calling for the immediate evacuation of vulnerable people, especially children, […]

New data: Adult obesity rates top 35 percent in seven U.S. states – As recently as 2012, no state was over 35 percent

WASHINGTON, DC, 12 September 2018 (Trust for America’s Health) – Seven U. S. states had adult obesity rates at or above 35 percent in 2017, up from five states in 2016, and no state had a statistically significant improvement in its obesity rate over the past year, according to new national data reported in the […]

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