Health News - Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Children who live in densely populated urban areas may be less likely to be overweight if they have parks and lawns in their neighborhoods, a U.S. study suggests.
This is probably because children are more active if they have access to green spaces that make physical activity more enjoyable, said lead author Dr. Gilbert Liu, of the Children's Health Services Research Program at Indiana University School of Medicine. The study, in the March/April issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion, included 7,334 children, ages 3 to 18, in Marion County, Ind. The researchers used body mass index to determine which children were overweight and also looked at the amount of green space and the number of food outlets (fast food restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores) around each child's home. Continue reading
Lung disease is associated with an increased risk of mental health problems, according to findings published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Dr. Renee D. Goodwin, of Columbia University, New York, and colleagues examined data from a representative sample of U.S. adults between the ages of 25 and 74 years. The subjects were enrolled in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from 1971 to 1975.
Measurements of lung function were performed and patients received a preliminary diagnosis of restrictive lung disease or obstructive lung disease. Evaluations of mental health were also conducted. The study included 642 subjects with restrictive lung disease, characterized by a decrease in exhaled airflow, such as asthma, emphysema or bronchitis; 68 with obstructive lung disease, a decrease in total volume of air that the lungs can hold, which can result from loss of elasticity of the lung or problems with the expansion of the chest wall during inhalation; and 4,776 with normal lung function. Continue reading
Scientists who have proposed a controversial theory that surgery to remove a breast tumor may actually help the cancer to spread said on Wednesday their ideas may also explain why black women have been more likely to die of breast cancer in the past.
While they stressed that women should always get screening and quick treatment for breast cancer, they said their theory could also help explain the belief, widespread in parts of Africa and the United States, that removing a tumor can hasten death. "I must say that I am sure there is more to this than just a myth," said Michael Retsky of Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. His latest hypothesis, which he admits is not supported by any new direct research, is published in the International Journal of Surgery. Continue reading