Health Tip – Audio Version – “A larger hole”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Healthy Vision Health Tip – Audio Version Health Tip – Audio Version (National Eye Institute)

How big is a golf hole?

Yeah, it’s a trick question. The answer seems to depend on how good you are.

Jessica Witt of Purdue University studies how athletes perceive things. She wanted to see how golfers saw the size of the hole. So Witt showed golfers a poster board with various sized holes, and asked them to estimate which was the size of the hole on the green. She also got information about how well they played.

“Golfers who reported lower scores selected the larger circles as matching the size of the hole, thus suggesting that they perceived the hole as larger.’’

Witt says perception isn’t just about seeing the hole – but it still pays to keep your eye on the ball, and the hole.

The study in the journal Psychonomic Bulletin and Review was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: August, 29 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Meningitis Health Tip – Audio Version 1”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Meningitis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

When meningitis develops, it can be bad stuff. The infection of the protective fluid and lining around the brain and spinal cord can be caused by a virus or bacteria, and the danger varies with the kind of infection. People generally get over the viral version in a few days. But the bacteria can cause brain damage, partial paralysis, or death.

Teens and young adults are particularly at risk, especially if they are living close together where the infection can spread, such as a college dorm.

That’s why it’s important for college students to be vaccinated before they start their freshman year.

Tom Clark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

“The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends one dose of meningococcal vaccine for all adolescents aged 11 to 18 years, at the earliest opportunity.’’

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 01 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Beating chickenpox”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Varicella (Chickenpox) Vaccination (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics find that widespread vaccination has driven down the rates of chickenpox cases, hospitalizations and deaths.

Although chickenpox generally is a mild childhood disease, the virus can open the path to very serious complications.

That’s why the dramatic drop that Jane Seward reports is important:

“Cases of chickenpox have declined in the range 80 to 90 percent from 1995 to 2005 or 2006.’’

Deaths from chickenpox are now rare, especially in children.

Seward reminds us that a two-shot chickenpox series is now recommended for children – and for adults. Adults who don’t have immunity from vaccination or chickenpox itself should get protected.

The study is in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ journal, Pediatrics.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 02 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Teens’ withdrawal”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Smoking and Youth (National Library of Medicine)

Starting to smoke is a lot easier than stopping. And a study finds teens who smoke just six cigarettes a day or less can have withdrawal symptoms when they go without a cigarette for only 24 hours.

Mark Rubinstein of the University of California, San Francisco examined how quickly teens break down nicotine in their bodies. He compared that rate to their withdrawal symptoms.

“The fact that we found withdrawal symptoms in such light smokers – kids who are smoking less than six cigarettes a day – to us is an indication that these early light smokers are already starting to become addicted.’’

The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 03 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “No Smoking: Baby Zone”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Smoking and How to Quit (Office on Women’s Health)

Smoking is dangerous for people, including women who have a child, or who are expecting one. But a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says almost one quarter of women ages 18 to 44 years smoke.

Researcher Shanta Dube says things are improving a bit. From 1996 to 2006, the percentage of women in these childbearing years who smoke dropped.

Smokers have a higher risk of heart disease and cancer, and their children face secondhand smoke, which could raise their risk of breathing problems and sudden infant death syndrome.

“Increase the risk to their unborn child, and increase the likelihood of spontaneous abortions, stillbirths and babies having low birthweight.’’

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 04 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Hardly working; working hard”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Physical Activity and Health (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

On any given day, about one quarter of adults are physically active in a sport, exercise or recreational activity. That’s nothing to brag about. It means 75 percent are not active.

“Participation in specific leisure-time activities is generally low among U.S. adults. On any given day, 3 percent of adults participated in sports, about one in eight adults participated in exercise, and about the same percentage participated in leisure activities or recreational activities.’’

But people who were being active usually got at least the 30 minutes of physical activity that they need for health. The survey data say many of them were working hard and got much more.

The study was in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 05 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Abused men”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Violence Prevention (Office on Women’s Health)

Men as well as women can be targets of domestic violence. People might not realize that. But Robert Reid of Group Health Center for Health Studies in Seattle says his research has the numbers.

Reid defines domestic violence as more than being hit. It includes threats and other controlling behavior. And he says the effects of the violence linger. For instance, depressive symptoms were three times as common in older men who had experienced abuse, compared with those who hadn’t.

“About 44 percent of men experienced domestic violence in their lifetime, about 10 percent in the last five years, and about 5 percent in the previous year.’’

The study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine was supported by HHS’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 08 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Sound advice”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Task Force Recommends Screening for Hearing Loss In All Newborns (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

All newborn infants should be tested for hearing loss before they are one month old. According to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the leading independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care, children who cannot hear clearly during infancy and early childhood can develop problems with speaking, learning, social skills and behavior compared with children with normal hearing.

“Screening for hearing loss should be part of every newborn infant’s health care evaluation. We found good evidence that newborn screening leads to earlier detection and treatment for those with hearing loss. This can improve their language skills, which can improve their overall development.’’

The Task Force recommends that infants who do not pass the screening at one month should receive further hearing and medical evaluation before they are 3 months old.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 09 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Sleeping on bad memories”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Information about Sleep (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)

Sleep seems to help us sort out what sets off our emotions.

Jessica Payne of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center shed some light on that. She showed people pictures designed to get an emotional reaction, such as a car crash on a street, and had them remember the pictures.

Payne says people who had not slept forgot the emotion-laden part, such as the crashed car, and the background, such as the street, at about the same rate.

“Sleep seemed to selectively consolidate for long-term memory only what was emotionally central about the scenes, and didn’t seem to care about the backgrounds.’’

The study in the journal Psychological Science was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 10 2008

Health Tip – Audio Version – “Time to plan”
Health Tip – Healthy Next Step – Be an Active Health Care Consumer (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

How do you choose a health plan? You should start by asking yourself a lot of questions. First,think about how much coverage you need. Are you single or do you have a family? Do you or a family member have a chronic condition? Then look at the health plans available to you and find out what types of doctors’ visits, surgery or hospital services are included in each plan. Are prescription drugs or visits to the dentist or eye doctor included? And how much are you going to pay out of pocket

“It takes some homework, sometimes a lot of homework, but it’s worth it. The bottom line is it’s important to know how the plan works. Don’t wait until you need health care to ask those important questions.’’

Health Tip courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Last revised: September, 11 2008