Fran Kritz

Little Changes Seen in Fast Food Portion Sizes Since 1996

A new study by researchers at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University shows portion sizes of fast foods did not change much between 1996 and 2013. The USDA researchers analyzed the calorie, sodium, saturated fat and trans fat content of cheeseburgers, french fries, cola beverages and grilled chicken sandwiches at three national fast-food chains between 1996 and 2013. They found that average calories, sodium, and saturated fat stayed fairly constant—and high, except for declines in the trans fat content of fresh fries since about 2006.

Doctor Visits May not Provide Enough Information on a Child to Prompt a Needed Autism Referral

By Fran Kritz

A new study by researchers at Brigham Young University finds that many pediatric checkups don’t provide enough information about the children being examined to determine that a child is autistic. According to the researchers, during such a short window many children show mostly typical behavior and so may not get a referral for additional testing for autism.

New Initiatives Set to Increase Health Coverage for Undocumented Immigrants in California

By Fran Kritz

President Obama’s executive action on immigration, announced last month, could potentially come with a much sweeter — and healthier — deal for undocumented immigrants in California than in the rest of the country.

Brain Abnormality May Cause Some Cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

By Fran Kritz

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a condition that results in the death of thousands of babies in the U.S. each year, may be linked to a brain abnormality in some cases, according to a new study.

New Study Finds Ride-on Scooters Lead the Pack for Toy Injures in Kids

By Fran Kritz

About 3.3 million children were treated in U.S. emergency rooms for a toy-related injury between 1990 and 2011, says a new study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

Disabled Teens More Likely to be Obese and Use Extreme Weight Loss Measures

By Fran Kritz

Teenagers with physical or mental disabilities are more likely to be obese compared to teens who don’t have disabilities, according to new research presented at the recent American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans.

Young Adults Who Regularly Spend Time in Bars are More Likely to Smoke

By Fran Kritz

Young adults who frequent bars are at least twice as likely to smoke as young adults in the general population, according to a study presented at the recent annual meeting of the American Public Health Association.

Over Half of Seniors with Serious Memory Loss or Dementia Have Never Been Tested

By Fran Kritz

More than half of seniors with memory loss or dementia have never been tested for either condition, according to a study by researchers at the University of Michigan. The researchers say that their study can be extrapolated to show that as many as 1.8 million Americans over the age of 70 with dementia are not evaluated for symptoms of cognitive decline, which means that drugs or other options to help slow the decline are not being accessed by many people who could benefit from them.

Talk Therapy Helps Reduce Suicide Risk

By Fran Kritz

Repeat suicide attempts and deaths by suicide dropped by 25 percent in a study of Danish people who had six to ten psychosocial counseling sessions after a suicide attempt.

Obese Kids Often Mistake Symptoms and Overuse Asthma Drugs

By Fran Kritz

A new study finds that obese kids with asthma may mistake being breathless for an asthma attack, which can lead to unnecessary use of asthma inhalers.

Author: Fran Kritz

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