Illustration of a woman with a face mask
COVID, Prevention, Public Health

Yes, masks reduce the risk of spreading COVID, despite a review saying they don’t

An updated Cochrane Review published last week is the latest to suggest face masks don’t work in the community.

However there are problems with the review’s methodology and its underpinning assumptions about transmission. Well-designed real-world studies during the pandemic showed any mask reduces the risk of COVID transmission by 50–80%, with the highest protection offered by N95 respirators.

Measles, Public Health, Vaccines

NEW CASE OF MEASLES IN KING COUNTY

The individual was at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Providence Swedish First Hill while infectious. Anyone who was at these locations within the time span that this person passed through may have been exposed to measles.

Prevention, Social Determinants of Health, Wellness

Marriage provides health benefits – and here’s why

One theory that seeks to explain the link between marriage and health is the act of self-selection. Simply put, people who are wealthier and healthier than average are more likely not only to get married but also to find a partner who is wealthier and healthier than average. While this may be part of the story, marriage also provides partners with a sense of belonging, more opportunities for social engagement and reduced feelings of loneliness. This social integration, or the extent to which people participate in social relationships and activities, can greatly influence health – from reducing the risk of hypertension and heart disease to lowering one’s risk of death or suicide.

Prevention

AMA offers 10 health recommendations for new year

Many people kick off the start of each new year with big-picture health resolutions—ambitious, immediate lifestyle changes that are very difficult to maintain,” said AMA President Jack Resneck, Jr., M.D. “The good news is that small, positive health choices made right now can have long-lasting effects.”

Dialysis, Fitness, Heart and Circulatory System, Weight Loss

Sitting all day is terrible for your health – now, a new study finds a relatively easy way to counteract it

To reduce the harmful health effects of sitting, take a five-minute light walk every half-hour. We found that a five-minute light walk every half-hour was the only strategy that reduced blood sugar levels substantially compared with sitting all day. In particular, five-minute walks every half-hour reduced the blood sugar spike after eating by almost 60%. That strategy reduced blood pressure by four to five points compared with sitting all day. But shorter and less frequent walks improved blood pressure too. Even just a one-minute light walk every hour reduced blood pressure by five points.

Child Health, Measles, Vaccines

Child Vaccination Rates, Already Down Because of COVID, Fall Again

Child vaccination rates dipped into dangerous territory during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when schools were shuttered, and most doctors were only seeing emergency patients. But instead of recovering after schools reopened in 2021, those historically low rates worsened. Experts fear that the skepticism of science and distrust of government that flared up during the pandemic are contributing to the decrease.