Infotrak

A study of suicides and alcohol and drug-related deaths shows a disturbing rise in these “deaths of despair” over the past year. Casey B. Mulligan, PhD, Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago, explains how the deaths of elderly people diagnosed with COVID-19 differs from the rising self-destruction of younger Americans in 2020.

Over half of adult Americans--who already owed money on their credit cards--added more to their card debt in the past year. Ted Rossman, Industry Analyst at CreditCards.com, shares the findings of a recent survey that shows the millennial generation was hit hardest.

A recent study suggests that without the right messaging, wearing masks could actually lead to more COVID-19 infections. Eline van den Broek-Altenburg, PhD, Assistant Professor and Vice Chair for Population Health Science at the University of Vermont, found that mask mandates often cause people to increase the number of daily contacts they have with other humans, which is a key risk factor driving transmission of the disease.

Is your tap water safe to drink?  It's common knowledge that chemicals are used to treat the your community’s water supply. But Carsten Prasse, PhD, Professor of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, found that the use of some of these chemicals, such as chlorine, can also lead to the formation of hundreds of unregulated toxic byproducts.

The pandemic has changed many things. One troubling trend is that some parents wait longer before bringing their sick children to the emergency room. Michelle Macy, MD, Pediatric Emergency Care Specialist at Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University, offers examples of the most common ER visits that were left untreated and why this is such a great concern.

How we spend and save our money is influenced by psychological factors and ingrained habits according to Rachel Cruze, personal finance expert and author of “Know Yourself, Know Your Money: Discover WHY You Handle Money the Way You Do, and WHAT to Do About It!”

Women face a 20% higher risk than men of death or heart failure during the five years following a heart attack. What are the reasons? And how can survival rates be improved? Justin Ezekowitz, MBBCh, MSc, Co-Director, Canadian VIGOUR Centre, Director of Cardiovascular Research and Professor in the Division of Cardiology at the University of Alberta, outlines the reasons and possible solutions.

When families in America don't have enough food to eat, they not only suffer from hunger, but other problems too, such as fatigue and depression. Jason Nagata, MD, MSc, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco, explains why the pandemic lockdowns have only made things worse.

Black children are removed from their families for abuse and neglect at much greater rates than any other ethnic group. Mical Raz, M.D., Ph.D., M.Sc., from the University of Rochester, and author of “Abusive Policies: How the American Child Welfare System Lost its Way” discusss the role of race, poverty and substance abuse in the issue.

What's the best source of renewable power generation, solar wind or something else? Harrison Fell, PhD, Associate Professor of Energy Economics at North Carolina State University, shared the results of his study that found that the environmental benefits vary significantly, depending on what type of conventional power generation that the renewable energy is replacing

Is there a better option than Social Security to fund the retirement of Americans? Financial expert and author Ric Edelman thinks so! He says it starts with a small investment when a child is born and grows through their lifetime.

While COVID-19 has been the focus of so much attention this year, the opioid crisis has continued unabated and has even worsened, as more than 40 states have reported increases. Bb>Tyler Oesterle, MD, MPH, Psychiatrist, expert in chemical dependency treatment at Mayo Clinic, explains the factors driving the increasing rates of substance abuse, and how to recognize when a loved one is struggling with addiction.

When the pandemic finally ends, some schools plan to continue virtual learning, though some parents question its effectiveness. Heather Schwartz, Director of the Pre-K to 12 Educational Systems Program at RAND, a nonprofit research organization, says about two in ten school districts have already adopted or are considering adopting virtual schools after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

t's a serious threat to life as we know it. It's called an electromagnetic pulse or EMP. Without government steps to protect the national electrical grid, all of us remain at risk. Peter Vincent Pry, PhD, Executive Director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security, and author of “EMP Manhattan Project: Organizing for Survival Against an Electromagnetic Pulse Catastrophe” says up to 90% of the US population would be dead within a year after such an event.

The COVID-19 lockdowns harmed all Americans, but blacks were hit hardest. When will things improve? Diana Enriquez, doctoral candidate in the Department of Sociology, Princeton University, believes the outlook is still difficult for black households as the economy continues to struggle from government-ordered closings.

There may be a solution to overcrowded hospital emergency rooms: telemedicine. Shujing Sun, PhD, Assistant Professor of Information Systems in The Naveen Jindal School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas, led a study that found that minor health issues and even some serious conditions like strokes can be managed remotely.

Treating older adults in ways that are less fair--otherwise known as age bias--is a widespread problem. William Chopik, PhD, Assistant Professor of Psychology, Michigan State University, says as age bias increases, Medicare costs increase, while access to senior care drops.

The coronavirus has slammed businesses of all kinds, including fitness clubs which have been hit hard. Will gyms and fitness centers survive the pandemic? As new lockdowns loom, Nick Rizzo, from RunRepeat.com says only 31 percent of gym members have returned to their fitness clubs thus far, a more dismal result than gym owners expected.

Today's technology is transformative, but Justin Reich, PhD, from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and author of “Failure to Disrupt: Why Technology Alone Can’t Transform Education,” says today's assessment technology does a poor job of measuring whether a child is truly learning.

The current flu season presents a unique challenge to doctors as COVID-19 cases continue to climb. William Schaffner, MD, Professor of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt University, outlines the similarities and differences between the flu and COVID-19. He also addresses reports that cases of influenza appear to have plummeted by 98% across the globe.