Infotrak

Elizabeth Saewyc, PhD, RN, FSAHM, FCAHS, FAAN, Professor of Nursing at the University of British Columbia conducted a recent survey that found that boys—not girls—are more likely to report being victims of dating violence committed by partners who hit, slap or push them. While there has been an overall decline in dating violence, she believes that it may still be socially acceptable for girls to hit or slap boys in dating relationships. She suggested that teenagers who date need more support and education programs to address this problem.

Gail J. McGovern, President & CEO of the American Red Cross discussed the Red Cross’ response to the catastrophic damage left by hurricane Michael. She outlined the greatest challenges faced by relief workers on the ground. She said the Red Cross’ greatest needs are blood donations, volunteers and financial donations.

Crime analyst Jeff Asher discussed his research into the connection between weather and gun violence. He found that twice as many people are shot in northern cities on hot days compared to cold ones. He also talked about the potential long term effects of climate change on crime rates.

Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D., gerontologist, psychologist, CEO of Age Wave, a company that conducts research on issues relating to aging populations discussed his recent survey that uncovered the staggering amount of financial support that parents are providing to their adult children. He found that 79% of parents are providing money to their children between age 18 and 34, and the average was $7,000 a year. He said that figure is twice the amount that parents are putting into their own retirement accounts. He explained the possible reasons behind this trend.

Suicide is a national public health issue that affects all Americans, but it is a particularly serious problem among both active duty service members and military veterans. Keita Franklin, PhD, Executive Director of Suicide Prevention for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs discussed the possible reasons behind this trend. She also talked about a new VA campaign intended to increase the availability of mental health and suicide prevention resources for at-risk veterans.

Jean M. Twenge, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, and author of the book iGen. According to her latest research, fewer than 20 percent of U.S. teens report reading a book, magazine or newspaper daily for pleasure, while more than 80 percent say they use social media every day. She noted that the decline in reading print media was especially steep. She explained why this is such cause for concern and what parents can do to counteract it.

Last year's flu season was one of the deadliest in the last 40 years, with an estimated 80,000 deaths in the U.S. Lisa Lockerd Maragakis, MD, MPH, Senior Director of Infection Prevention at the Johns Hopkins Health System in Baltimore explained why it is important to get a flu shot in October. She discussed the different types of flu vaccine available and dispelled some of the most common myths about it.

Amanda Dixon, Analyst and Senior Reporter at Bankrate.com outlined the results of a recent Bankrate.com survey that found that American households with the lowest incomes spend the most on items they don't need, such as lottery tickets, restaurant food and prepared drinks, like coffee and smoothies. She said even minor changes in a person’s spending can have a dramatic impact on their ability to build an emergency savings fund.

The impulse for parents to protect their children is strong, but Kevin Leman, PhD, psychologist, author of When Your Kid Is Hurting: Helping Your Child through the Tough Days said that very protection can end up handicapping them for life. He said that rather than seeking to save them from unhappiness or struggle, parents must teach their kids how to cope with and rise above their problems. He discussed the importance of listening and offered techniques to get kids to talk about their problems.

Nearly every American knows someone who has been affected by the opioid crisis. Ryan Hampton, recovering addict, author of American Fix: Inside the Opioid Addiction Crisis - and How to End It shared his story of addiction and recovery. He said 9 out of 10 Americans who need addiction treatment are not able to access it. He believes the nation’s approach to treatment needs to be reformed from the bottom to the top. He said billions of dollars of federal spending aimed at this problem are not making it to local communities

About every five days, a child in the U.S. dies from a train collision. Kristin Rosenthal, pedestrian and bike safety expert from Safe Kids Worldwide said young people, particularly teenagers, do not understand how dangerous railroad tracks and crossings are. She offered advice to parents to teach their kids to not walk or take selfies on railroad tracks, to not walk with earbuds in, and to never try to beat a train at a railroad crossing.

Kelsey Graham, PhD, pollinator conservation specialist at Michigan State University explained the importance of bees to the nation’s food supply. She also discussed the role that pesticides and climate change may be having on bee populations in North America. She outlined simple steps that people can take to increase bee populations in their communities.

Hilarie Gamm is a tech industry expert, and author of Billions Lost: The American Tech Crisis and The Road Map to Change Ms. Gamm explained why parents, educators, and employers urgently need to understand today’s generation of teens and young adults. She talked about the revolutionary effect that technological advances have had on education and the development of the human mind. She said every American needs to have a basic understanding of current technology because of the wide ranging ramifications these changes have on legislation, regulation and privacy.

In the year since the Equifax security breach, which exposed the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans, only 10 percent of consumers reported placing a freeze on their credit, according to a survey by NerdWallet and the Harris Poll. Liz Weston, Certified Financial Planner, personal finance columnist at Nerdwallet.com said, effective Sept. 21, consumers can freeze and unfreeze their credit files for free at all credit reporting agencies. She explained why it is particularly important for parents to freeze the credit of children under the age of 16.

Patricia Hunt, PhD Meyer Distinguished Professor in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University is the geneticist who discovered the dangers of the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in plastic products twenty years ago. Her latest study examined the effects of several BPA alternatives. She found that that these replacements impact reproduction in mice in much the same way as BPA. She offered advice to consumers on how to avoid products that may contain these hormone-disrupting compounds.

Alex M. Susskind, PhD, Associate Professor at the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University co-authored a study that found that diners at full service restaurants whose menus listed calories ordered fewer calories in their appetizer and entree courses. He said even the chefs at the restaurants in the study were startled by the high number of calories in some dishes. He said the study highlights the critical importance of information for consumers to make wise decisions.

KJ Dell'Antonia, editor of the Motherlode blog in the New York Times from 2011 until 2016 , and author of How to be a Happier Parent: Raising a Family, Having a Life, and Loving (Almost) Every Minute said that in her research and writing about family life over the years, one topic keeps coming up again and again: parents crave a greater sense of happiness in their daily lives. She discussed the most common problem areas that cause parents the most grief, and suggested steps parents can take to make them better.

Journalist Janet Murnaghan is author of Saving Sarah: One Mother's Battle Against the Health Care System to Save Her Daughter's Life. Ms. Murnaghan’s young daughter desperately needed a set of donor lungs. A set of lungs was available and there was nothing standing in the way medically, but a federal policy barred children under the age of 12 from receiving adult lungs. Ms. Murnaghan talked about her quest to save Sarah and other kids in similar situations. After a court fight and through the use of social media, she eventually convinced the government to change organ donation rules permanently.

Chris Bailey, productivity expert, and author of Hyperfocus: How to Be More Productive in a World of Distraction said that the human brain has two powerful modes that can be unlocked when we use our attention well: a focused mode and a creative mode. He explained how to unlock each of these mental modes in order to concentrate more deeply, think more clearly, and work and live more deliberately every day. He explained how to minimize distractions that can cause problems at work and in personal relationships.

American corporations are gradually becoming more socially responsible. Timothy J. Mohin, environmental advocate, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Advanced Micro Devices, author of Changing Business from the Inside Out: A Treehuggers Guide to Working in Corporations outlined the reasons behind this trend, and explained how “treehuggers” working inside the system can lead the effort. He said young professionals now view “having an impact” as a much more important career goal than many other more traditional priorities.