USA Today (7/11, Weintraub) reports, “Racism contributes to childhood obesity, according to” findings published online in JAMA Network Open, revealing that “children as young as nine were more likely to meet the definition of obesity if they faced racism a year earlier.” The study revealed “large racial differences in the obesity rates of more than 6,000 children ages 9-11.” For example, “less than 7% of children who identified as white met the medical definition for having obesity, compared to 9% of Asian Americans, 18% of Hispanics of any race, 21% of Native Americans or Alaskan natives and more than 24% of Black Americans.”

Related Links:

— “A catalyst for childhood obesity: How racism has ‘huge implications’ for health trajectory,”Karen Weintraub, USA Today, July 11, 2023

HealthDay (7/11, Gotkine) reports, “Deaths due to opioid toxicity increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a study.” Results show “that there was a 289 percent increase in the number of unintentional deaths due to opioid toxicity, from 19,395 to 75,477.” Between 2011 and 2021, “the percentage of all deaths that were attributed to opioid toxicity increased from 1.8 to 4.5 percent.” Additionally, “by 2021, opioid toxicity was responsible for 10.2, 21.7, and 21.0 percent of deaths among those aged 15 to 19, 20 to 29, and 30 to 39 years, respectively.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Deaths Due to Opioid Toxicity Up in U.S. During COVID-19,”Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, July 11, 2023

Psychiatric News (7/11) reports, “Between 2007 and 2016, psychiatrists who were accepting new patients participated in insurance networks at lower rates than physicians who were not psychiatrists,” according to findings published online July 10 in Psychiatric Services, a publication of the American Psychiatric Association. The report “also revealed that the gap in insurance acceptance between psychiatrists and nonpsychiatrists was wider for Medicare and Medicaid than for private insurance.” Researchers arrived at these conclusions after analyzing “10 years of data (January 2007 to December 2016) from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey.”

Related Links:

— “Study Highlights Gaps in Insurance Acceptance Between Psychiatrists, Other Physicians, Psychiatric News, July 11, 2023

Healio (7/11, Bascom) reports, “The prevalence of suicide ideation is comparable across people of all racial and ethnic groups who have alcohol use disorder” (AUD), “but those from underrepresented groups are less likely to be diagnosed,” according to findings published online June 19 ahead of print in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Utilizing “National Emergency Department Sample data from 2019, the researchers learned that patients from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations had significantly fewer suicide ideation diagnoses, which they wrote is ‘a key step in” emergency department “‘suicide prevention care,’ than white patients.”

Related Links:

— “Study reveals ‘concerning’ racial, ethnic disparities for suicide ideation diagnoses,”Emma Bascom, Healio, July 11, 2023

According to the Washington Post (7/11, Solano), “parents are suffering from anxiety and depression at roughly the same rate as teens,” according to findings from a June 2023 report (PDF) based on surveys conducted late last year by Harvard University researchers. The surveys found that “18 percent of teens said they suffered from anxiety, while 20 percent of mothers and 15 percent of fathers did.” At the same time, “15 percent of teens reported to have depression, compared with 16 percent of mothers and 10 percent of fathers.”

The Hill (7/11, de Visé) reports, “Researchers estimate” in the report “that more than one-third of teens have a parent suffering from anxiety or depression,” while “two-fifths of teens voiced concern about a parent’s mental health.”

Related Links:

— “The Washington Post (requires login and subscription)

The Intelligencer reports on the experience of Dr. Dan Hurley, an ear, nose, and throat physician with over 20 years of experience, with prior authorization requirements delaying his care in significant ways to illustrate the difficulties many have with the prior authorization process. The article summarizes the history of prior authorization from the 1960s to the present. AMA Immediate Past President Jack Resneck Jr., MD, said that prior authorization has “really become a tool to clearly delay and deny care for our patients.” Resneck added, “In the meantime, the patients aren’t getting treated, and we know that a significant portion of those patients give you up. So their diabetes, their depression, their hypertension, or whatever it is just gets worse.”

Related Links:

— “The Two Words That Can Make Health Care a Nightmare Prior authorization buries doctors in paperwork and delays care, sometimes with disastrous results.,”Chris Stanton, Intelligencer, July 10, 2023

CNN (7/10, LaMotte) reports, “As little as 20 minutes of moderate activity a day for five days a week can significantly lower the risk of depressive symptoms for people over 50 who have conditions often linked to depression, such as diabetes, heart disease and chronic pain,” investigators concluded in findings published online July 10 in JAMA Network Open. The study “followed more than 4,000 Irish adults with an average age of 61 for 10 years.”

Psychiatric News (7/10) reports, “Adults who performed vigorous activity…had a 20% lower rate of depressive symptoms and 44% lower odds of major depression compared with the low physical activity group.”

Related Links:

— “Certain conditions can impact how much exercise you need to ease depression, study finds,”Sandee LaMotte, CNN, July 10, 2023

HealthDay (7/10, Mozes) reports, “Even slow walking can help improve…mental and physical health, say the British researchers who tracked more than 1,400 adults age 60 and up.” In contrast, “shifting to more sedentary habits after age 60 significantly hurt seniors’ quality of life,” the study revealed. The findings of the 1,433-older adult study were published online in the journal Health and Quality of Life Outcomes.

Related Links:

— “Want a Healthier, Happier Old Age? Get Moving,”Alan Mozes, HealthDay, July 10, 2023

Healio (7/10, Herpen) reports, “Children and adolescents diagnosed with anxiety, depression or both had greater headache-related disability compared with those without,” investigators concluded in a study that “included more than 8,000 individuals aged six to 17…asked to complete an outpatient neurology visit questionnaire relating to behavioral health, the pedMIDAS scale regarding headache-related disability, as well as a range of headache characteristics.” The findings were presented in a poster at the American Headache Society annual meeting.

Related Links:

— “Anxiety, depression linked to greater headache-related disability in pediatric population,”Robert Herpen, Healio, July 10, 2023

HealthDay (7/7, Murez) reported, “The use of antipsychotic medication in children is continuing to plummet, likely because of better policies and education,” investigators concluded after examining “Medicaid claims data between 2008 and 2016, looking at the off-label usage of these medications.” The study revealed “a 43% drop in antipsychotic prescriptions for Medicaid-enrolled children in 45 states, a stark contrast from the sharp rise in the 2000s.” The study authors concluded, “The decline we observed likely reflects the convergence of multiple state safer-use policies along with educational initiatives and the implementation of quality metrics for safe antipsychotic prescribing.” The findings were published in the July issue of the journal Health Affairs.

Related Links:

— “Fewer Kids Are Being Prescribed Antipsychotic Meds,”Cara Murez, HealthDay, July 7, 2023