USA Today (11/13, Szabo) reports that the National Health Interview Survey (pdf) “has found a big jump in the number of children with autism, although researchers caution that the increase is likely due to the way that questions were asked.” The “annual survey” now reveals that “more than 2.2% of children ages three to 17 – about one in 45 – have autism.”

The Los Angeles Times (11/13, Healy) reports in “Science Now” that the report, which was prepared by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, points out that “from 2011 to 2013, the National Survey of Children’s Health found that 1.25% of US children had” an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The new figure of 2.24% “reflects changes in surveying techniques designed to prod parents’ memories for past diagnoses their children may have” received. It now “appears parents who in the past would have reported an intellectual disability or other neurocognitive disorder in a child now are more likely to report autism spectrum disorder.”

The AP (11/13, Stobbe) reports that the CDC previously estimated that one in 68 children may have ASD, but “the lower CDC estimate is from researchers checking health and school records for more than 47,000 children.” Nevertheless, “the one in 68 [figure] will still be treated as the best estimate, said Michael Rosanoff, director of public health research for the advocacy group Autism Speaks,” even though “the new number supports a belief that one in 68 is an underestimate, he added.”

The NBC News (11/13, Fox) website reports that the new “findings fit in with other studies seeking to show whether autism is actually occurring more frequently, or simply being recognized and diagnosed more often.” Recently, researchers from Penn State University “also found that children are being reclassified from something broad, like pervasive developmental disorder, to the more specific autism.” Bloomberg News (11/13, Tozzi) and LiveScience (11/13, Nierenberg) also cover the story.

Related Links:

— “Study finds more than 2% of children have autism,” Liz Szabo, USA Today, November 13, 2015.

The New York Times (11/11, Lucchesi) “Well” blog reported that a study published online June 4 in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compass “found that those who were overweight or obese were more likely to report problems like depression, anxiety, substance abuse and low self-esteem if they had experienced weight-based discrimination in the past.”

Related Links:

— “Is Fat Stigma Making Us Miserable?,” Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, New York Times, November 11, 2015.

HealthDay (11/10, Preidt) reports, “Young women who weigh themselves frequently may be at risk for depression,” a study published in the November/December issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior suggests. Researchers arrived at this conclusion after tracking the “weight and psychological well-being of” some “1,900 young adults” for 10 years. Medical Daily (11/10, Scutti) also covers the study.

Related Links:

— “Frequent Self-Weighing by Young Women Linked to Depression,” Robert Preidt, HealthDay, November 9, 2015.

Modern Healthcare (11/10, Johnson, Subscription Publication) reports that a study involving “more than 50,000 Medi-Cal patients ages 18 and older diagnosed with severe mental illness who take antipsychotic medications” suggests that nearly “three-quarters…are not being adequately screened for diabetes despite a higher likelihood of chronic disease in that population.” The findings were published online Nov. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— “Many adults with severe mental illness aren’t adequately screened for diabetes,” Steven Ross Johnson, Modern Healthcare, November 9, 2015.

Reuters (11/7, Rapaport) reported that children subjected to multiple moves may have an increased likelihood for mental health problems compared to peers who do not move, a study published online Oct. 16 in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health suggests. After following some 50,000 children in Northern Ireland for a decade, researchers found that children who underwent five or more moves had three times the likelihood of having a mental health problem.

Related Links:

— “Moving during childhood linked to poor mental health,” Lisa Rapaport, Reuters, November 6, 2015.