HealthDay (12/16, Mundell ) reports “a new global review of data found that ‘increasing the number of daily steps, even at modest levels, was associated with a reduction in depressive symptoms.’” The “study found that up to a level of about 10,000 steps per day, the odds for depression decline as daily step levels rise.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “As Daily Steps Rise, Depression Levels Fall,” Ernie Mundell, HealthDay, December 16, 2024

The New York Times (12/13, Rogers) reported that while a Gallup poll released earlier this month found that 28% of Americans “say health care coverage in the U.S. is excellent or good,” 65% of Americans “say their personal health care coverage is good or excellent.” Americans who rated their health as “fair” or “poor” were “more likely to rate their health insurance negatively, as were those who were insured under the open marketplace through the Affordable Care Act.”

Related Links:

— “The New York Times (requires login and subscription)

Less Likely To Return To ED Or Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, Study Finds
Psychiatric News (12/13) reported, “Youth who experience a mental health crisis and participate in a community stabilization program are significantly less likely to return to an emergency department (ED) or inpatient psychiatric unit, according to a study.” The researchers said, “This study suggests that community-based crisis intervention programs with an array of services and that focus on bridging youths to longer-term services may represent a safe and effective alternative to ED boarding for some youths with high-acuity behavioral health needs.” The findings were published in Psychiatric Services.

Related Links:

— “Community Stabilization Programs May Reduce Psychiatric Boarding Among Youth,” Psychiatric New, December 13, 2024

USA Today (12/13, Walrath-Holdridge) reported the FDA last week recalled “a popular antidepressant, often known by the brand name Cymbalta…due to the presence of a potentially cancer-causing chemical. More than 233,000 bottles of duloxetine capsules sold by Rising Pharmaceuticals were voluntarily recalled on Nov. 19, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration assigned the recall as a class II risk on Dec. 5. The risk level is the FDA’s second most severe level as it could cause ‘temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences.’”

Related Links:

— “What is duloxetine and how does it work? What to know about antidepressant recalled by FDA,” Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, December 13, 2024

Healio (12/12, Rhoades) reports, “Reducing or eliminating physical activity disparities between boys and girls may result in substantially fewer cases of overweight and obesity and savings of around $780 million, results from a model simulation study suggest.” The findings “also showed that approximately $1.5 billion could be saved by eliminating sex disparities in sports participation.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “Reducing sex disparities in physical activity may avoid thousands of obesity cases,” Andrew Rhoades, Healio, December 12, 2024