HealthDay (7/20, Preidt) reports, “Sex scenes in movies influence teens’ sexual behavior,” according to a study to be published in the journal Psychological Science in which “US researchers analyzed the sexual content of hundreds of top-grossing movies released between 1998 and 2004, and then asked more than 1,200 kids, aged 12 to 14, which of the movies they had seen. Six years later, the participants were surveyed” on sexual behavior. The results showed that “teens who were exposed to more sexual content in movies started having sex at younger ages, had more sex partners and were less likely to use condoms with casual sex partners.”

Related Links:

— “Kids’ Sexual Behavior Influenced by Movie Scenes: Study, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 19, 2012.

HealthDay (7/2, Preidt) reports, “A father’s strong connection with his child during infancy may reduce the risk of behavioral problems later in life,” according to a study published July 18 in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. “British researchers looked at nearly 200 families and found that children whose fathers were more positively engaged with them at age three months had fewer behavioral problems when they were one year old.”

Related Links:

— “Dad’s Early Engagement With Son May Shape Behavior Later, “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, July 19, 2012.

The Lock Haven (PA) Express (7/19) reported that US Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Charles Rangel (D-NY) recently “introduced HR 6107, the Veterans E-Health and Telemedicine Support (VETS) Act of 2012, a bill aimed at increasing veteran healthcare access at no additional cost to the taxpayer.” The bill “expands the current Department of Veteran Affairs state licensure exemption to allow credentialed health care professionals to work across state borders performing telemedicine without having to obtain a new state license.” According to the Express, “HR 6107 was introduced with the support of 12 additional bipartisan

Related Links:

— “Thompson introduces bill to expand use of telemedicine for veterans, The Express, July 18, 2012.

The Los Angeles Times (7/19, Goldberg) said that on Wednesday, veteran Ruth Moore spoke about her struggle to obtain post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) benefits from Veterans Affairs after she was raped by a superior in the Navy. She made her comments while testifying before a House Veterans Affairs subcommittee. According to the Times, US Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) is “sponsoring a bill that would allow victims of military sexual trauma seeking disability benefits to provide only a diagnosis of PTSD and an opinion from a doctor that an assault could have caused the disorder.” Pingree stated, “It’s outrageous that men and women who sign up to defend our country end up being victims of sexual assault in the first place. Then to deny them the help they need to recover is simply unacceptable.”

Related Links:

— “Military sex assault victims’ PTSD claims neglected, panel told, “Jamie Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, July 19, 2012.

MedWire (7/20, Cowen) reports, “People with serious mental illnesses are significantly more likely to experience injuries than the general population,” according to a study published online June 2 in the journal Injury Prevention. “In a seven-year study of 6,234 Medicaid recipients with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or other serious mental illnesses, the researchers found that the incidence of injuries requiring a visit to the emergency department or hospital admittance was 80% higher than in the general population.” In addition, investigators “found that the risk for fatal injuries was 4.7 times greater in people with serious mental illnesses, compared with the general population.”

Related Links:

— “Injury risk increased in patients with serious mental illnesses,”Mark Cowen, MedWire News, July 20, 2012.