HealthDay (4/22, Thompson ) reports that a “study says that school-based asthma therapy is effective in helping kids breathe easier while away from home.” Researchers say “these school programs keep kids healthier, and can save millions in health care costs.” Medical records “revealed that after a year in the school-based program, children experienced up to 56% increased control over their asthma on average.

They also had about a 50% decrease in asthma-related hospitalizations and ER visits; about a 40% decrease in urgent care and acute care visits; and a 71% reduction in pediatric ICU stays, researchers found.” The program had a significant impact on “Black children, who had as much as a 66% improvement in their asthma control, results show.” Researchers point out that “annual savings cropped up to $3.4 million.” The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global.

Related Links:

— “School-Based Asthma Programs Keep Kids Healthy And Learning,” Dennis Thompson, HealthDay, April 22, 2025

Psychiatric News (4/22) reports a study found that “infants and toddlers who do not spend a lot of time outside may have an increased risk of anxiety symptoms.” In the study, “parents reported on the frequency and duration of the children’s daytime outdoor activity when the children were infants (less than a year old) and toddlers (one to three years old), and the researchers measured the children’s current anxiety.”

Researchers found that among infants, “those who had less than seven sessions of outdoor activity per week had between 1.19 and 2.55 times the odds of having anxiety symptoms.” Among toddlers, “those who had less than seven sessions of outdoor activity per week had between 1.42 and 3.10 times the odds of having anxiety symptoms.”

Researchers concluded, “These findings provide actionable insights for parents and caregivers, highlighting the importance of promoting outdoor activity in early childhood care and parenting practices.” The study was published in BMC Psychiatry.

Related Links:

— “Less Time Outside Linked to Anxiety Symptoms in Early Childhood,” Psychiatric News, April 22, 2025

CNN (4/22, Duffy ) says that nearly half of US teens believe social media negatively affects youth mental health, according to a Pew Research Center report published Tuesday. The survey found that 48% of teens view social media as “mostly negative,” an increase from 32% in 2022. Meanwhile, 14% of teens feel social media negatively impacts them personally, up from 9% in 2022. About 45% acknowledge “they spend too much time on social media, up from 36% in 2022. And 44% of teen respondents said they have cut back on time spent on social media and their smartphones.”

The report highlights “that the effects of social media vary somewhat by gender and race and ethnicity,” with teen girls slightly more likely “to say social media has hurt the amount of sleep they get, their productivity, their mental health and their confidence.” The survey of 1,391 teens ages 13 to 17 and their parents was conducted in September and October 2024.

Related Links:

— “Nearly half of teens say social media is bad for youth mental health, report finds,” Clare Duffy, CNN, April 22, 2025

HealthDay (4/21, Gotkine ) reports that “more than 40 percent of U.S. adults know someone who died by suicide.” The results were “approximated nationally representative estimates of suicide prevalence for U.S. adults using data from the second round of the National Center for Health Statistics Rapid Surveys System, an online survey of 7,046 adults.” The findings were published in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Related Links:

— “About 40 Percent of U.S. Adults Report Knowing Someone Who Died by Suicide,” Elana Gotkine, HealthDay, April 21, 2025

MedPage Today (4/21, Minerd ) reports on a study finding that “daily oral and monthly extended-releaseinjectable naltrexone were similarly effective at reducing heavy drinking days in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD).” The study included “248 adults prescribed treatment at hospital discharge, the mean percentage of heavy drinking days decreased from 66.7% at baseline to 27.4% at 3 months in the oral naltrexone group and from 70.7% to 23.8% in the extended-release injectable naltrexone group.” The findingswere published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Related Links:

— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)