According to the New York Times (11/9, Baumgaertner), “even when Black and Hispanic patients start a prescription for buprenorphine – the most popular medication to help those in recovery fight cravings – the typical duration of their treatment is shorter than that of white patients,” investigators concluded in findings published online Nov. 9 in a research letter in JAMA Psychiatry. After sorting through “15 years of prescription data by race and ethnicity,” the study team found that “the percentage of minority patients who remained on buprenorphine for more than 180 days – the minimum recommended duration – was significantly below that of white patients.”

Related Links:

— “Medication Treatment for Addiction Is Shorter for Black and Hispanic Patients, Study Finds “Emily Baumgaertner, The New York Times , November 9, 2022

CNN (11/8, LaMotte) reports, “Americans are failing in their endless quest for adequate slumber, leading to deficits that can impact health, according to a” study that “analyzed sleep data on over 9,000 Americans age 20 and older collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2017 and March 2020.” Nearly “30% of respondents had trouble falling or staying asleep and about 27% were very sleepy during the day, according to the study.” The findings published in JAMA Network Open also revealed that “over 30% of adults reported an hour of sleep debt…while nearly 1 in 10 adults had a sleep debt of two hours or more.”

Related Links:

— “Sleep deprivation affects nearly half of American adults, study finds “Sandee LaMotte, CNN, November 8, 2022

The Hill (11/8, Choi) reports, “A group of medical organizations on Monday warned President Biden that hospital emergency departments were reaching a ‘breaking point’ as they deal with influxes of patients seeking beds that are not available.” The organizations, including the American Psychiatric Association, “cautioned that the issue of ‘boarding,’ keeping admitted patients in emergency departments due to lack of space, has been brought to a ‘crisis point’ by staffing shortages.” The groups in a letter to Biden “stated that the issue is driving an ‘exodus of excellent physicians, nurses and other health care professionals.’”

Related Links:

— “Biden warned staffing shortages sparking exodus of emergency room physicians, nurses “Joseph Choi, The Hill, November 8, 2022

Healio (11/8, Welsh) reports, “For individuals, a change in depressive symptoms was associated with change in body weight, and the association was stronger for those with overweight or obesity than those with a normal BMI,” researchers concluded in a study that “collected data monthly on mental health and body weight from August 2020 to April 2021 for 2,133 U.K. adults.” Next, “using random intercepts regression models, researchers assessed associations of depression, anxiety and stress with weight.” The findings were presented at Obesity Week 2022.

Related Links:

— “Change in depressive symptoms may predict change in BMI “Erin T. Welsh, Healio, November 8, 2022

CNN (11/7, Howard) reports on research finding that though a smaller percentage of teens use e-cigarettes, “those who do vape are starting younger and they’re using e-cigarettes more intensely.” According to the study, among teens who “only use e-cigarettes, the percentage who used the products within the first five minutes of waking up in a day was less than 1% between the years 2014 and 2017, but that shifted to 10.3% from 2017 through 2021.” Additionally, “among adolescents who currently use any type of tobacco product, the proportion whose first-ever use of a product at a young age was an e-cigarette increased from 27.2% in 2014 to 78.3% in 2019, and remained at 77% in 2021.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

Related Links:

— “More adolescent e-cigarette users report vaping within five minutes of waking up, new study finds “Jacqueline Howard, CNN, November 7, 2022