The New York Times (9/3, Bakalar) reports obesity “may be linked to an increased risk for dementia,” investigators concluded in a study that analyzed “data on 6,582 men and women, age 50 and older, who were cognitively healthy at the” beginning of the study and who were tracked “for an average of 11 years.” The findings were published online June 23 in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Related Links:

— “Excess Weight May Increase Your Risk of Dementia “Nicholas Bakalar, The New York Times, September 3, 2020

HealthDay (9/2, Preidt) reports, “Cyberbullying is less common among teens who feel loved and supported by their parents,” investigators concluded after analyzing survey “responses from more than 12,600 U.S. youth aged 11 to 15 years” in which the children “were asked about their bullying behaviors and their relationship with their parents.” The study revealed that “the more adolescents considered their parents as loving, the less likely they were to cyberbully, the survey findings” revealed. The findings were published online in the International Journal of Bullying Prevention.

Related Links:

— “Cyberbullying Could Rise During Lockdown, But Parents Can Stop It “Robert Preidt, HealthDay, September 2, 2020

NBC News (9/3, Kingkade) reports researchers “found active shooter drills in schools correlated with a 42 percent increase in anxiety and stress and a 39 percent increase in depression among those in the school community, including students, teachers and parents, based on their social media posts,” according to a report released by Everytown for Gun Safety. The report is based “on research from Georgia Tech’s Social Dynamics and Wellbeing Lab, which analyzed 27.9 million tweets and 1,454 Reddit posts that came from accounts with connections to 114 schools in 33 states that held active shooter drills in the 2018-19 academic year.”

Related Links:

— “Active shooter drills are meant to prepare students. But research finds ‘severe’ side effects “Tyler Kingkade, NBC News , September 3, 2020

The AP (9/2, Tanner) reports researchers at Boston University found “half of U.S. adults surveyed reported at least some signs of depression, such as hopelessness, feeling like a failure or getting little pleasure from doing things,” which is “double the rate from a different survey two years ago.” The findings were published in JAMA Network Open.

HealthDay (9/2, Reinberg) and MedPage Today (9/2, Hlavinka) also cover the story.

Related Links:

— “Depression, anxiety spike amid outbreak and turbulent times “Lindsey Tanner, AP, September 2, 2020

NPR (9/1, Hamilton) reports on the challenges and benefits of distance learning for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) “and other learning disabilities.” For some children, not being “around peers” can make it “easier to focus.” For other youngsters, however, distractions in the home make distance learning much more difficult, and lack of peer interaction, “recess and the physical activity that goes with it” may prove trying to both kids and their parents. Several parents and experts are interviewed in the article.

Related Links:

— “Remote Learning’s Distractions Put Extra Pressure On Students With ADHD “Jon Hamilton, NPR, September 1, 2020