HealthDay (8/13, Solomon) reports, “A woman’s sense of mental well-being is the strongest predictor of how fearful she is about childbirth, according to a study.” The researchers found that “there was a negative correlation between fear of childbirth and mental well-being, childbirth self-efficacy expectancy, and self-efficacy outcome.” Study results indicate that “higher mental well-being…was the strongest predictor of lower fear of childbirth. Childbirth self-efficacy expectancy also contributed significantly.” The findings were published in the Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics & Gynecology.

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— “Higher Mental Well-Being Tied to Lower Fear of Childbirth,” Lori Solomon, Health Day, August 13, 2025

MedPage Today (8/13, Firth) reports, “Smokers with substance use disorders (SUDs) who quit cigarettes were more likely to report recovery from their other addiction, according to a nationally representative cohort study.” Among over “2,600 individuals followed for 4 years, a fully adjusted model showed that a change in smoking status from ‘current’ to ‘former’ was associated with a 30% increase in the likelihood of SUD recovery…reported” the researchers. The “association held up in sensitivity analyses as well, including in a second cohort, the findings” showed. The findings were published in JAMA Psychiatry.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)

The AP (8/13, Sanders) reports, “Fewer Americans are reporting that they drink alcohol amid a growing belief that even moderate alcohol consumption is a health risk, according to a Gallup poll released Wednesday.”

The poll found that “a record high percentage of U.S. adults, 53%, now say moderate drinking is bad for their health, up from 28% in 2015.” The rise “in doubt about alcohol’s benefits is largely driven by young adults – the age group that is most likely to believe drinking ‘one or two drinks a day’ can cause health hazards – but older adults are also now increasingly likely to think moderate drinking carries risks.”

Also reporting are Reuters (8/13, Mishra) and The Hill (8/13, Waldvogel).

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— “Why many Americans are rethinking alcohol, according to a new Gallup poll,” Linley Sanders, Associated Press, August 13, 2025

Managed Healthcare Executive (8/12, Lutton) reports healthcare professionals “cite medication prior authorization as an ongoing barrier to patient care, according to the results of a Surescripts survey published [Tuesday]. However, this frustration is expressed alongside optimism, with nearly all respondents willing to adopt new technologies such as automatic prior authorization submission to improve access to timely treatment.” The online survey of 253 prescribers and 250 pharmacists took place from May 28 to June 16, 2025.

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— “Pharmacists, Prescribers Express Ongoing Concern About Medication Prior Authorization Struggles In Survey,”Logan Lutton, Managed Healthcare Executive, August 12, 2025

MedPage Today (8/12, George) reports a study found that “men had higher mortality and hospitalization rates after a dementia diagnosis compared with women, even after controlling for age and comorbidities.” Researchers observed that “crude 1-year mortality rates were lower for women with incident dementia compared with men (21.8% vs 27.2%). After adjusting for age, race, ethnicity, Medicaid dual eligibility, medical comorbidity burden, and access to healthcare resources, the hazard of death associated with male sex was 1.24.” They added that “all-cause hospitalizations were lower for women with newly diagnosed dementia (46.9% vs 50.5%). The adjusted hazard ratio of hospitalization associated with male sex was 1.08.” Furthermore, men “had higher rates of hospice stay, neuroimaging services, and hospitalization for neurodegenerative disease diagnoses.” The study was published in JAMA Neurology.

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— MedPage Today (requires login and subscription)