Headlines: April 7, 2010
by Meg Larkin
Today’s news stories mostly focused on health research. A new study indicates that walking for two hours a week may significantly decrease women’s risk of stroke. According to the Boston Globe, “Women who said they walked briskly had a 37 percent lower risk of stroke than those who didn't walk. Women who reported walking at least two hours a week at any pace had a 30 percent lower risk.” The findings for walking were not reflected in other more rigorous types of exercise. The findings were published on Tuesday in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.
In regulatory news, many doctors who specialize will soon face retesting in order to keep their board certification. 147 specialty boards are now requiring retesting, and the first round of tests is coming up for some physicians. Most boards started requiring re-testing at some point in the 1990s, and doctors certified since then must re-test every 6-10 years in order to keep their certification. Doctors certified before the 1990s may have been grandfathered in, but they are urged to re-test voluntarily.
In public health news, the U.S. teen birth rate dropped by 2 percent in 2008. The downswing may be a sign that the recent up-tick in teen births has ended. According to the Washington Post, “The rate dropped most sharply, by 4 percent, for 18- and 19-year-olds. The rate had increased 6 percent between 2005 and 2007 for this group, halting a 26 percent decline between 1991 and 2005. The rate fell 2 percent for ages 15 to 17. The rate for this age group had increased 4 percent between 2005 and 2007, interrupting a 45 percent decrease between 1991 and 2005.” The new numbers have reignited the debate over sex education, and in particular where the money from President Obama’s new initiative to reduce teen pregnancy will go. Some commentators have speculated that the decrease may just be a sign that the pregnancy rate has hit a plateau after declining for a number of years.
In the area of cancer research, some new findings may provide cancer survivors with new screening advice. Women who were treated with chest radiation as children may face a much higher breast cancer risk in later life. Women who were treated with radiation for childhood cancers can have up to a 20-fold increase in breast cancer risk before the age of 45. Women in their forties who had chest radiation as children face a 13-20 percent risk of cancer, compared with a 1 percent risk for women who had no radiation. Researchers recommend earlier mammograms for women who had radiation as children. Overall, adult survivors of childhood cancers have a shorter life expectancy than the general population.
Finally, in global health news, a new World Bank report recommends ways to improve water access. The new report found the worst water shortages in Ethiopia, Haiti, and Niger. The report outlines the bank’s best bets for improving water access for the most people. The report focused on the Bank’s role in managing demand, looking for projects that preserve ground water, and projects that restore the environment.
Meg Larkin is a second year law student at Boston University. Please feel free to email her with any questions, comments, suggestions, or concerns.
