Tag: Health

UK book on health journalism and PR for health journalists A new e-book about the realities of health journalism and PR, written as a working resource for all journalists who have to cover health, has been published in the UK – the first of its kind to be released this side of the Atlantic. Edited…

Mobile phones may carry your ‘bacterial fingerprint’ Biologists at the University of Oregon have found that 82% of common bacteria on people’s hands were also found on their phones. More than 80% of the common bacteria that make up our personal bacterial “fingerprints” end up on their screens, a study suggests. Personal possessions, such as…

‘Unemployment is bad for your health’ says new report Services are failing to address the serious health problems worsened by unemployment in men, hampering their chances of finding and retaining a job. A new report to coincide with Men’s Health Week (9-15 June 2014) from the charity Men’s Health Forum and The Work Foundation outlines…

Children getting burnt on unsupervised sunbeds Half of all under-18s who have ever used a sunbed have been burned at least once, according to research presented at Public Health England’s annual National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN) conference in Birmingham. A national survey of more than 3,000 11–17-year-olds has shown the ban on under-18s from using sunbeds…

Therapists who work with clients who are struggling with substance abuse may be interested in the ‘European Drug Report 2014: Trends and developments’ How many new drugs were detected in Europe over the last year? Is cannabis getting stronger? How many Europeans have ever used an illicit drug? What are the latest drug policy developments…

The National Union of Students and the Home Office has launched an alcohol-based initiative reduce excessive alcohol consumption at university campuses Student unions are asked to offer at least one “quality, non-alcoholic, mainstream social event” every six months and particularly during freshers’ welcome weeks. Universities will also be expected to develop policies and communications schemes…

The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) reports that hospital admissions for allergies have increased by 8% in a year NHS hospitals in England dealt with 20,320 admissions for allergies in the 12 months to February. This represents a 7.7 per cent increase from 18,860 for the previous 12 months new figures from the…

Scientists at the University of Eastern Finland have found a link between cynicism and #dementia Researchers compared levels of cynical distrust in 622 people with the incidence of dementia. They said people with high levels of distrust were twice as likely to develop dementia. Experts said any findings that helped understand the disease were important,…

Scientists in the US have found that Wikipedia contains errors in 9/10 of its #health entries “It can be edited by anybody, but many volunteers from the medical profession check the pages for inaccuracies, said Wikimedia UK. The open-access nature has “raised concern” among doctors about its reliability, as it is the sixth most popular site on…

University of Liverpool Professor of Public Health, Simon Capewell, calls for #health warning labels on sugary drinks “He says that many other harmful products already carry warnings such as insecticides, other toxic products and cigarettes – the effectiveness of which he says is “now agreed by almost everyone.” Professor Capewell believes that public support for…

Optegra offers top tips for healthy eyes this hay fever season This year’s hay fever season is upon us the temperatures and pollen count continue to rise, noses are beginning to run and eyes are starting to itch. According to the Met Office, the UK’s one in five hay fever sufferers can expect to experience…