Public Health in the News (12/3/17 – 12/9/17)

By Grace Bellinger, NPHR Blog Editor

Global

• Study in Denmark shows that all methods of hormonal birth control, including IUDs, are associated with a slightly elevated risk of breast cancer.
• New study draws attention to the fact that flu pandemics are most likely to appear in spring or summer, rather than during the winter flu season.
• Researchers in London find that mothers’ exposure to air pollution is associated with an increased risk of low birth weight.

National

• Harvard researchers find an association between women who consume a lot of sugar during pregnancy and an increased risk of asthma in their children.
• In an effort to curb the opioid epidemic, surgeons at the University of Michigan have prescribed 15,000 fewer pills in the last year without patients experiencing negative side effects.

Northwestern

• Northwestern Medicine study finds that the stress levels of fathers of premature babies continue to rise after bringing the baby home, while the stress levels of mothers stay about constant.
• A Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) study shows how Qatari youth acquire health information.