Friday, December 14, 2001
1/5 Elderly Americans Over-Drugged
One in five elderly Americans has been inappropriately prescribed drugs such as tranquilizers and antidepressants that can leave them dazed, groggy, or susceptible to falls, a study said this week. An estimated 21 percent, or nearly 7 million Americans older than 65, received prescriptions in 1996 for at least one of 33 drugs deemed by a panel of experts to be inappropriate for use by the elderly because of potentially dangerous side effects.
Dr. Jerry Avorn of Harvard Medical School wrote: “Elderly patients are falling and sustaining hip fractures because of the overuse and misuse of a wide variety of more modern agents, even those short half-life tranquilizers and hypnotics that would never make it onto any most wanted list of inappropriate drugs.” “Some patients are being labeled with diagnoses of new illnesses, or are simply viewed as ‘just getting old’ when they manifest adverse effects of anti-psychotic drugs used to excess,” Avorn’s editorial said.
See JAMA for more information
American Children Are Getting Fatter
This is the time of year when stations and newspapers consider yearlong projects for the coming year. This is one that I would recommend.
The Washington Post reports, “American children are getting fatter at an alarming rate, with the percentage of significantly overweight black and Hispanic youngsters more than doubling over 12 years and climbing 50 percent among whites, a study shows. By 1998, nearly 22 percent of black children ages 4 to 12 were overweight, as were 22 percent of Hispanic youngsters and 12 percent of whites, according to researchers who analyzed data from a national survey. In 1986, the same survey showed that about 8 percent of black children, 10 percent of Hispanic youngsters and 8 percent of whites were significantly overweight. “Prior studies show it took 30 years for the overweight prevalence to double in American children,” said Dr. Richard Strauss, a pediatrician at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. This study should be “a call to action,” said Strauss, who conducted the research with Harold Pollack of the University of Michigan.
SFGate reports, “Being overweight is the most significant health problem facing children in the country, the study’s authors say, and if the growing problem is not addressed, today’s children will face major health problems as they become adults. “This study should serve as a wake-up call for parents and those of us concerned about the health of our children,” said Richard S. Strauss, a pediatrician at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.
One study found that Colorado has the lowest numbers for childhood obesity, while Mississippi has the highest
Unraveling the Mystery of Long Distance Rates
I wonder if you are like me, I am pretty darn sure I do not pay the lowest possible rate for long distance, but I have not been willing to put in the energy to research the issue. What a service you could do for your public if you did do this story. Here is a starting place from Consumer Action. If you do the story, e-mail me a link.
