Death Rates By Marital Status For Adults Age 25 And Older: United States, 2010-2017
A new report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) presents trends for 2010–2017 in age-adjusted death rates by marital status (married, never married, divorced, or widowed) at the time of death for adults aged 25 and over. The age-adjusted death rate for married persons aged 25 and over was lower than for those who were never married, divorced, or widowed. It declined 7% (839.8 per 100,000 U.S. standard population), while the rate for never-married persons also declined, by 2% (from 1,466.1 to 1,443.6). The rate for widowed persons was the highest of all marital status groups and increased 6% during the period, from 1,567.2 in 2010 to 1,656.9 in 2017. The rate for divorced persons aged 25 and over was stable during the period and was 1,368.8 in 2017. Rates for married men were the lowest of all marital status groups and declined 7% from 2010 (1,012.1) to 2017 (942.9) while for women, rates also declined 7% between 2010 (612.1) and 2017 (569.3).
Prevalence Of Screening For Social Determinants Of Health
Social needs are linked to health outcomes. Identifying patients with unmet social needs is a necessary first step to addressing these needs, yet little is known about the prevalence of screening. Most hospitals and physician practices don’t screen patients for social determinants of health such as food insecurity, housing instability, utility and transportation needs, and interpersonal violence, according to a study described in the journal JAMA Network Open on September 18, 2019. Surveys administered from June 2017 to August 2018 to 2,190 physician practices and 739 hospitals found that about 16% of practices and 24% of hospitals reported screening for all five factors, while 8% of hospitals and 33% of practices screened for none. The most commonly screened-for factor was interpersonal violence, occurring at 75% of hospitals and 56% of practices. Almost 50% of academic hospitals reported screening, compared with 23% of hospitals overall. Facilities that serve economically disadvantaged patients were more likely to screen.
HEALTH TECHNOLOGY CORNER
Hierarchical Encoding Of Attended Auditory Objects In Multi-Talker Speech Perception
Humans easily can focus on one speaker in a multi-talker acoustic environment, but how different areas of the human auditory cortex (AC) represent the acoustic components of mixed speech is unknown. A team of Columbia University neuroengineers has uncovered the steps that take place in the brain to make this feat of picking out a single voice possible, according to an online article that became available in the journal Neuron on October 21, 2019. The discovery helps to solve a long-standing scientific question as to how the auditory cortex, the brain's listening center, can decode and amplify one voice over others -- at lightning-fast speeds. This new-found knowledge also stands to spur development of hearing-aid technologies and brain-computer interfaces that more closely resemble the brain. An end goal is to understand better how the brain enables individuals to hear so well, plus to create technologies so that stroke survivors can speak to loved ones, or to enable the hearing-impaired to converse more easily in a crowded setting.
Exergaming And Virtual Reality For Health: Implications For Cardiac Rehabilitation
According to an article published online September 12, 2019 in the journal Current Problems in Cardiology, cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs focused on improving the health trajectory of patients with cardiovascular disease strive to increase physical activity (PA) and cardiorespiratory fitness. However, historically low compliance with recommended PA has prompted exploration of alternatives to traditional courses of exercise therapy. One alternative, exergaming, or the requirement of physical exercise inherent to a video game's activities, has shown to have a promising impact in improving patient self-efficacy for exercise training using digital hardware (e.g., the Wii or the Xbox Kinect). Moreover, novel technologies in virtual reality can provide an engaging, immersive environment for exergaming techniques, maximizing goal-oriented training, and building self-efficacy for patients during CR. The concept of a “Clinical Arcade” is introduced as a new approach to integration of these techniques in CR care.
More Articles from October 2019 TRENDS
THE VALUE OF GLANCING IN THE REARVIEW MIRROR
Indicates why it is worthwhile to examine professional literature archives to learn more about present day challenges involving both allied health and genomics. Read More
PRESIDENT’S CORNER
Susan Hanrahan offers her thoughts on recently completing a two-year term as ASAHP President. Read More
THE DANCE OF LEGISLATION
A book published in 1973 bearing this title shows how over the decades, certain patterns continue to remain in effect. Read More
HEALTH REFORM DEVELOPMENTS
Discusses recent efforts to curtail waste, fraud, and abuse in programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, along with some reflections on how to reduce administrative expenditures. Read More
DEVELOPMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION
Summarizes new activity in the regulatory domain, plus recently introduced legislation to protect students when colleges close and reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Read More
QUICK STAT (SHORT, TIMELY, AND TOPICAL)
Death Rates By Marital Status For Adults Age 25 And Older: United States, 2010-2017
Prevalence Of Screening For Social Determinants Of Health
Hierarchical Encoding Of Attended Auditory Objects In Multi-Talker Speech Perception
Exergaming And Virtual Reality For Health: Implications For Cardiac Rehabilitation Read More
AVAILABLE RESOURCES ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONICALLY
Preparing The Current And Future Health Care Workforce For Interprofessional Practice
Integrating Social Care Into The Delivery Of Health Care
Older Americans’ Views On Navigating The Health Care System
Survey On State And Local Income, Poverty, And Health Insurance Statistics Read More
EVIDENCE FOR LATINO PREFERENCES FOR METAPHOR AND ANALOGY
Mentions how a stronger liking for and a desire to connect with individuals who use metaphoric speech can have an impact on the quality of health care services. Read More
PARKINSON’S DISEASE AFFECTS WOMEN AND MEN DIFFERENTLY
Refers to a recognition that the two groups differ in the risk of developing this disease, how it progresses, and survivor rates. Read More
LEARNING ABOUT FIDGETING WHILE FIDGETING
Despite efforts by parents and teachers to discourage children from fidgeting, this form of behavior may persist in adulthood, while a clearer understanding of its neural origins is enhanced by contributions made by expert mice. Read More