Salon.com > research study

Study: Recessions can be hazardous to kids’ health

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 20:51:00 +0000

A new study in the online edition of JAMA Psychiatry shows that growing up during periods of widespread economic instability can have long-term consequences for kids. Researchers found that babies born during the two great recessions of the 1980s were more likely to develop behavioral problems later in life than those born during boom times.

The study confirms what largely seems like common sense: Financial insecurity is stressful, and anxiety associated with unemployment and low household income can affect how well parents parent. It's easy enough to understand how more time worrying about keeping the lights on could mean less time to focus on helping with homework and strengthening family bonds.

Led by Dr. Seethalakshmi Ramanathan of the State University of New York’s Upstate Medical University, researchers used information about 8,984 youth born between Jan. 1, 1980, and Dec. 31, 1984, as a sample group. As Time magazine reports:

1 in 24 drivers admit nodding off behind the wheel

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 17:49:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) — This could give you nightmares: 1 in 24 U.S. adults say they recently fell asleep while driving.

And health officials think the number is probably higher. That's because some people don't realize it when they nod off for a second or two behind the wheel.

In a government study released Thursday, a little over 4 percent of U.S. adults said they fell asleep while driving at least once in the previous month. Some earlier studies reached a similar conclusion, but the survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was far larger.

The study found drowsy driving was more common in men and in people ages 25 to 34.

The results are from a survey of 147,000 adults in 2009 and 2010.

Study: You’re probably going to break your New Year’s resolution

Wed, 02 Jan 2013 23:01:00 +0000

A new year means a new start, right? According to data collected by the University of Scranton, the answer is: Not really.

Sure it's possible that you'll stick to that diet or learn a second language in 2013, it's just not probable.

A report in the university's Journal of Clinical Psychology reveals that most Americans make the same resolutions, with commitments to health, self-improvement and family ranking heavily in the top 10. And most Americans fail miserably at keeping them. How miserably? The data indicates Americans have a success rate of 8 percent when it comes to being our best selves in the new year.

But don't feel too bad: 75 percent of us keep our resolutions for at least two weeks! And two weeks on the elliptical is better than nothing.

There's always next year, right?

Fake study says Fox News viewers have lower IQs

Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:18:00 +0000

Over the weekend, a study that claimed Fox News viewers have low IQs went viral. But it turns out that the study was a big fake.

A press release about the study was posted on the website PRWeb, which distributes news releases online, and was then reposted by Yahoo News, and picked up by liberal sites like Daily Kos and Current.

The release said that a group called the "Intelligence Institute," a "conservative non-profit group," did a study finding that "Fox News viewers have an IQ that is 20 points lower than the U.S. National average." The release claims that the study was conducted over four years, tested 5,000 people, and found that Fox News viewers have an IQ of 80, compared with the national average of 100.

The release also included sensationalistic quotes from lead researcher "P. Nichols" about the findings, such as, "We have never seen such a homogeneous group teetering so close to special needs levels."

Study finds rise in gay characters on network TV

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 11:29:00 +0000

NEW YORK (AP) -- The number of gay and bisexual characters on scripted broadcast network TV is at its highest-ever level in the season ahead, according to the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The total on cable television is also going up.

The 17th-annual "Where We Are on TV" report released Friday by GLAAD found that 4.4 percent of actors appearing regularly on prime-time network drama and comedy series during the 2012-13 season will portray lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender characters. This is up from 2.9 percent in 2011, which saw a dip in what had been a growing annual trend.

The study reviewed 97 scripted TV programs scheduled to air in the upcoming season on the broadcast networks, counting a total of 701 series regular characters. The study found that 31 of them are LGBT characters.

ABC has the highest amount with 10 out of 194, or 5.2 percent, of their regular characters identified as LGBT.

After leading last year, Fox ranks second with six LGBT characters out of 118 total series regulars, or 5.1 percent.