Health & Science

Today many men are enjoying Father’s Day with family and friends.

But for millions of men, they’re spending today in a correctional facility.

WABE’s Rose Scott reports on a Morehouse School of Medicine physician who writes about the importance of policy reform and resources in order to prevent black boys from early incarceration.

Researchers at Emory University say who your child picks as a friend may be a big factor in your child’s level of physical activity.

In a review article that appears in the May 16, 2013, edition of the American Journal of Public Health, Emory researchers looked at hundreds of prior studies about children’s activity levels.

For the first time, there’s a comprehensive, nation-wide report on what hospitals charge for services.

The federal Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services just released a massive compilation of cost data for more than 3,000 facilities.

And variations between facilities can be eye-opening. 

Take pneumonia. 

Only one in five Americans is getting enough exercise according to the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC says 20.7% of Georgians are clearing the physical fitness bar which is just a bit above the national average.

Georgia usually comes in toward the bottom of health-related statistics. So in relative terms, you could consider this a small victory for Georgia.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says suicide among middle-aged Americans has risen at an alarming rate in the last decade.

39 states, including Georgia, have what the CDC calls a statistically significant rise in middle-aged suicides between 1999 and 2010. The rate among Georgians, ages 35-64, rose almost 25%.

Injury Center Researcher Thomas Simon says CDC tracks the numbers, but not background data, so it is impossible to pinpoint causes.

More than 400 people who had outpatient procedures at a Piedmont Healthcare facility in Atlanta are getting notice that they are at risk for infection of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or even HIV.

Piedmont Healthcare says an employee at its Piedmont West Surgery Center, on Howell Mill Road, failed to follow complete disinfecting procedures for scopes used for colonoscopies.

The failures in procedure happened between May 18, 2011, and April 17, 2013, and put 456 patients at risk.

Piedmont Healthcare says no patients have reported any problems so far.

With the mapping of the human genome, scientists have spent years advancing genetic testing to the point they can now predict health issues.

Now, genetic testing is stepping out of the medical realm to help those interested in tracing their family roots to learn more about their ancestry than ever before.   

That’s partly because of advances in genetic testing, says Bennett Greenspan, president and founder of Family Tree DNA.

Of the 365,000 teens who gave birth in the US in 2010, almost 20% involved mothers who already had at least one child, says a new report from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

The good news is that number has fallen to a 20-year low.

But the figure still concerns Dr. Lee Warner with the CDC’s Division of Reproductive Health.

If a mother is stressed during pregnancy, does that increase the likelihood of a stillbirth?

That's what researchers from Emory University and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development wanted to examine. 

For the study, they looked at some 600 stillbirths and 180 live births from across the US.

Dr. Carol Hogue led the study for Emory. She says they looked for specific stressors.  

Last year, more than half a million veterans sought help for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the VA.  The military estimates at least 20% of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer some form of PTSD. Which is why a group of acupuncturists here in Atlanta have set up a free clinic for military personnel and their families.

For many, Valentine’s Day is a happy affair. It means chocolates, flowers and spending time with someone you love. However, some who are single or going through a painful breakup are sometimes said to suffer from a broken heart. Doctors say there is an actual medical condition with a similar name.

It’s called broken heart syndrome and was originally known as takosubo cardiomyopathy. Doctors say those who suffer from the condition often believe they’re having a heart attack because they have symptoms such as chest pains, shortness of breath and an irregular heartbeat.