While we tend to think of the homeless as single men living on the street—because those are the homeless we see—55 percent of the homeless in King County are, in fact, families with children.
Washington’s adult smoking rate has dropped to a new low of 14.8 percent — down from 15.3 percent the previous year.
In the news: driving under the influence of prescription drugs; federal funds boost community health clinics; and Whatcom County “super rice” goes global
Administrators say student drinking is a major concern, but focus on individual interventions and campus alcohol restrictions, and not enough on tough community policies, experts say
U.K. expert panel found little change in alcohol consumptions or alcohol-related crime after the U.K. loosened its drinking hours.
Overdose involving prescription pain medicines has surpassed automobile crashes as the leading cause of injury death in the state for residents ages 35 to 54.
Despite a decline over the past decade in the number of women who smoke during pregnancy, smoking is still a major cause of newborn deaths, early births and babies born with low birth weight.
Young people in romantic relationships during two years after high school are less likely to report heavy drinking and marijuana use.
Smoking inside Washington homes declines by more than 60% since 2000, according to a new study, but secondhand smoke exposure still higher in low-income homes.
A new Washington state tax will push the price of smoking to $7 a pack on average. Smokers who want to quit can get help at the state’s www.quitline.com.
Patients on highest doses were nine times more likely to overdose than those on lowest doses
The U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has posted an updated version of its guide for finding drug and alcohol treatment programs near you.
Search brings up a map and description of programs near you.
The guide provides a directory that you can search by city, state or zip code to find local programs and [...]
Electronic cigarettes, or “e-cigarettes”, which are often sold as a safe alternative to regular cigarettes, give off toxic chemicals and carcinogens, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said today.
The battery-operated devices are available at shopping malls and online and are marketed to young people. They contain nicotine, flavoring, and other chemicals.
A laboratory analysis of electronic [...]
More than half of drug-related deaths in King County last year involved the use of prescription opiate drugs that are most often prescribed for pain control, according to a new report.
Often the drugs are obtained without a prescription.
The annual report was put together by the Community Epidemiology Work Group. a collaboration of public health, drug [...]
Hospitals lobby against proposed charity care rules
The American Hospital Association has sent out a bulletin urging its members to press Congress not to pass legislation that would require hospitals to provide a minimal level of charitable care as a condition for keeping their tax-exempt status, New York Times reporter Robert Pear writes.
“A formulaic, one-size-fits-all charity [...]
Washington state spends more than 15 percent of its budget coping with problems due to tobacco, alcohol and drug abuse, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by National Center on Addiction and Drug Abuse, a private group at Columbia University in New York City, found that in 2005, the latest year for which figures [...]
Google wants to know why users search for health-related information
Google wants to know what you have in mind when you’re searching for health information.
Do you want to know about a headache because you have one or are you just interested?
To find out, Google has is inviting users to participate in a new survey.
An invitation to [...]
Mexico battles swine flu stigma
Mark Lacey and Andrew Jacobs write in the New York Times that Mexico feels it is being treated unfairly since it first reported it had a large outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) or “swine flu”. Mexican products have been banned by some countries, air routes shutdown, and travelers from Mexico quarantined.
“Mexico’s [...]
Donald McNeil, Jr. in the New York Times writes about new ways people are trying to predict the course outbreaks of diseases like swine flu by using computer simulations. One program tracks air and land travel information to predict the spread of disease. That program predicted correctly that New York, California and Texas would prove [...]
Smoking just got a lot more expensive in Washington state. The a new federal tax that went into affect April 1 added 62 cents to the cost of a pack making the total federal tax on a pack to $1.01.
With the new federal taxes plus state taxes, the pack of brand name cigarettes at our [...]
Drug and alcohol abuse on the rise in Washington state
“Abuse of drugs and alcohol is on the rise in Washington state, including one of the highest rates of nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers in the nation, according to the state Department of Social and Health Services,” the Associated Press reports in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
To [...]
Health-care reform should help individuals live healthier lives
U.S. health-care reform should support social-marketing campaigns to combat obesity and promote preventive care, writes Greg Vigdor, president and CEO of the Washington Health Foundation, in an op-ed article in the Seattle Times.
Vigdor cites a recent report by the United Health Foundation finding that while Washington has moved [...]
Sugar causes hyperactivity in children, yes? — No.
Suicides increase over the holidays, yes? — No.
Poinsettias are poisonous, yes? — No.
You lose most of your body heat through your head, yes? — No, again
Eating at night makes you fatter, yes? — No.
You can cure or prevent an hangover, yes? — Unfortunately, no.
Those, at least, are the conclusions of the two authors of [...]
[ December 15, 2008; 12:45 pm to 2:00 pm. ] The Northeast Seattle Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking will hold a General Coalition Meeting, Monday, December 15th from 12:45 p.m. to 2 p.m. at Eckstein High School (3003 NE 75th StreetSeattle, WA 98115)
The two-year-old organization works to prevent underage drinking, substance abuse, and associated problems through education, counseling, and workshops for students, teachers, parents and families.
The Coalition [...]
The Northeast Seattle Coalition to Prevent Underage Drinking will hold a General Coalition Meeting, Monday, December 15th from 12:45 to 2 p.m. at Eckstein High School (3003 NE 75th Street, Seattle, WA 98115)
The two-year-old organization works to prevent underage drinking, substance abuse, and associated problems through education, counseling, and workshops for students, teachers, parents [...]
Invisible Families: The homeless you don't see
They squeeze in with relatives, couch surf with friends or camp out in cars. More families are quietly becoming homeless, driven to the edge by a lack of jobs and affordable housing. The Seattle Times and its local news partners tackle the topic together. Project home
E-Health Records: Seattle is ahead of the curve
Health News from the Seattle Times
