Increases to life expectancy in the UK have stalled since 2011, data from the ONS reveals.
UK among worst for life expectancy rises
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Category Archives: Mind Building
Coaching parents may reduce child’s obesity
Changing the way that parents interact with their infants could help combat child obesity, a US study suggests.
Health24.com | SA managers among most supportive toward depressed workers
Employees struggling with depression take less time off from work if they receive support and help from their managers, a new study suggests.
Many people suffer depression at some point during their working lives. But they often don’t disclose their condition or seek help because they’re afraid of repercussions, according to the researchers.
Data from 15 countries
The new findings, based on surveys in 15 countries, show the value of active mental health workplace policies, the study authors said.
“Manager reactions to employees with depression can reflect broad cultural and organisational features that directly relate to employee productivity,” Sara Evans-Lacko and colleagues concluded.
Evans-Lacko is in the social services research unit at the London School of Economics and Political Science in England.
For the study, her team analysed data from a survey of more than 16 000 employees and their managers in the United States, Canada, Brazil, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, South Africa, South Korea and Turkey.
Nearly 3 000 of the workers said they were or had been depressed.
Good news for South Africans
In general, managers in Asian countries tended to avoid employees with depression and were less likely to offer active support than managers in other parts of the world. Managers in Japan and South Korea were least likely to offer help to employees with depression, while those in Mexico and South Africa were most likely to do so, the investigators found.
This is good news for South Africans, considering that more than 9.7% of the population suffer from depression. Recent statistics show that one in four South Africans workers suffer from depression.
Managers in South Korea and China were the most likely to avoid talking about depression with workers. Managers in Canada, Denmark and Great Britain were least likely to avoid the topic, the study authors said.
In countries where managers tended to avoid dealing with depression, employees with depression took more days off from work than those in countries where managers were more likely to offer help and support, the findings showed.
Effective policies and practices
The study also found that workers with higher levels of education took more time off for depression than those with less education.
Also, males aged 45 to 64 with medium to low levels of education were more likely than younger men to go into work despite depression, according to the report that was published online on 23 July 2018 in BMJ Open.
While the study can’t prove a direct cause-and-effect relationship, the findings strengthen “the economic case for supporting the development and implementation of effective policies and practices for managers to be able to actively support an employee with depression”, the researchers said in a journal news release.
“The business case for intervention through better managerial response is exemplified by the substantial costs associated with mental health problems and evidence from a number of studies that mental health can improve through workplace programmes, with economic benefits to employers,” the study authors wrote.
Image credit: iStock
Women doctors ‘best for female heart patients’
Heart attack patients are more likely to survive if they are treated by a female doctor, a study suggests.
Health24.com | Breastfeeding in the workplace: SA’s policies lagging
When Amanda (surname withheld) had her baby, she was a senior member of the marketing team at a company operating in the retail hospitality sector. When she returned to work after four months (three of those maternity leave months were paid at half her salary and one was unpaid), she wanted to continue breastfeeding her baby to at least the World Health Organization’s recommended six months.
A fundamental right
Amanda asked for a place to pump her milk and a fridge to store it so she could give it to her baby when she got home. The company cleared out an old store-room, which remained unhygienic and ran an extension cord from outside the room so she could plug in her pump. After a battle to get fridge space, Amanda and another woman (who was also pumping milk) bought a fridge with their own money. This is but one example of a woman wholly unsupported in the workplace in her fundamental right to provide breastmilk for her baby.
Some would say that there’s formula and cheap child care in South Africa, and in tight economic times, breastfeeding support is not a main priority. Sarah* who works as a marketing executive for a property company had this to add, “Forget needing a bit of flexibility after becoming a mother as it’s too inconvenient for day-to-day operations within the company. Most requests for flexibility are declined as it would be setting a precedent. I have long felt we need reform for mothers, short- and long-term.”
Senior policy analyst Patricia Martin-Wiesner, who wrote a review on SA’s progress in fulfilling its international and national responsibilities to support breastfeeding, asserts that breastfeeding support is a sound financial investment. “The cost of inaction is high and the returns on helping women (to) continue breastfeeding are high for companies and the country as a whole.” Martin-Wiesner says the conversation should involve breastfeeding for economic development and not only health. She suggests that breastfeeding support in companies should be incentivised and rewarded.
Limited support
“The science shows that breastfeeding results in healthier babies, improved cognitive development of children, better educational and social outcomes, and ultimately better productivity for working moms.” She adds that it’s also a matter of a company’s staff retention and risk management strategies. Mothers, she says, will not be away from their desks worrying about sick children with ear infections and allergies – which are commonly associated with formula and bottle feeding.
There are certainly some corporates and non-profits in South Africa who provide support to breastfeeding women: Nicky* who works in Pretoria at an NGO said she received four months paid maternity leave with the flexibility for an extension (in South Africa, the law states that maternity leave is 14 weeks unpaid), mental health resources and a pumping room with hospital grade breast pumps.
Should she have struggled with breastfeeding, the organisation would have paid for a lactation consultant.
Leigh (surname withheld) works at a top medical insurance company where there is a crèche on site and breastfeeding rooms on every floor of the new building. Tanya*, who works for a financial services company got six months paid leave and will have quiet and clean facilities to pump when she returns.
It’s clear however that consistency across the board doesn’t exist. Martin-Wiesner confirms this, “We did a survey of workplaces for the study – the sample was small – but it was clear that the best practices to support breastfeeding are the exception rather than the rule.” She noted that even in some human rights organisations, there were no formal policies to support breastfeeding.
Critical role of workplace policy
The evidence-based best practice guidelines include statutory paid maternity leave for six months; promoting part or flexi-time work for returning mothers; and legislative universal guarantee of breastfeeding breaks up to six months supplemented with appropriately supportive workplace environments. A supportive workplace environment includes day care vouchers or assistance with day care and family-friendly arrangements such as job sharing and comprehensive paternity leave.
August 1–8 marks International Breastfeeding Week, partly as a measure to create awareness about the role of breastfeeding in sustainable development. The breastfeeding review document written by Martin-Wiesner and supported by the DST-NRF Centre for Excellence in Human Development, based at Wits School of Public Health, reveals the critical role workplace policy plays in breastfeeding. “Where the share of the female workforce averages at around 40% (in South Africa), a national policy guaranteeing breastfeeding support was associated with an eight percentage point increase in the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in infants younger than six months.”
These statistics, though, are not well known. Martin-Wiesner acknowledges that companies simply don’t have the knowledge about the critical need for babies to be breastfed and the kinds of effective policies that could be implemented. “Many businesses are not doing much because they don’t know they have to, or don’t know what they are required to do.” Moreover, she adds that the Department of Labour is not always monitoring breastfeeding support policy implementation.
An article in The Lancet health journal (January 2016) suggests that changing policies begins with disseminating the evidence and guidelines of how to reinforce breastfeeding culture. The article adds, “…improvements in breastfeeding would help achieve the targets for health, food security, education, equity, development and the environment.” Companies can therefore help to ensure that the major costs that will be borne by future generations can be mitigated through breastfeeding support for working mothers in South Africa.
* Names changed
Image credit: iStock
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Health24.com | Why Khloe Kardashian can’t breastfeed her baby
Keeping Up with the Kardashians star, Khloe Karsdashian revealed how she had to start her two-month-old daughter, True Thompson on formula because she was struggling to produce sufficient breast milk.
The 33-year-old mother took to Twitter, explaining how she desperately wanted to breastfeed her baby but struggled.
“I’ve tried to breastfeed only, and it wasn’t working for me,” she wrote.
With the help of formula, Kardashian is able to make sure that baby True gets all the nutrients she needs both from formula and a little breast milk from her mother.
Benefits of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding is the ideal food for an infant during the post-partum period, protecting them from childhood illnesses. Breast milk is packed with nourishment to ensure a baby’s good health and survival.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), only 40% of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed globally. WHO recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed to meet their evolving nutritional requirements.
Studies recommend that infants be exclusively breastfed for the first six months, but some mothers are unable to produce sufficient milk to sustain their infants during this period.
What is PIM?
According to an abstract published in the US National library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, insufficient milk supply is one of the main reasons why mother stop breastfeeding.
Reports found that approximately 35% of women wean early because of “perceived insufficient milk” (PIM).
PIM is one of the common problems breastfeeding women experience. The journal entry published on Maternal Perceptions of Insufficient Milk Supply in Breastfeeding, explains that further research needs to be conducted to determine whether PIM is a physiological or psychological issue.
Image credit: AFP
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Health24.com | The hidden danger of your wire-bristle braai grill cleaner
If you use a wire-bristle grill brush to clean your grill, beware.
Bristles can break off and stick to the grill and braaied food, posing a serious health risk, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
“When ingested, wire bristles have been known to cause injury and in some cases lead to a surgical emergency,” AMA President Dr Barbara McAneny said in an association news release.
To avoid injury and a trip to the emergency room, always wipe down the grill after you use it and inspect it for wire bristles before, she advised.
Brushes should come with a warning
At its annual meeting, the AMA called for federal officials to require a label on the brushes warning about the possibility of bristles breaking off and being accidentally ingested.
Between 2002 and 2014, there were more than 1 600 visits to US emergency departments due to wire-bristle brush injuries, or about 130 a year, according to a 2016 study in the Journal of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.
Most of the injuries were to the mouth, throat and tonsils, and some patients required surgery.
While there are no current statistics for South Africa, it is still best to take caution next time you clean your braai.
Image credit: iStock
Health24.com | Marriage is good medicine for the heart
Add protection from heart disease and stroke to the health benefits of marriage, a new study suggests.
Happily ever after
Researchers analysed data from 34 studies that were published between 1963 and 2015. They included more than 2 million people between the ages of 42 and 77, in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North America and Scandinavia.
The investigators found that, compared to married people, those who were never married, divorced or widowed had a 42% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, a 16% higher risk of coronary artery disease, a 42% higher risk of death from coronary heart disease, and a 55% higher risk of death from stroke.
The British researchers also found that among both men and women, divorce was associated with a 35% higher risk of heart disease, and that widowers were 16% more likely to have a stroke.
There was no difference in the risk of death following a stroke between married and unmarried people. But those who had never married were 42% more likely to die after a heart attack than those who were married, the findings showed.
South African picture
According to Stats SA, four out of 10 South African marriages end in divorce. However, it seems that there are fewer divorces than a decade ago.
The researchers said their findings suggest that marital status might be an independent risk factor for heart disease and stroke, and for the likelihood of dying from those conditions.
But the study did not prove that marriage caused heart risks to drop.
The findings were published online in the journal Heart.
“Future research should focus around whether marital status is a surrogate marker for other adverse health behaviour or cardiovascular risk profiles that underlies our reported findings or whether marital status should be considered as a risk factor by itself,” the team led by Mamas Mamas, a professor at Keele University in Stoke on Trent, wrote in a journal news release.
There are a number of theories as to why marriage may benefit people’s health. They include earlier detection and treatment of health problems; better adherence to medication regimens; greater financial security; enhanced well-being; and larger friendship networks.
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Earth at risk of heading towards ‘hothouse Earth’ state
Keeping global warming to within 1.5-2°C may be more difficult than previously assessed, according to researchers.
An international team of scientists has published a study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) showing that even if the carbon emission reductions called for in the Paris Agreement are met, there is a risk of Earth entering what the scientists call “Hothouse Earth” conditions. A “Hothouse Earth” climate will in the long-term stabilize at a global average of 4-5°C higher than pre-industrial temperatures with sea level 10-60 m higher than today, the paper says. The authors conclude it is now urgent to greatly accelerate the transition towards an emission-free world economy.
“Human emissions of greenhouse gas are not the sole determinant of temperature on Earth. Our study suggests that human-induced global warming of 2°C may trigger other Earth system processes, often called “feedbacks,” that can drive further warming — even if we stop emitting greenhouse gases,” says lead author Will Steffen from the Australian National University and Stockholm Resilience Centre. “Avoiding this scenario requires a redirection of human actions from exploitation to stewardship of the Earth system.”
Currently, global average temperatures are just over 1°C above pre-industrial and rising at 0.17°C per decade.
The authors of the study consider ten natural feedback processes, some of which are “tipping elements” that lead to abrupt change if a critical threshold is crossed. These feedbacks could turn from being a “friend” that stores carbon to a “foe” that emits it uncontrollably in a warmer world. These feedbacks are: permafrost thaw, loss of methane hydrates from the ocean floor, weakening land and ocean carbon sinks, increasing bacterial respiration in the oceans, Amazon rainforest dieback, boreal forest dieback, reduction of northern hemisphere snow cover, loss of Arctic summer sea ice, and reduction of Antarctic sea ice and polar ice sheets.
“These tipping elements can potentially act like a row of dominoes. Once one is pushed over, it pushes Earth towards another. It may be very difficult or impossible to stop the whole row of dominoes from tumbling over. Places on Earth will become uninhabitable if “Hothouse Earth” becomes the reality,” adds co-author Johan Rockström, Executive Director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre and incoming co-Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research.
Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, Director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, says, “We show how industrial-age greenhouse gas emissions force our climate, and ultimately the Earth system, out of balance. In particular, we address tipping elements in the planetary machinery that might, once a certain stress level has been passed, one by one change fundamentally, rapidly, and perhaps irreversibly. This cascade of events may tip the entire Earth system into a new mode of operation.”
“What we do not know yet is whether the climate system can be safely ‘parked’ near 2°C above preindustrial levels, as the Paris Agreement envisages. Or if it will, once pushed so far, slip down the slope towards a hothouse planet. Research must assess this risk as soon as possible.”
Cutting greenhouse gases is not enough
Maximizing the chances of avoiding a “Hothouse Earth” requires not only reduction of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions but also enhancement and/or creation of new biological carbon stores, for example, through improved forest, agricultural and soil management; biodiversity conservation; and technologies that remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it underground, the paper says. Critically, the study emphasizes that these measures must be underpinned by fundamental societal changes that are required to maintain a “Stabilized Earth” where temperatures are ~2°C warmer that the pre-industrial.
“Climate and other global changes show us that we humans are impacting the Earth system at the global level. This means that we as a global community can also manage our relationship with the system to influence future planetary conditions. This study identifies some of the levers that can be used to do so,” concludes co-author, Katherine Richardson from the University of Copenhagen.
Organic makeup of ancient meteorites sheds light on early Solar System
The origin of organic matter found in meteorites that formed during the birth of the Solar System 4.5 billion years ago may provide key clues to understanding the birth of life here on Earth.
It could also help astronomers investigate the potential habitability of other solar systems. That’s according to a new study led by The University of Manchester.
The new research, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), confirms that organic materials accreted in chondritic asteroids probably formed via basic chemical reactions during the infant stage of our Solar System.
Carbonaceous chondrites are meteorites that originated from chondritic asteroids that are as old as our Solar System. Researchers, led by Dr Romain Tartèse of Manchester’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, have been analysing the isotopic makeup of oxygen in the organic materials found in these specific meteorites. Isotopes are atoms of the same element that share the same numbers of protons, but have a different numbers of neutrons.
Isotopic analysis provides scientists with the isotopic signature of a compound, which acts as a fingerprint of processes involved in its formation. By doing this, the team has helped pinpoint the origins of the organic materials contained within the meteorites, which are made up of key elements necessary for life, such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulphur.
The findings suggest that if organic materials can form by basic chemical processes operating in our Solar System, there is a possibility that they are widespread in other planetary systems.
Carbonaceous chondrites are made of the first solid materials — such as rocks, organics, water ice, and fine grain dust — formed in the Solar System. When found on Earth and analysed in detail, they act as time capsules for understanding how planets formed and evolved over billions of years.
“Chondrites are a snapshot of the early Solar System, providing key insights on how protoplanets and planets formed and were processed,” says Dr Tartèse.
Organic-rich carbonaceous chondrites are particularly rare, comprising only a few per cent of all known meteorites.
“Earth is a dynamic planet — processes such as plate tectonics and erosion have erased most of the early Earth records,” Dr Tartèse says. This makes comprehensive studies on chondrites all the more important to understand how our planet formed and evolved.
Using samples from the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle in Paris, the research team spent two years precisely measuring and interpreting the oxygen isotope composition of organics in some of these early-formed meteorites.
The study provides the first “high-precision triple oxygen isotope analysis” of carbonaceous chondrite organics. Past studies mostly focused on two other building blocks of life abundant in organics — hydrogen and nitrogen. Oxygen has a crucial advantage over other elements, such as hydrogen and nitrogen, as it is fairly abundant in these meteorites, comprising 10-20% of chondrite organics. But most importantly, it is made of three different stable isotopes, while hydrogen and nitrogen only have two stable isotope varieties.
Having three stable isotopes, oxygen offers an extra level of information compared to elements with two stable isotopes such as hydrogen and nitrogen, providing critical clues to further constrain the origin of chondritic organics.
Dr Tartèse added: “The oxygen isotope pattern was similar to the relationship linking the composition of the Sun, asteroids and terrestrial planets. Therefore, this likely implies that carbonaceous chondrite organics were formed through chemical reactions in the early Solar System, rather than having been inherited from the interstellar medium.”
