Exercise Rates Rising for Urban, Rural Americans: CDC

The trend towards Americans getting off their couches and into gyms is hitting city and country folk alike, according to a new report.
Overall, the percentage of all adults who now meet or exceed federal exercise guidelines rose from 18.2% in 2008 to 24.3% by 2017, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
And the study finds that trend in both rural and urban areas. Among adults living in rural America, 13.3% were exercising in 2008 at recommended rates, but by 2017 that number had risen to 19.6%. And in cities, rates went even higher -- from 19.4% to 25.3%.
Federal physical activity guidelines advise at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise, as well as at least a moderate-intensity muscle-strengthening workout two days per week.
The rise in exercise rates is heartening, the CDC team said, but of course more progress is needed, because "in 2017, only 1 in 4 urban residents and 1 in 5 rural residents met the combined [exercise] guidelines."
The new study was based on 2008-2017 federal health data involving sample sizes of up to 37,000 adults surveyed nationwide each year. Researchers were led by Geoffrey Whitfield of the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Two health care experts offered theories on why more Americans are getting more active.
It could be due to "increased stress with social, political and financial strains increasing over last few years," suggested Dr. Theodore Strange, associate chair of medicine at Staten Island University Hospital in New York City.
"Additionally, more gyms have popped to meet that need as well as other group exercising facilities, like martial arts centers, CrossFit and spin classes," he said. "Even employers are encouraging wellness and well-being by offering their employees opportunities to exercise daily and even offering financial/perk incentives."
But another expert noted that not everyone is benefiting equally.
"In particular, Americans who live in rural areas exercise less than Americans that live in urban areas," noted Dr. Teresa Amato. She directs emergency medicine at Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in New York City. She also noted that the study found lower exercise rates in the U.S. South versus other regions.
Amato agreed that sometimes workplaces can play a big role in boosting exercise rates. Large employers often sponsor "employee wellness and employee well-being initiatives," she said.
"Many of these come in the form of forming exercise "teams" that have friendly competitions and awards for meeting certain exercise goals," Amato added.
"Studies do conclude that individuals are more likely to begin and sustain exercise habits when they are done with an additional partner or 'exercise buddy.' In addition, exercise in a group may lead to longer exercise times and more mental well-being," she said.
The study was published June 14 in the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

50 Years After Ban, Canadian Lakes Still Have High Levels of DDT

 Although DDT was banned in the 1970s, the toxic pesticide still lurks in the sediment of lakes in New Brunswick, Canada, researchers report.
To control insects, airplanes sprayed nearly 6,300 tons of DDT onto New Brunswick forests between 1952 and 1968.
Sprayed DDT can enter lakes and rivers, and find its way into the food chain, researchers say.
To see if DDT had an effect on these Canadian lakes, the researchers collected sediment samples from five lakes in New Brunswick.
The sediment reflected conditions from about 1890 to 2016. Analysis showed that DDT levels peaked in the 1970s and 1980s.
But in the current layer of sediment, concentrations of DDT were still higher than considered safe for fish, frogs and other aquatic life, the investigators found.
Joshua Kurek, of the department of geography and environment at Mount Allison University, in Sackville, New Brunswick, led the study.
His team also found that starting in the 1950s, life in the lakes shifted to favor species more tolerant to contaminants. DDT is banned in most countries.
The report was published June 12 in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

Vitamin D Supplements Don't Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: Study

 Vitamin supplements don't appear to prevent type 2 diabetes in those at highest risk for the disease, a new study finds.
Some studies have suggested that low vitamin D levels might increase the odds of developing diabetes and that boosting levels could prevent it, but these findings throw cold water on these assumptions.
In this study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), more than 2,400 people aged 30 and older across the United States were involved. Researchers randomly assigned half of them to take 4,000 units a day of vitamin D and the other half to take a placebo.
After nearly three years, 24.2% of those taking vitamin D developed diabetes, as did 26.7% of those taking the placebo. This difference isn't statistically significant, researchers said.
"In addition to the study's size, one of its major strengths is the diversity of its participants, which enabled us to examine the effect of vitamin D across a large variety of people," lead author Dr. Anastassios Pittas said in an NIH news release. "When the study ended, we found no meaningful difference between the two groups regardless of age, sex, race or ethnicity."
Pittas is a professor and co-director of the Diabetes and Lipid Center at Tufts University Medical Center in Boston.
The report was published June 7 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with its presentation at a meeting of the American Diabetes Association, in San Francisco.

Concussion Often Hits Elementary School Kids, Too

 Concussions aren't only a concern for high school and college athletes -- they're also a leading injury risk for kids as young as age 5 who play sports.
That's the upshot of a new study of injury risk among 1,500 elementary school athletes in one Florida county. For the study, University of South Florida researchers focused on 5- to 11-year-olds who play recreational football, soccer and baseball/softball.
Over two years, 26 athletes were injured. Twelve had concussions. Ten of those occurred during boys' and girls' soccer, and two happened during recreational softball games, the study found.
"To date, research on sports injuries has been largely focused on high school and collegiate athletes," study author Karen Liller said in a university news release. "For child athletes, many sports/recreational activities are not organized for reporting injuries, so almost no data for this group have been collected."
Liller, a professor of community and family health, noted that the lack of information has been a barrier.
"No effective prevention strategies can be properly developed without the knowledge of the mechanisms related to these injuries including concussions," she said.
Liller and her colleagues collected information about each child's neurological state before and after practice sessions and games. That allowed them to assess each player's ability to pay attention, remember words and things they saw, and to react quickly.
The researchers also hired certified athletic trainers to track when, where and how injuries occurred, as well as how often each child played sports.
Liller said having such trainers could help schools be better prepared to get young children the right care quickly when they need it.
She and her team recently outlined their findings in the journal PLOS ONE.

When Fido Comes Along on Your Vacation

 Summertime is vacation time, and plenty of people bring their pets along on their adventure, so one expert offers tips on how to make the trip fun for all.
"Before attempting a car ride, acclimate your pet to the harness or crate," said Kit Darling, infection control coordinator at the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
Start by giving your pet short car rides and gradually increasing the length of the rides, she suggested. Pets should have a break from the car every few hours to get exercise and relieve themselves.
As you would with your kids, make sure pets are strapped in to stay safe. Pets can be secured with a harness attached to a seat belt or in a well-ventilated crate, Darling said in a university news release.
Pets shouldn't be untethered in the truck bed, or left alone in a parked car. Summer heat can quickly kill a pet left in a hot car, Darling noted.
"Do not allow your pet to ride with his head outside of the window, as dirt and other debris can enter the eyes, nose and ears, causing injury or infection," she added.
If you're taking your pet by air, be sure to contact the airline to find out about their specific policies. Small pets can usually be kept under your seat. Larger pets will be crated and placed in the cargo hold.
Also, check with the hotel or resort you're staying at to be sure you understand their pet policies, Darling advised.
Don't forget to take along all the pet supplies you'll need, including something your pet is familiar with, and be sure they have ID tags in case they run off.
Darling also wants to remind you to show your pet lots of love and attention, which can make their trip happier.

Facial aging results from a combination of changes to the skin, muscle, fat and bones.
 people age, the loss of mineral density causes bone loss. Bone loss can affect the shape of the nose, lower jowl area, cheekbones, and middle and lower areas of the eye sockets, the researchers explained.
"As bones change, they affect the soft tissue around them, resulting in perceived decreases in facial volume," Paskhover said. "Treatment should consider the underlying bone structure."
The report was published online recently in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

AHA News: When Dancer Kept Fainting, an EKG Finally Revealed Why

WEDNESDAY, June 12, 2019 (American Heart Association News) -- Looking back, Daniela Leonhardt's first indication something was amiss with her heart happened in December 2010, when she fainted before an Irish dance competition.
At the time, she was 30 years old, the mother of two little boys and in jaw-droppingly good shape. Why would she have thought the dizziness and nausea that followed her fainting spell could be a sign that her life was in danger?
"I had been a competitive dancer a long time, then after having kids, I decided to go back to it," said Leonhardt, who lives in Virginia. "I wanted to prove that at age 30 I could still compete with younger women."
She was well on the way, until she fainted.
"I wrote it off as maybe being under the weather," she said. "A lot of people had gotten sick at that competition."
To be sure that's all it was, she went in for a checkup. Her doctor attributed her symptoms to anxiety or possibly a virus. Two months later, Leonhardt fainted at a conference in Louisiana. Again, her symptoms were thought to be anxiety, or maybe something hormonal.
The episodes continued, eventually occurring about once a week. Leonhardt would feel lightheaded at a grocery store and sit down in the middle of an aisle. At home, she'd hold onto furniture and try to breathe through the dizziness.
In May 2012, Leonhardt went to an urgent care clinic. The physician's assistant gave Leonhardt her first electrocardiogram.
The PA rechecked the leads, as if they might have been out of place. He then asked the nurse to run the test again.
Looking at the results, the PA said, "I'm amazed you're sitting here acting totally normal." Her heart rate was only 32. A normal rate is 60 to 100.
Doctors diagnosed her with a condition that keeps her heart rate low. A pacemaker was implanted in June 2012 to help sustain a healthy rhythm.
Waking up from that procedure, she felt better than she had in years. She looked at her husband and said, "This is what it feels like to be normal."
The next day, she told herself, "This is not happening to another woman," and began volunteering for the American Heart Association.
In February 2014, while in Atlanta for work, Leonhardt didn't feel right. She eventually was diagnosed with a type of fast heart rate called supraventricular tachycardia. She had heart surgery that November.
Four months later, Leonhardt woke up and fell out of bed. Her left side wasn't functioning. She was having a stroke.
Her son Ciaran Donovan was 8 at the time. Because of the family's involvement with the AHA, he recognized the warning signs.
"Mom," he told her, "I'm going to call 911."
She hung up the phone and called her sister instead -- a move her neurologist told her could have killed her.
Leonhardt was fortunate; the stroke seemed to have "resolved itself." While her left hand doesn't grip as strong, and she occasionally mixes the three languages she speaks -- English, German and French -- there are no other long-term effects. Doctors determined the stroke was caused by atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heartbeat, so they put her on blood thinners.
Ciaran is now 12; his brother Landen Donovan, 9. They keep an eye on her, making sure she rests and doesn't overdo it.
"There are a lot of doctor trips and worrying about our mom," Ciaran said. "The pros are that we learned a lot from this. We know heart disease is out there and it can do to others what it did to my mom."
Said Landen: "The positive is that we know about heart disease and we get to go to the Heart Walk, which is really fun. The negative is that at any moment it could happen again."
But like their mother, the boys are optimistic. And, like her, they've gleaned lessons from the ongoing experience.
"They're more aware. They have a little more mitgefühl, as they say in German," said Leonhardt. "It's an understanding of a situation and having true empathy, even if you're not living it."