It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Tuesday, March 07, 2023
'Greed is good' for likes and retweets if you're a U.S. senator
The researchers from UBC's department of psychology analyzed every tweet posted by U.S. senators from early 2013 to late 2021—a total of 861,104 tweets from 140 senators. The researchers were looking specifically for communication about greed, so they could see if it correlates with more likes and retweets.
As it turns out, it does.
Tweets about greed perform best for Democrats
Both Democratic and Republican senators got more support and traction for their tweets when tweeting about greed. The effect was stronger for Democrats, though, and stronger still if those tweets also happened to mention their political opponents.
Senators from both parties tweet negatively about greed
Regardless of party, senators were more likely to tweet in negative terms about greed than positive. Even if some politicians act as though "greed is good," they generally don't tweet like it.
In the U.S.'s highly partisan political system, social media matters. Politicians can boost their chances in tightly contested elections by reaching like-minded partisans and motivating them to act, the researchers note.
The tweets in this study began in 2013 on the opening day of the 113th session of Congress—the first time all U.S. senators had Twitter accounts.
March 6, 2023 —Warmer and drier climate conditions in western U.S. forests are making it less likely that trees can regenerate after wildfires, according to new research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Importantly, the research also finds that ecologically based forest management can partially offset climate-driven declines in tree regeneration by limiting fire-caused tree death, but only if action is taken quickly. This study provides timely information to optimize new state and federal initiatives to increase the pace of ecologically based forest management across millions of acres of Western forests.
The Climate Change Challenge
Forests are adapted to different types of fire across the West, but hotter and drier conditions in recent decades have intensified the way fires burn, resulting in more trees being killed. All of this can result in fewer seeds available for forests to regenerate after wildfires. Even when seeds are available, a warming climate is increasingly limiting the chances that seedlings can establish and grow.
“Climate change increasingly limits tree establishment after wildfires because seedlings can be killed by hot temperatures and dry conditions,” says the study’s lead author, Kim Davis, who completed the study at the University of Montana, now a research ecologist for the Forest Service at the Missoula Fire Sciences Laboratory.
The research examined how the severity of a fire – the number of trees it kills – in combination with the climate conditions after the fire affected the chances of tree seedlings regenerating to establish a new forest. It is the most extensive study to date, assessing regeneration of eight major tree conifer species after 334 wildfires across the West, using information from over 10,000 field plots collected by more than 50 research teams.
Researchers found that warmer, drier conditions over the past four decades have led to a decline in tree regeneration after wildfires and this trend is expected to accelerate in the future. For example, from 1981-2000, 95 percent of the areas studied had climate conditions suitable for tree regeneration after wildfires, but this is projected to decrease to only three-quarters of the West by 2050 under future climate scenarios.
The most vulnerable forests were in drier regions in the Southwest and California, while forests in the wetter and cooler regions of the northern Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest are still expected to support conifer regeneration in the near-term future.
“The impacts of climate change and wildfires vary across the West, and the large scope of this study allowed us to highlight where these changes are most concentrated and happening first,” says Philip Higuera, a co-author and professor of fire ecology at the University of Montana.
Ecological Forest Management Can Reduce Risk
The study also found that ecological forest management in vulnerable dry forests could offset climate-driven changes by reducing the number of trees killed in wildfires. Specifically, in almost half of the study region, regeneration after wildfires is projected to be likely only if future fires burn at lower severities because fewer trees that produce seeds needed for forest recovery are killed in these fires.
“We know from prior research that forest thinning and controlled burns in overgrown dry forests effectively reduces fire severity and subsequent tree death” says study co-author Marcos Robles, lead scientist for The Nature Conservancy in Arizona. “Land managers can’t do much about drought and climate change in the short term, but they can reduce the area in which forests are vulnerable to severe wildfires by accelerating ecological based forest management”
Prior research published by The Nature Conservancy demonstrates that ecological forest management in a large restoration initiative in Arizona would not only reduce wildfire-cased tree death, but also provide additional co-benefits, including significant reductions in drought-related tree death, while increasing carbon storage, stream flow and tree growth.
“But the clock is ticking; it’s urgent that we implement these treatments in our forests now, lest we lose them altogether,” says Robles.
Even in cooler high-elevation forests in the Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest that experienced large tree-killing wildfires in the past, the researchers also found that climate change is making it less likely for trees to regenerate after wildfire. In these forests, planting trees after wildfire may take on increased urgency, given a shortening window of opportunity for trees to establish in climate conditions that are warmer and drier than in the past.
The good news is that the federal government allocated around $3 billion to fund ecological forest management and reforestation efforts across 50 million acres in the next 10 years throughout the West. This research provides much needed information that can inform these efforts, particularly given the rapid pace of change our Western forests are experiencing.
New Research: Hotter and Drier Conditions Limit Forest Recovery from Wildfires
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
6-Mar-2023
JMIR Medical Education launches special issue on the use of ChatGPT in medical education, after new study finds ChatGPT passes the United States Medical Licensing Examination
The study found that ChatGPT reaches the equivalent of a passing score for a third-year medical student
IMAGE: AI-GENERATED IMAGE BY DALL-E IN RESPONSE TO THE REQUEST "A FUTURISTIC IMAGE ILLUSTRATING THE IMPACT OF GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON MEDICAL EDUCATION".view more
A study published on February 8, 2023, in JMIR Medical Education, a leading open access journal on digital medical education, evaluated the potential of ChatGPT, a natural language processing model, as a medical education tool. The study found that ChatGPT reaches the equivalent of a passing score for a third-year medical student. Conducted by researchers from Yale University School of Medicine’s Section for Biomedical Informatics and Data Science and University College Dublin, the study aimed to test the performance of ChatGPT and previous-generation large language models on the medical question-answering problem as part of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Step 1 and Step 2 exams.
In their paper titled “How Does ChatGPT Perform on the United States Medical Licensing Examination? The Implications of Large Language Models for Medical Education and Knowledge Assessment,” [1], Aidan Gilson and coauthors tested the models on study aids commonly used by medical students, including multiple-choice questions (with indicators of question difficulty) and the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) test sample questions. ChatGPT outperformed previous-generation models and was capable of correctly answering up to over 60% of questions, which is comparable to a passing score for a third-year medical student. Incorrect answers were primary due to logical and information errors, and the performance decreased as question difficulty increased. Impressively, ChatGPT provided logical reasoning and information internal to the question in most of its answer selection. Additionally, ChatGPT’s responses provided external information beyond the question, which was significantly correlated with the performance. ChatGPT can provide a basis for dialogic interaction that is likened to studying with a peer, not only by giving a narrative, coherent answer but also by establishing the information needed to answer the question.
ChatGPT has drawn considerable attention since its prototype was released on November 30, 2022, with users sharing their impressions of the chatbot all across the globe. These researchers describe how the artificial intelligence (AI)–powered chatbot ChatGPT, as the first in a new line of language models, can prove to be an interactive medical education tool given its ability to represent a combination of clinical knowledge and dialogic interaction.
Conrad W Safranek, one of the medical students involved in the project, describes his use of ChatGPT as a study aid. Upon reflection, he found value in using the tool to unearth context relevant to the question, which supported his ability to recall external information and make logical connections from medical courses as expected by the question. Using this tool to enhance self-directed reflective learning is but one example of the opportunities that ChatGPT brings to enhancing medical education.
The corresponding author, David Chartash, PhD, from Yale University School of Medicine remarked, “JMIR Medical Education has proved time and again to understand the value of the integration of medical informatics in medical education. This study builds upon on the fundamental principles which I have previously written about with colleagues last year [see published work here]: as medical education seeks to develop competencies in clinical informatics for medical students, exposure to the fundamentals of novel technology in pre-clinical years that may shape their practice (such as with dialogic AI) will support their ability to understand the technology-augmented clinical practice they will inherit when they graduate."
The authors of the study believe that their results make a compelling case for the potential use of ChatGPT as an interactive medical education tool, as it provides users with contextually interpretable and narratively coherent translation of medical knowledge along with its answers. This study published by JMIR Publications marks a significant advancement in natural language processing models for medical question answering and could have a profound impact on the future learning environment for medical students.
To further demonstrate the capabilities of this tool, the authors asked ChatGPT to summarize their research findings. Want to know how ChatGPT performed? Read the (second) “Conclusions” of this paper here.
JMIR Medical Education Launches a Theme Issue on ChatGPT, Generative Language Models, and AI in Medical Education
Given the interest this research has generated among medical educators and researchers, JMIR Medical Education has released a call for papers for its upcoming theme issue and e-collection titled “ChatGPT and Generative Language Models in Medical Education” [2]. This special issue aims to explore the potential of emerging technologies like ChatGPT and similar generative language models or AI applications in medical education, including their use in teaching and learning, clinical decision-making, and patient care. JMIR Medical Education welcomes submissions from researchers, educators, and practitioners in medicine, health care, computer science, and related fields. Submissions from a breadth of professionals at all career stages who are engaged in medical education are welcome. We encourage both empirical and theoretical submissions, including original research, systematic reviews, viewpoints, and tutorials. We also encourage submissions that address practical challenges and opportunities related to the use of generative language models and AI in medical education.
“ChatGPT has changed the world and the potential for ChatGPT to disrupt medical education is significant,” says Gunther Eysenbach, publisher at JMIR Publications. “ChatGPT not only provides new interactive learning opportunities for medical students and health professionals but also raises new interesting questions for medical educators. The special issue will be a useful resource for researchers, medical educators, and trainees alike to get the most out of this fascinating technology that will change how we teach and learn.” In an accompanying editorial, Eysenbach interviews ChatGPT itself, having the machine illustrate some of the opportunities for medical education; however, some striking errors and limitations also became evident [3].
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Cite as:
Gilson A, Safranek CW, Huang T, Socrates V, Chi L, Taylor RA, Chartash D. How Does ChatGPT Perform on the United States Medical Licensing Examination? The Implications of Large Language Models for Medical Education and Knowledge Assessment JMIR Med Educ 2023;9:e45312 (Feb 8) doi: https://doi.org/10.2196/45312 PMID: 36753318
Institution: Section for Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, US and School of Medicine, University College Dublin, National University of Ireland, Dublin, Dublin, IE
Email: david.chartash@yale.edu
About JMIR Publications
JMIR Publications is a leading, born-digital, open access publisher of 30+ academic journals and other innovative scientific communication products that focus on the intersection of health and technology. Its flagship journal, the Journal of Medical Internet Research, is the leading digital health journal globally in content breadth and visibility, and it is the largest journal in the medical informatics field.
The content of this communication is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, published by JMIR Publications, is properly cited.
How Does ChatGPT Perform on the United States Medical Licensing Examination? The Implications of Large Language Models for Medical Education and Knowledge Assessment
ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE
8-Feb-2023
This starchy bioplastic could make soggy paper straws a thing of the past
IMAGE: THESE NEW BIOPLASTIC STRAWS MADE USING POTATO STARCH AND LIGNIN ARE STRONG IN WATER BUT STILL BIODEGRADE.view more
CREDIT: ADAPTED FROM ACS OMEGA, 2023, DOI: 10.1021/ACSOMEGA.2C07797
In the fight against pollution, several regions in the U.S. have banned the use of plastic straws. Alternative materials exist, but most options are either too expensive to scale up, go limp in drinks or taste bad. But now, a team reporting in ACS Omega has developed a new type of bioplastic film from all-natural, degradable materials that can be rolled into a straw that doesn’t get soggy and is stronger than plastic.
As efforts to reduce plastic waste take hold, many researchers and companies have turned to plastic alternatives to fabricate straws that comply with new laws and regulations. But so far, most options either end up breaking down in a drink, like paper straws, or require extra steps and energy to manufacture, like metal or sugarcane straws. But some biopolymers, such as starch and lignin, are readily available as byproducts of other industrial processes and could serve as cheap bioplastic ingredients. Lignin’s natural strength could help overcome starch’s brittleness, especially when combined with a bio-based crosslinker, such as citric acid. So, Dickens Agumba, Duc Hoa Pham and Jaehwan Kim wanted to see if these materials could be combined into a plastic film that was tough, stable in water, yet would still break down when no longer needed.
To create the straws, the researchers blended lignin with either potato starch or polyvinyl alcohol — a more traditional bioplastic material — then added citric acid. They spread the slurry into a thin layer, rolled it into a cylinder and cured it at over 350 F. The bioplastic naturally self-adhered at the seam, but heat treatment set it and made it even stronger. In tests, the cylinders were stronger than those made of polypropylene plastic, yet still flexible. After two months outside, the plastic straws remained unchanged, while the team’s straws degraded significantly. The bioplastic film also offered UV protection, which could be useful for other applications, such as a coating for greenhouse windows. The researchers say that this material could not only reduce the amount of plastic waste in the environment, but also be used to create other, more sustainable bioplastic products from otherwise wasted materials.
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Research Foundation of Korea Creative Research Initiatives Program.
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS’ mission is to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and all its people. The Society is a global leader in promoting excellence in science education and providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple research solutions, peer-reviewed journals, scientific conferences, eBooks and weekly news periodical Chemical & Engineering News. ACS journals are among the most cited, most trusted and most read within the scientific literature; however, ACS itself does not conduct chemical research. As a leader in scientific information solutions, its CAS division partners with global innovators to accelerate breakthroughs by curating, connecting and analyzing the world’s scientific knowledge. ACS’ main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org.
Abu Dhabi, UAE (March 6, 2023) – A team of researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed a single-step, organic solvent-free, hydrothermal process to convert polyethylene-based plastic bags and polypropylene-based surgical masks into carbon dots. An estimated 26,000 metric tons of pandemic-related plastic waste – from medical waste to online shopping packaging – have been released into the world’s oceans, making it even more urgent to find efficient methods to upcycle this non-degradable material. One solution is to convert the single-use plastic into so-called carbon dots, carbon nanomaterials that are biocompatible, and have applications in the fields of biological imaging, environmental monitoring, chemical analysis, targeted drug delivery, disease diagnosis and therapy, and anticounterfeiting. Existing methods to upcycle plastic into carbon dots involve multiple, time-consuming steps and utilize toxic chemicals.
In the study titled High-yield, One-pot Upcycling of Polyethylene and Polypropylene Waste into Blue-Emissive Carbon Dots published in the journal Green Chemistry, the researchers present the development of a new synthesis method, which is a simple, cost-effective, and highly scalable approach to upcycling plastic waste. Importantly, this oxidative degradation method can upcycle plastics contaminated with organic waste such as food scraps, which poses a significant challenge to traditional recycling technologies. The senior author is Khalil Ramadi, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at NYUAD. Mohammed Abdelhameed, a scientist at NYUAD, and Mahmoud Elbeh, an NYUAD undergraduate student, are first authors of the study.
The researchers also estimated the economic feasibility of the synthetic method by comparing the variable costs of this process to existing chemical recycling processes, considering the economic value of the created carbon dots. They found that the global market value of carbon dots is expected to reach USD 6.412 billion by 2025, up from USD 2.496 billion in 2019 – a high commercial value that more than justifies the associated processing costs.
The high volume of single-use plastics used during the pandemic, particularly surgical masks and medical waste, presents an increased need to find a solution for managing non-biodegradable waste. It is also estimated that only 14 percent of the eligible plastic packaging – whose use has surged due to the boom in online shopping – is recycled, with the rest ending up in landfills and oceans, where it does considerable harm. These materials can be consumed by organisms or fragmented into micro- and nano-plastics that can threaten terrestrial, marine, and freshwater ecosystems and, ultimately, human health.
“The new method our team has developed is a cost-effective and safe method that can be easily implemented to significantly reduce the amount of harmful plastic that is released into our ecosystems,” said Ramadi. “In addition to providing a new tool to protect our ecosystems, this approach can efficiently and responsibly produce carbon dots, a versatile nanotechnology whose potential applications are nearly boundless.”
Elbeh stated, “We’re very delighted to further support the UAE’s Circular Economy Policy. Given that we are tackling the plastic waste crisis by creating a valuable product using a relatively easy-to-implement method, we’re looking forward to more collaborations to not only scale up this project but also utilize the produced dots for further development and applications.”
ENDS
About NYU Abu Dhabi
www.nyuad.nyu.edu NYU Abu Dhabi is the first comprehensive liberal arts and research campus in the Middle East to be operated abroad by a major American research university. NYU Abu Dhabi has integrated a highly selective program with majors in the sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts, and humanities with a world center for advanced research. Its campus enables students to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world, and to advance cooperation and progress on humanity’s shared challenges. NYU Abu Dhabi’s high-achieving students have come from some 120 countries and speak over 115 languages. Together, NYU's campuses in New York, Abu Dhabi, and Shanghai form the backbone of a unique global university, giving faculty and students opportunities to experience varied learning environments and immersion in other cultures at one or more of the numerous study-abroad sites NYU maintains on six continents.
JOURNAL
Green Chemistry
ARTICLE TITLE
High-yield, one-pot upcycling of polyethylene and polypropylene waste into blue-emissive carbon dots
Risk of thrombotic events should not exclude transgender people from receiving hormone therapy, according to new guidance
Transgender women who develop venous thromboembolism while on feminizing hormone therapy can be safely treated and managed.
BOSTON – The negative mental and physical effects of withholding gender affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) from transgender people may outweigh the risk of GAHT-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE), underscoring the need for a thorough upfront discussion by healthcare provider and patient, according to a study led by investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital, other Mass General Brigham hospitals, and transgender health experts from across the country.
The team’s findings, published in Endocrine Practice, provide the foundation for new guidance for assessing, managing, and treating VTE (potentially serious blood clots that form in deep veins) in transgender patients of all ages receiving feminizing hormone therapy.
“Considerable data have emerged over the past three years showing that not providing GAHT results in poor mental and physical health outcomes and increases the risk of suicidality in transgender patients,” says Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, founder and former medical director of the MGH Transgender Health Program.
“Our review found that VTE can be managed in most cases with anticoagulation therapy, and that discontinuing hormone therapy is not always the right answer and, in many cases, may be the wrong answer.”
The new recommendations from a national team of transgender health specialists are the most comprehensive to date in a field of medicine that has undergone enormous change in recent years, driven by an adult transgender population now estimated at 1.4 million people in the U.S.
A challenge for researchers is gathering evidence in an area where little data exist, given the paucity of trial data for transgender patients on hormone therapy undergoing various gender affirming surgical procedures.
Data extrapolated from the cisgender population (i.e., individuals whose sex at birth corresponds to their current gender identify) indicate that the risk of VTE in patients receiving GAHT, specifically estrogen, was slightly elevated—though still minimal—compared to cisgender women not on hormone therapy.
Duration of hormone therapy and route of administration may increase the risk of VTE in the transgender population, especially around the time of procedures such as vaginoplasty, facial feminization, or breast augmentation.
The protocols outlined in the paper specifically address treatment after a thrombotic event. The team of experts recommended that transgender people who develop VTE while on GAHT be treated with the same regimen as cisgender patients, that is, direct oral anticoagulation over vitamin K antagonists or low-molecular-weight heparin to minimize the threat of bleeding.
“Many people diagnosed with VTE are taken off hormone therapy by their healthcare providers and never restarted,” notes co-author Nathan Connell, MD, MPH, chief of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital, and a hematologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
“This practice is based on limited data, however, and we found evidence to suggest that hormone therapy can be continued in patients, even those with a VTE history, as long as full-intensity anticoagulation is also continued.”
As Goldstein points out, it’s crucial for the growing numbers of clinicians who treat transgender patients to become more informed and better prepared in an increasingly specialized field.
“It’s incumbent on the medical community to build trust within the transgender community,” he says, “and we’re hopeful that our guidance will help change practice for many primary care providers, hematologists and endocrinologists, resulting in direct and positive impacts on the mortality and morbidity of transgender patients.”
The authors include Goldstein, instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School (HMS) and MGH; Connell, associate professor in Medicine, HMS and Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH); Mabel Toribio, MD, assistant professor in Medicine, HMS and MGH; Devin O’Brien-Coon, MD, MS, associate professor in Plastic Surgery, HMS and BWH; Anna Goldman, MD, instructor in Medicine, HMS and BWH; and Frances Grimstad, MD, assistant professor in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Medicine, HMS, BWH, and Boston Children’s Hospital.
The study was funded by a grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb to the North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by blood clots and related diseases.
About the Massachusetts General Hospital
Massachusetts General Hospital, founded in 1811, is the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Mass General Research Institute conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the nation, with annual research operations of more than $1 billion and comprises more than 9,500 researchers working across more than 30 institutes, centers and departments. In August 2021, Mass General was named #5 in the U.S. News & World Report list of "America’s Best Hospitals." MGH is a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system.
The first global study to investigate how gender equality may be associated with life expectancy has found that both women and men live longer as it improves.
However, variations between countries grouped into regions according to socioeconomic development and geographic proximity suggest that while mainly benefitting women’s lives and health at first, progress in gender equality helps men to live longer too, eventually narrowing the gender gap in life expectancy.
Lead author Dr Cat Pinho-Gomes, Honorary Research Fellow at The George Institute for Global Health, UK in partnership with Imperial College London, said the results - published in the lead up to International Women’s Day - suggest that addressing longstanding gender inequality and empowering women might help extend longevity for both women and men.
“Many of the factors that determine how long you will live - like working and living conditions, exposure to pollution, access to health care, education, income, and social support - are layered with gender differences around the world,” she said.
“As countries make greater progress towards gender equality and women are afforded the opportunity to participate more fully in in political, economic, and social life, the whole of society reaps the rewards.”
According to the latest report by the World Economic Forum, global events such as the rising cost of living, the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate emergency and large-scale conflict and displacement are stalling progress towards gender parity. This may, in turn, jeopardise socioeconomic development and improvement in living and working conditions, curbing the gains in life expectancy that have occurred over the past decades.
To investigate whether gender equality was associated with life expectancy (LE) for women and men and assess the gender gap in life expectancy across the globe, the researchers used a modified global gender gap index (mGGGI), based on the index developed by the World Economic Forum (WEF), and applied it across 156 countries between 2010 and 2021.
The WEF’s Global Gender Gap Index benchmarks the current state and evolution of gender parity across four key dimensions (Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment). For this study, the health dimension was excluded because it includes healthy life expectancy, which was the subject of this study.
Among the three dimensions included in this study (i.e., political, economic, and educational), gender equality in education had the strongest association with longer LE for both women and men.
“This suggests investing in education is paramount, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where many girls are still denied access to education and resources are limited,” added Dr Pinho-Gomes.
“Even high-income countries – where substantial progress has been made to address gender inequalities in recent years - investing in gender equality may still benefit life expectancy, particularly for men. This study confirmed what we had already seen for countries in the EU using a different index, reinforcing the validity of our findings.”
“The weaker association between gender equality in the political domain and the gender gap in LE raises concerns about how gender equality is being implemented by political systems worldwide,” she said.
“As we’ve seen from the recent resignations of high-profile female politicians, women still experience significant challenges in this field, including discrimination, balancing private, family and political life, gaining support from political parties, and securing campaign funding.”
Overall, in 2021, each ten percent increase in the mGGGI was associated with a 4.3-month increase in women’s LE and a 3.5-month increase in men’s LE, leading to an 8-month wider gender gap, but there was considerable variation between geographical regions.
“Our study has important implications for policy makers across the globe, particularly as the world gradually recovers from the myriad shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a gendered impact across multiple domains of life,” added Dr Pinho-Gomes.
“This International Women’s Day, let’s not forget that the evidence demonstrates that enhancing women’s representation across multiple sectors contributes to wealthier and, hence, healthier societies for all.”
DALLAS, March 6, 2023 — What people eat and drink affects heart and brain health and is essential for managing health conditions like blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. Hispanic adults are at higher risk for Type 2 diabetes and have some of the highest prevalence of poorly controlled blood pressure,[1] two major risk factors for heart disease.[2] As a champion for health equity, today the American Heart Association, the leading global voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke for all, launched ‘Together at the Table/ Juntos En La Mesa.’
The campaign is designed to inspire Hispanic/Latino communities to cook and eat a heart-healthy diet that celebrates their cultural flavors while improving their families’ health. Food contributes to a person’s physical and mental well-being while expressing cultural identity through preparation, sharing and consumption[3]. Together at the Table/ Juntos En La Mesa will provide tips for healthier cooking, tools and free recipes geared for family meals.
The Hispanic/Latino community is disproportionately affected by heart disease and related health issues due to longstanding systemic barriers, such as a historic lack of access to health care and nutritious foods.
Eating healthy is not always easy. Together at the Table/ Juntos En La Mesa can help the Hispanic/Latino community eat better without sacrificing flavor or culture.
To learn more about the ‘Together at the Table/ Juntos En La Mesa’ campaign or to access educational resources and support, visit heart.org/nutricionytufamilia.
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Additional Resources
Multimedia is available on the right column of the release link.
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
