‘Foreign disinformation’ social media campaigns are linked to falling vaccination rates, reveals an international time trends analysis, published in the online journal BMJ Global Health. Every 1 point increase in effort is tied to an average 2% drop in annual…
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Q&A: Where are the patient advocates? The negative effect of social isolation on older patient care during COVID
A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan School of Nursing found that social isolation of older adult patients from their families and providers during the pandemic compromises the quality of patient care in all settings: hospital, outpatient…
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County and ZIP code-level data show ‘stark social inequities’ in COVID-19
A geocoding approach—linking routinely collected public health data to neighborhood socioeconomic factors—shows consistently higher rates of COVID-19 illness and death among people living in more-disadvantaged communities, reports a study in the November/December Journal of Public Health Management and Practice. “Our…
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Survey finds Americans social media habits changing as national tensions rise
As national tensions rise, a new national survey of 2,000 people commissioned by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center finds more Americans are adjusting how they use social media platforms. Many participants cited stress from the global COVID-19 pandemic,…
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Sensory neurons outside the brain drive autistic social behaviors, study suggests
A new study from Penn Medicine lends further evidence that the social behaviors tied to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) emerge from abnormal function of sensory neurons outside the brain. It’s an important finding, published today in the journal Cell Reports,…
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A furry social robot can reduce pain and increase happiness
Could furry social robots help bolster moods and reduce pain when human to human contact isn’t an option, for example, during a pandemic? According to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers published in Scientific Reports,…
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Researcher finds positive implications from social support among breast cancer patients
A new study by a University of Arkansas communication researcher shows that breast cancer patients with strong social support are more likely to take an active role in treatment and experience positive outcomes. Mengfei Guan, assistant professor of communication in…
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Social significance of dining out explored in new book by Alan Warde
Alan Warde is co-author of the newly published book: Alan Warde, Jessica Paddock and Jennifer Whillans, “The Social Significance of Dining out: A Study of Continuity and Change,” (Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2020). Dining out used to be considered exceptional;…
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COVID-19's 'unprecedented stress' on social services drives demand for innovative SDOH programs
As COVID-19’s opening salvo on the healthcare system gradually gives way to long-term mitigation efforts, much of the public health focus is shifting away from the four walls of the hospital. Now, community-support services have found themselves shouldering a heavy…
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UK warns of tougher social distancing measures
The British government on Sunday warned that outside exercise could be banned if people flout stringent guidelines to cut the spread of coronavirus infections. The UK government on March 23 ordered a three-week shutdown of non-essential shops and services to…
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