Health
New study reveals extreme weather's impact on seniors' attendance at doctor appointments
Whether it’s the dog days of summer or a cold snap in the dead of winter, extreme temperatures tend to bring people’s activities to a halt — including doctors’ appointments.
Seniors in particular are more likely to skip their scheduled medical visits if it’s too hot or too cold, according to a study from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine.
On days that are 90 degrees or hotter, for every 1 degree increase in temperature, the rate of missed appointments rises by 0.64%, as reported by researchers at the Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
MOST US ADULTS WORRY ABOUT FUTURE OF MEDICARE, SOCIAL SECURITY, GALLUP POLL FINDS: ‘MAGNITUDE OF CONCERN’
The rate of missed appointments is even higher on cold days, going up by 0.72% for every 1-degree decrease below 39 degrees.
“The key finding is that people are less likely to keep their doctors’ appointments when it is extremely hot or extremely cold,” said senior author Nathalie S. May, M.D., a professor at Drexel University College of Medicine, in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Seniors are more likely to skip their scheduled medical visits if it’s too hot or too cold outside, according to a new study from the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. (iStock)
In the study, the researchers analyzed more than one million appointments involving 91,560 adult patients from Jan. 2009 through Dec. 2019.
EARLY DEMENTIA OFTEN HAS A SURPRISING WARNING SIGN, REPORT SAYS: ‘FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES’
The appointments were all made at 13 university outpatient clinics in Philadelphia, according to a university press release.
The appointment data was compared to temperature and precipitation records from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Based on the findings, the researchers are calling for telemedicine to become a permanent covered mode of health care delivery. (iStock)
Lakelyn Eichenberger, PhD, a gerontologist and caregiver advocate at Home Instead, an Honor Company in Omaha, Nebraska, said she was not surprised by the study findings.
“For many older adults, going to a doctor’s appointment takes considerable effort, especially for those with mobility issues, chronic conditions, complex medical needs or cognitive impairment,” Eichenberger, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital via email.
“When you add extreme or inclement weather, it presents even more challenges. For some, it might seem easier to skip the appointment altogether to avoid the risks that extreme conditions could pose.”
THROUGH NEW PILOT PROJECT, MEDICAL MARIJUANA COULD BECOME MORE ACCESSIBLE TO SENIOR CITIZENS
Shana Johnson, a physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, who teaches at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, also commented on the findings.
“Individuals with heart and lung conditions, including heart failure, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have a hard time tolerating extreme heat,” said Johnson, who was also not involved in the study.
“The heat may exacerbate their symptoms, making breathing as well as dizziness and falls more likely.”
“For many older adults, going to a doctor’s appointment takes considerable effort.”
In her own practice, Johnson has seen many patients who had disabilities or difficulty walking.
“Transportation to the visit and walking safely were greatly affected by the weather,” she said.
“Cold temperatures, which often come with heavy rain or snow, make surfaces slippery, increasing the risk of falls and injuries.”
If the weather is poor, cancellations and no-shows tend to increase, she noted.
4 ways to prevent skipped appointments
“It is critical that we have alternative methods for the delivery of primary care during various scenarios,” Adrienne Willard, M.D., associate professor of medicine at the Drexel University College of Medicine, told Fox News Digital.
Experts recommend scheduling appointments during times when the weather is typically more favorable. (iStock)
Experts offered the following tips to ensure that seniors make it to essential appointments despite challenging weather conditions.
1. Plan ahead to ensure safety
Schedule appointments during times when the weather is typically more favorable, Eichenberger suggested.
“For example, avoid early morning appointments in winter when sidewalks might be icy, and avoid mid-afternoon appointments during the hottest part of the day,” she advised.
RETIREMENT AND LONELINESS: 3 TIPS FOR SENIORS TO COMBAT SADNESS DURING THEIR GOLDEN YEARS
“Monitor weather forecasts and reschedule appointments if extreme weather is expected — it’s better to err on the side of caution.”
Allow plenty of time to get ready and travel safely to your destination, Eichenberger said.
“Be prepared for weather-related delays or breakdowns during travel by carrying water to stay hydrated and snacks to avoid hunger and lightheadedness,” an expert advised. (iStock)
“Dress in layers during cold weather and wear appropriate footwear to prevent slips and falls,” she said.
“In hot weather, opt for light, breathable clothing and use sun protection, such as hats and sunscreen.”
2. Consider telehealth appointments when possible
Based on the findings, the researchers are calling for telemedicine to become a permanent, covered mode of health care delivery — as it was during the COVID pandemic.
Previous studies have shown that the availability of telemedicine reduces the chances of missed appointments by 13%, they noted.
“If the opportunity to choose an [insurance] plan that provides coverage for telemedicine presents itself, it may be a preferred option,” Willard told Fox News Digital.
Johnson agreed that telemedicine is the “most practical and immediate solution,” particularly for individuals with chronic conditions who are well-known to their providers.
“Telemedicine increases access to care providers and extends the reach of specialists to rural areas,” she said. “Telemedicine across state lines would extend that reach further.”
3. Find reliable transportation
For patients who still drive, ensure the car is serviced regularly to avoid car trouble, Eichenberger recommended.
If the patient no longer drives, it’s important to arrange for reliable transportation options.
“Telemedicine increases access to care providers and extends the reach of specialists to rural areas,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“This could include asking family members or friends for help — or using home care services, ride-sharing services or senior transportation programs.”
For those using public transportation, Eichenberger stressed the need to seek shelter while waiting for the bus to avoid being out in the weather.
4. Have the essentials on hand
“Be prepared for weather-related delays or breakdowns during travel by carrying water to stay hydrated and snacks to avoid hunger and lightheadedness,” Eichenberger said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
If traveling by car, she recommends keeping an emergency kit with essentials such as water, snacks, blankets and a first-aid kit — as well as any necessary medications that need to be taken throughout the day.
Potential limitations
The researchers acknowledged some limitations of the study — particularly that it relies on limited data sets.
“We acknowledge that the data collected on maximum daily temperatures from one central location may not capture urban heat island effects throughout the city,” Drexel College of Medicine clinical associate professor Janet H. Fitzpatrick, M.D., one of the lead authors of the study, told Fox News Digital via email.
“It is critical that we have alternative methods for the delivery of primary care during various scenarios.”
“In addition, patients with multiple medical problems impacted the ability to explore how individual diseases affect the associations between extreme weather and missed appointments.”
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews/health
Other research has pointed to additional factors — such as the day of the week, previous no-shows and the use of automated reminders — as impacting the rate of attendance, according to a university press release.
The researchers recommend considering the availability of transportation in future studies assessing missed appointments.
Over the two and a half years following the 2022 rollout of the 988 national suicide prevention hotline, the rate of suicides among young people in the United States dropped 11 percent below projections, decreasing most sharply in states with a higher volume of answered 988 calls, a new study has found.
The findings, published today as a research letter in JAMA, compared suicide deaths from July 2022 to December 2024 with sophisticated mathematical projections that were based on historical trends. This yielded good news, with 4,372 fewer suicides of adolescents and young adults, ages 15 to 34, than had been projected.
To ensure that the decline was related to the use of the hotline, researchers at Harvard Medical School teased out the trends in states with high and low usage of the hotline. The findings were striking: The 10 states with the largest increases in 988 calls experienced an 18.2 percent reduction in observed suicides compared with expected suicides; in the 10 states with the lowest uptake, the reduction was smaller, 10.6 percent.
The results suggest that the government’s investment in the 988 rollout has translated into “a measurable reduction of deaths,” said Dr. Vishal Patel, a resident physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and one of the authors of the study.
“What our study has added,” he said, “is evidence for the deeper benefit of the program, and that is, that at the population level, among young people at least, suicide mortality is lower than it would have been without the program.”
Tips for Parents to Help Their Struggling Teens
Are you concerned for your teen? If you worry that your teen might be experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, there are a few things you can do to help. Dr. Christine Moutier, the chief medical officer of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suggests these steps:
He added, “The implication of that is that sustained funding for this program matters.”
The United States rolled out the three-digit hotline with bipartisan support in July 2022, replacing a 10-digit hotline number, and augmented it with a $1.5 billion investment in crisis center capacity. Since its inception, the service has fielded more than 25 million contacts, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The agency has asked Congress for $534.6 million to fund the program for 2027.
Last summer, the Trump administration terminated one element of the hotline, the Press 3 option for L.G.B.T.Q.+ callers. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration said that the Press 3 option was being discontinued because it had exhausted its funding from Congress and that the hotline would “focus on serving all help seekers.”
But advocacy groups and policymakers protested the decision, and in testimony before the Senate on Tuesday, the health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., said his agency was planning to restore the Press 3 option.
Dr. Patel said his group had become curious about measuring the program’s effectiveness after Press 3 was eliminated. While call volume and satisfaction surveys suggested that 988 was succeeding, he said, the harder question was, “Did the creation of this 988 program, the transition from the old hotline to this hotline, actually move the needle on suicide mortality?”
Experts said it was difficult to tease out the beneficial effect of 988 from other things that changed in 2022, the year that the new hotline was created. Around that time, suicide prevention programs were being introduced in schools, in faith communities and on social media, but more important, the pandemic was ending.
“We were finally out of this crazy time, and there was a sense of optimism and hope,” said Jonathan B. Singer, a professor of social work at Loyola University Chicago and a co-author of “Suicide in Schools.” He called the downward trend in youth suicides “encouraging, but it is tempered by the fact that we don’t have a good explanation as to why.”
The authors acknowledged that their findings could not account for the influence of social and economic changes, changes in mental health services or public awareness about services.
But they did make comparisons to exclude other possible explanations. The authors looked for similar effects among American adults over 65, who are less likely to use the hotline. In that group, there was a reduction in suicides that exceeded expectations, but it was smaller, at just 4.5 percent.
To ensure the decline in suicides did not reflect a general improvement in young-adult mortality, the researchers tracked cancer deaths, and found there was no change. They also looked at the rates of suicide among young people in England, where no change had been made to the national crisis line in that time period; they found no reduction in youth suicides there.
Hannah Wesolowski, chief advocacy officer for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said she was persuaded that the hotline had contributed to the improvement in suicide rates, in part because it did not appear among English youths or in older Americans.
“To me, that really helps hone in that this might really be the differentiator,” she said. “We are seeing potentially a pretty significant decline in suicides among young people. For public policy, this is strong evidence to double down on that we are doing.”
Emily Hilliard, a senior press secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, said H.H.S. and SAMHSA are “committed to ensuring that all Americans have access” the 988 line, which she said “clearly provides lifesaving support, helping millions of people every year.”
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A highly contagious digestive virus is surging across the U.S., experts warn.
Rotavirus, a double-stranded RNA virus, causes acute gastroenteritis — inflammation of the stomach and intestines — which can lead to severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain.
The virus primarily affects infants and young children, but there have also been outbreaks in elderly populations, such as nursing homes.
AT LEAST 46 CHILDREN DEAD AMID MEASLES OUTBREAK AS VIRUS SPREADS GLOBALLY
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that in the week ending April 4, out of 2,329 rotavirus tests, 7.3% were positive for the infection. Last year’s highest infection rate was 6.77% as of the week ending April 19.
Rotavirus, a double-stranded RNA virus, causes acute gastroenteritis — inflammation of the stomach and intestines — which can lead to severe diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain. (iStock)
“We’re seeing a lot of rotavirus in the wastewater right now,” Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, confirmed to Fox News Digital. “Testing for rotavirus is way down, but the percentage of positive tests is up.”
While the virus typically peaks in the spring, it is not currently slowing down, he noted.
Why cases may be rising
Patricia Pinto-Garcia, M.D., a medical editor at GoodRx who is based in California, said there are several possible reasons for the rotavirus spike.
“Vaccine rates are down overall among young children, as they decreased during COVID,” she told Fox News Digital. “This means there’s a growing number of infants and young children who are vulnerable to infection.”
The rotavirus vaccine series must be completed by the time a child is 8 months old, she noted.
HEALTH ALERT ISSUED FOR DENGUE OUTBREAKS SPREADING IN TRAVEL HOTSPOTS
As a result of the declining vaccinations, herd immunity isn’t protecting vulnerable children, according to Pinto-Garcia. “Children who haven’t finished the vaccine series yet, are too young to get vaccinated, or can’t get the vaccine due to medical illness are more likely to get exposed to the illness because other children aren’t vaccinated,” she said.
Siegel noted that before the vaccine became available, rotavirus resulted in 55,000 to 70,000 in the U.S. per year.
“Vaccine rates are down overall among young children, as they decreased during COVID,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. “This means there’s a growing number of infants and young children who are vulnerable to infection.” (iStock)
“I am concerned that the vaccination rate has been declining over the past seven years and is continuing to decline in the current climate of vaccine skepticism,” he said.
Surveillance methods are also much better than they used to be, Pinto-Garcia noted, which means public health experts are able to pick up and track cases better than ever before.
HOW LONG YOU’RE CONTAGIOUS WITH THE FLU — AND WHEN IT’S SAFE TO GO OUT
“But we see that rotavirus-related healthcare visits are also up, so improved detection is not the only reason we are seeing this spike,” she said.
The COVID pandemic also disrupted the pattern of infections, according to Pinto-Garcia, so it’s “tricky” to compare the current levels against older cycles.
“It’s possible that what we are seeing is still some post-pandemic rebound, but it’s unlikely that this year’s pattern is fully explained by just this factor,” she added.
Transmission and risk
Dr. Zachary Hoy, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Pediatrix Medical Group based in Nashville, Tennessee, often sees young patients with rotavirus.
“Rotavirus is spread via the fecal-oral route, meaning that a person comes into contact with virus droplets from contact with other children or adults, or from contact with objects such as toys that have been contaminated with the virus from someone who is sick,” he told Fox News Digital. “This can lead to outbreaks, especially at schools where many young children share the same toys.”
“It’s possible that what we are seeing is still some post-pandemic rebound, but it’s unlikely that this year’s pattern is fully explained by just this factor.”
Rotavirus is associated with many dehydration cases in the hospital due to the degree of diarrhea, according to Hoy.
In some severe cases, the virus can lead to seizures due to electrolyte imbalances from dehydration and loss of electrolytes in the stool.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“Younger children do not have the reserves that older children and adults have, so they can become more dehydrated quicker and develop more severe electrolyte imbalances, leading to more severe infections,” Hoy said.
“Patients with problems with their immune systems or on medications that can decrease their immune systems can have more severe and prolonged infections, too.”
Treatment and care
Because rotavirus is a viral infection, antibiotics are not effective against it. There is no specific antiviral treatment for the condition, with doctors typically recommending supportive care.
“The mainstay of treatment is hospitalization for rehydration via intravenous (IV) fluids,” Hoy told Fox News Digital. “Sometimes it can take up to two to three days of IV fluids to help get patients rehydrated.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Blood draws are often necessary to evaluate patients’ electrolyte levels, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, according to the doctor.
“If these electrolyte levels are significantly low, sometimes patients need special IV solutions or individual electrolyte medications,” he added.
“The mainstay of treatment is hospitalization for rehydration via intravenous (IV) fluids,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)
Dr. Daniel Park, medical director of the Pediatric Emergency Department at UNC Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, noted that most children recover with supportive care, but parents should seek medical attention if a child shows signs of dehydration. Those include decreased urination, lethargy or inability to keep fluids down.
“While rare, rotavirus can be life-threatening in vulnerable populations, especially very young infants or children with underlying medical conditions,” Park told Fox News Digital.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
Prevention strategies
Given the lack of antiviral medications for rotavirus, doctors emphasize the importance of prevention, primarily the vaccine.
There are two rotavirus vaccines – Rotateq (a three-dose series) and Rotarix (a two-dose series). They are given starting at age 2 months as oral drops, not injections, according to Hoy.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“It’s important to get the rotavirus vaccines on schedule, because these younger infants are at greatest risk if they get rotavirus,” he advised.
Other recommended prevention methods include handwashing with soap and water.
Every day we’re faced with a zillion small choices: Go to sleep early, or watch one more episode of that Netflix drama. Call an old friend to catch up, or cruise social media. Of course, no single action will guarantee a long, healthy life or doom you to an early grave. But those little daily decisions do add up, and over the long term they can make a difference when it comes to both your longevity and your health span, the amount of life spent in relatively good health.
Scroll through this theoretical “day in the life” and select the option that best fits your typical day. Not every situation will apply perfectly, but think about which choice you’d be most likely to make. This isn’t a formal scientific assessment. The goal here isn’t to assign you a “good” or “bad” score, but to help you understand the central factors that shape the way we age and how long we live.
-
Finance5 minutes agoAuto Finance Capital Summit | Insights | Mayer Brown
-
Fitness12 minutes agoAt 50, Hrithik Roshan’s ex-wife Sussanne sets fitness goals with challenging Pilates exercise
-
Movie Reviews24 minutes ago‘Madhuvidhu’ movie review: A light-hearted film that squanders a promising conflict
-
World35 minutes agoGoogle puts AI agents at heart of its enterprise money-making push
-
News42 minutes agoSenate Adopts GOP Budget, Laying the Groundwork to Fund ICE and Reopen DHS
-
Politics48 minutes agoU.S. Seizes Second Tanker Carrying Iranian Oil
-
Business53 minutes agoHow We Cover the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
-
Science59 minutes agoRFK Jr. Says His Department Advises All Children to Get Measles Vaccine