Infotrak

A recent study found that women who don't get enough sleep are at greater risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure. Shahab Haghayegh, PhD, Research Fellow at the Brigham and Harvard Medical School, shares his eye-opening research.

Job discrimination is not allowed in US workplaces, but one expert says it's still very real, as blacks remain less likely to be hired and rarely progress to senior positions. Adia Harvey Wingfield, PhD, sociologist, Mary Tileston Hemenway Professor of Arts & Sciences and Vice Dean for Faculty Development and Diversity at Washington University in St. Louis, author of "Gray Areas: How the Way We Work Perpetuates Racism and What We Can Do to Fix It," outlines the issue and suggests ways to address it.

Parents of teenagers may be surprised by the powerful emotions that can affect their teenagers. Lisa Damour, PhD, Senior Advisor to the Schubert Center for Child Studies at Case Western Reserve University, author of "The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents," co-host of the Ask Lisa podcast, offers tips for parents on how to support their teens in distress.

It's a tragic statistic: the suicide rate of military veterans is about twice that of the general population. Jim Lorraine, military veteran and President of America's Warrior Partnership explains the factors behind this worrisome trend and what can be done.

High monthly rent expenses are weighting heavily on millions of Americans. Gary Painter, PhD, Academic Director of the Carl H. Lindner College of Business real estate program, Professor of Real Estate at the University of Cincinnati, shares his research that Americans who pay more than 30% of their income toward rent are forced to make trade-offs in other areas of their lives that can last for years and contribute to many social ills.

Artificial Intelligence is everywhere. How does ChatGPT stack up in answering consumer health questions compared to human physicians? Devin Mann, MD, Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, shares the surprising results!

Minivans are popular vehicles, but updated safety tests had disturbing results. Jill Ciminillo, Managing Editor for the website Pickup Truck + SUV Talk, and co-host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, outlined the latest data and what minivan owners need to know.

Online influencers are posting paid videos with questionable health messages. Marlene Schwartz, PhD, Director of the University of Connecticut's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Health, explains how consumers can recognize paid messages.

A surprising number of Americans don't know what rights are protected under the First Amendment, and many cannot name the three branches of government. Matt Levendusky, PhD, Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania, Stephen & Mary Baran Chair in the Institutions of Democracy at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, shares the findings of the 2023 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, and explains why the troubling results could one day threaten our freedoms.

Recent national disasters have led to a major shortage in America's blood supply. Baia Lasky, MD, board-certified physician in Blood Banking and Transfusion Medicine, Medical Director of the American Red Cross of Georgia, explains why the problem is so serious and how a first-time blood donor can get started.

Today, the average American lives just 76 years, the shortest lifespan the country has seen since 1996. A growing amount of research indicates that having the right employer can boost your lifespan and your health in dramatic ways. Lee Newman, MD, MA, Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental & Occupational Health and Department of Epidemiology at the University of Colorado, explains how employers may dramatically affect the quality--and perhaps even length--of an employee's life.

In just five years, legalized sports betting is now embraced as a revenue source by at least 37 states, and gambling addiction is a growing problem, especially among teenagers. Timothy W. Fong, MD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and Co-Director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. Explains how parents can recognize addiction in teens or ideally, prevent the start of it.

Now, look at groundbreaking research that found that the lives of nearly 8,000 black Americans could be saved each year if doctors could figure out a way to bring their average blood pressure down to the average level of whites. Kevin Fiscella, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Family Medicine and Community & Preventive Medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry, explains the reasons behind the gap.

They call it the great dechurching, as many Americans no longer regularly attend their house of worship. Is it due to a cultural shift, a loss of faith, lack of time? Or another reason? Sociologist Ryan P. Burge, PhD, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University, co-author of "The Great Dechurching: Who's Leaving, Why Are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?" shares results of a groundbreaking study.

A recent New York Life survey found that Americans believe they need $4.3 million to retire comfortably. Unfortunately, the average person has around $135,000 saved. Chris Carosa, MBA, Certified Trust & Financial Advisor, Senior Contributor to Forbes.com, author of "Hey! What's My Number: How to Improve the Odds You Will Retire in Comfort" explains how to determine how much money will really be needed for a comfortable retirement, along with simple steps to get there.

Grocery costs for Americans have skyrocketed in the past two years. We’ll learn how you can fight back against the subtle trend of "shrinkflation." Edgar Dworsky, Founder & Editor of ConsumerWorld.com, explains what products are most commonly affected, and ways that consumers can protect themselves against the tricky practice.

More than ever, children ages 3-10 are struggling with anxiety, depression, and mental health challenges. Caroline Leaf, PhD, clinical and cognitive neuroscientist, podcaster, and author of "How to Help Your Child Clean Up Their Mental Mess" outlines the warning signs should parents watch for.

Car insurance premiums are rising fast. How much privacy would you give up to get lower premiums? Erica Eversman, President of the Automotive Education and Policy Institute, discusses the dilemma.

The internet wasn't created to cause outrage anger and confusion, so why did it turn out that way? Tobias Rose-Stockwell, author of "Outrage Machine: How Tech Amplifies Discontent, Disrupts Democracy―And What We Can Do About It," says a handful of small features quietly launched at social media companies triggered a cascading set of dramatic changes to how media, politics, and society itself operate.

New technology, including AI, is revolutionizing medical science. It may soon allow major advances in treating serious illness. Ground-breaking scientist LeRoy Hood, MD, PhD, author of "The Age of Scientific Wellness," believes this new technology can eventually conquer heart disease, Alzheimer's disease and many other illnesses, with noticeable progress within five years.