- Seat Belt Use Increasing in the U.S.
- Cancer, Heart, Traffic Deaths to Rise During Next 20 Years: WHO
- Aging Americans Feel Peace and Calm: Study
- Recreational Water Illnesses Increasing: CDC
- Sen. Edward Kennedy Undergoing Further Evaluation
- Recalled Backpack Blowers Pose Laceration/Impact Hazard
Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Seat Belt Use Increasing in the U.S.
Overall seat belt use in the United States is on the rise. But the news isn't all good, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures published Monday as safety and law enforcement officials launched the annual pre-Memorial Day campaign urging Americans to buckle up.
General seat belt use increased to 82 percent in 2007, compared to 81 percent in 2006, the Associated Press reported. Twelve states -- led by Hawaii and Washington -- had seat belt use rates of 90 percent or higher. Only three states -- Arkansas, Massachusetts and New Hampshire -- had rates below 70 percent.
But the study found that 68 percent of drivers and passengers, ages 16 to 20, who were killed in nighttime car crashes in 2006 weren't using seat belts. In that age group, 57 percent of drivers and passengers killed in daytime crashes weren't buckled up, the AP reported.
But the problem isn't limited to young people. More than 60 percent of drivers and passengers up to age 44 killed in nighttime crashes weren't wearing seat belts, along with 52 percent of people ages 55 to 64, and 41 percent of those 65 and older.
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Cancer, Heart, Traffic Deaths to Rise During Next 20 Years: WHO
Over the next 20 years, global deaths from cancer, heart disease and traffic crashes will increase as people in developing nations get richer and live longer, a new World Health Organization report predicts.
By 2030, these three causes of death will account for more than 30 percent of all deaths worldwide, said the "World Health Statistics 2008" report. At same time, deaths from factors currently associated with the developing world -- such as nutritional deficiencies, malaria and tuberculosis -- will decline, Agence France-Presse reported.
"Globally, deaths from cancer will increase from 7.4 million in 2004 to 11.8 million in 2030, and deaths from cardiovascular diseases will rise from 17.1 million to 23.4 million in the same period," according to the WHO report.
"Deaths due to road accidents will increase from 1.3 million in 2004 to 2.4 million in 2030, primarily owing to increased motor vehicle ownership and use associated with economic growth in low- and middle-income countries," the report continued.
The WHO also said worldwide deaths from HIV/AIDS will increase from 2.2 million in 2008 to a maximum of 2.4 million in 2012 before decreasing to 1.2 million in 2030, AFP reported.
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Aging Americans Feel Peace and Calm: Study
Many Americans experience a sense of peace and calm as they age, suggests a study by researchers at the Population Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin.
Their analysis of information from 1,450 people who took part in the General Social Survey revealed that those aged 60 and older reported more feelings of ease and contentment than younger people, United Press International reported.
The findings are published in the journal Social Science and Medicine.
Study authors Catherine Ross and John Mirowsky noted that previous research on emotions associated with aging focused on negative emotions, such as depression. But this study shows that aging is associated with more positive than negative feelings, and more passive than active emotions, UPI reported.
"Emotions that are both active and negative, such as anxiety and anger, are especially unlikely among the elderly," Ross said in a prepared statement.
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Recreational Water Illnesses Increasing: CDC
Outbreaks of recreational water illnesses (RWIs) in the United States reached a record high in 2007 and the numbers could increase in coming years, says the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RWIs are caused by swallowing, breathing or having contact with germs in the water of swimming pools, spas, lakes, river or oceans.
