Effects are not simple and need to be considered within social, technological, commercial, and political contexts to avoid unintended harms As the UK plans to ban under 16s from social media platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and X, experts writing in The BMJ today argue that restrictions may reduce some harms ...
Study provides strong evidence that epidural analgesia in labour is safe for newborns, say researchers Having an epidural during labour is not associated with clinically significant increased risks of harm to newborn babies, including brain injury, severe breathing problems, sepsis and death, or cerebral palsy later in childhood. The researchers ...
Greater cultural engagement can improve blood pressure and other health markers Promoting cultural activities may help support healthy ageing in older adults Higher levels of cultural engagement are significantly associated with lower physiological ageing, suggests an analysis published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Ageing is universal but ...
Limited mixing during early childhood was associated with some key areas of development Overall language scores and motor skills were at or above expected levels for age Children born during the first COVID-19 lockdown in England had lower reported levels of executive function - crucial skills involved in making plans, ...
Researchers call for more public health messaging on the risks of walking while under the influence of drugs or alcohol Deaths occur most frequently during evening, night-time and early morning hours when reduced visibility and impaired decision-making may increase risk In New York State, 44% of pedestrian deaths involved alcohol ...
Customised charts could help improve maternity safety, say researchers One-size-fits-all fetal growth charts used in the NHS to monitor babies' growth before birth often misclassify babies as being either too small or too large, which can lead to missed cases at risk of stillbirth or unnecessary interventions, finds a study ...
Treatment decisions should be individualised, balancing expected benefits, harms, treatment burden, costs, availability, and patient preferences, say researchers Despite substantial weight loss, most obesity drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro do not meaningfully improve quality of life and few show cardiovascular benefits at one year, finds an analysis of the latest evidence published ...
Prevalence higher in rural areas in all regions, pooled data analysis of 44 countries reveals Strong protective effects of education and delayed childbearing Early menopause affects 1 in 14 women aged 30 to 49 living in low and middle income countries, finds a pooled data analysis of its prevalence in ...
Rates even higher in those who are young, old, frail or economically disadvantaged Diagnosis after emergency admission 3 times less likely to be early stage disease Two in five women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed only after an emergency hospital admission, when they are 3 times less likely to have ...
Absolute risk is low, but findings support ongoing efforts to reduce use and duration of mechanical restraint where feasible Mechanical restraint is associated with a small increased short term risk of blood clots among inpatients at psychiatric hospitals, finds a Danish study published by The BMJ today. Although the absolute risk remains ...
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