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The article examines the mental health implications of climate-related relocation from the 2023 Maui wildfires. Topics include overlooked tolls of climate-related relocation, cultural and trauma-informed care for vulnerable groups, and the need of future disaster recovery and predisaster prevention initiatives to incorporate comprehensive mental health support, counseling, and community resilience programs to address individuals' mental and emotional needs.

Obesity is often viewed as a result of patient failure to adhere to healthy dietary intake and physical activity; however, this belief undermines the complexity of obesity as a disease. Rates of obesity have doubled for adults and quadrupled for adolescents since the 1990s. Without effective interventions to help combat this disease, patients with obesity are at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke, liver disease, obstructive sleep apnea, and more. Patients often go through several barriers before they are offered pharmacotherapy or bariatric surgery, even though evidence supports the use of these interventions earlier. This partially stems from the cultural barriers associated with using these therapies, but it is also related to healthcare provider bias and limited knowledge of these therapies. Finally, even when patients are offered treatment for obesity, they often run into insurance barriers that keep them from treatment. There needs to be a cultural shift to accept obesity as a disease and improve access to effective treatments sooner to help decrease the risk of health complications associated with obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, many health professionals used social media to promote preventative health behaviors. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of the effect of a Facebook advertising campaign consisting of short videos recorded by doctors and nurses to encourage users to stay at home for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays (NCT04644328 and AEARCTR-0006821). We randomly assigned counties to high intensity (n = 410 (386) at Thanksgiving (Christmas)) or low intensity (n = 410 (381)). The intervention was delivered to a large fraction of Facebook subscribers in 75% and 25% of randomly assigned zip codes in high- and low-intensity counties, respectively. In total, 6,998 (6,716) zip codes were included, and 11,954,109 (23,302,290) users were reached at Thanksgiving (Christmas). The first two primary outcomes were holiday travel and fraction leaving home, both measured using mobile phone location data of Facebook users. Average distance traveled in high-intensity counties decreased by -0.993 percentage points (95% confidence interval (CI): -1.616, -0.371; P = 0.002) for the 3 days before each holiday compared to low-intensity counties. The fraction of people who left home on the holiday was not significantly affected (adjusted difference: 0.030; 95% CI: -0.361, 0.420; P = 0.881). The third primary outcome was COVID-19 infections recorded at the zip code level in the 2-week period starting 5 days after the holiday. Infections declined by 3.5% (adjusted 95% CI: -6.2%, -0.7%; P = 0.013) in intervention compared to control zip codes. Social media messages recorded by health professionals before the winter holidays in the United States led to a significant reduction in holiday travel and subsequent COVID-19 infections. A new cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 13 American states demonstrates that a social media advertising campaign using videos of healthcare professionals to encourage users to stay at home over the holiday season was effective in reducing travel and subsequent spread of COVID-19., Author(s): Emily Breza [sup.1] , Fatima Cody Stanford [sup.2] [sup.3] , Marcella Alsan [sup.4] , Burak Alsan [sup.5] , Abhijit Banerjee [sup.6] , Arun G. Chandrasekhar [sup.7] , Sarah Eichmeyer [...]

Obesity is a chronic relapsing disease and a major public health concern due to its high prevalence and associated complications. Paradoxically, several studies have found that obesity might positively impact the prognosis of patients with certain existing chronic diseases, while some individuals with normal BMI may develop obesity-related complications. This phenomenon might be explained by differences in body composition, such as visceral adipose tissue (VAT), total body fat (TBF), and fat-free mass (FFM). Indirect measures of body composition such as body circumferences, skinfold thicknesses, and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) devices are useful clinically and in epidemiological studies but are often difficult to perform, time-consuming, or inaccurate. Biomedical imaging methods, i.e., computerized tomography scanners (CT scan), dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), provide accurate assessments but are expensive and not readily available. Recent advancements in 3D optical image technology offer an innovative way to assess body circumferences and body composition, though most machines are costly and not widely available. Two-dimensional optical image technology might offer an interesting alternative, but its accuracy needs validation. This review aims to evaluate the efficacy of 2D and 3D automated body scan devices in assessing body circumferences and body composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although BMI is based primarily on data from non-Hispanic White people, in 2004 the World Health Organization suggested new BMI categories for many Asian populations to reduce bias. In this commentary, the authors argue that developing more granular BMI categories for Asian Americans can pave the way for similar efforts among all racial and ethnic groups, making the use of BMI more accurate, tailored, and equitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article emphasizes the challenges pediatric patients face during obesity treatment. Prior research has been compartmentalized, acknowledging that stigma, the ability to implement lifestyle changes, social health determinants, and healthcare accessibility are considerable impediments for obese children. These issues emerge at various levels, including the individual or family, the community and school, and even national policy. This suggests the need for a more comprehensive, team-based approach to tackle pediatric obesity. Understanding these barriers is the first step toward creating effective strategies and solutions to overcome these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy PointsHealth policymakers have insufficiently addressed care for people with obesity (body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2) in the United States. Current federal policies targeting obesity medications reflect this unfortunate reality.We argue for a novel policy framework to increase access to effective obesity therapeutics and care, recognizing that, though prevention is critical, the epidemic proportions of obesity in the United States warrant immediate interventions to augment care.Reducing barriers to and improving the quality of existing anti‐obesity medications, intensive behavioral therapy, weight management nutrition and dietary counseling, and bariatric surgery are critical. Moreover, to ensure continuity of care and patient–clinician trust, combating physician and broader weight stigma must represent a central component of any viable obesity care agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]