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• Research analyzing U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data found that 31.9% of adults reported social isolation and 8.2% reported physical isolation, with both often overlapping. • Isolation was strongly associated with material deprivation including food insecurity and trouble paying bills, with 82.1% of physically isolated adults experiencing financial hardship compared to 30.9% of those not physically isolated. • Both types of isolation were linked to lower odds of receiving preventive health services including COVID-19, flu, and pneumococcal vaccinations, as well as cancer screenings, though financial hardship partly explained these associations.

Researchers say lack of sleep could be a factor among young people interacting online for more than three hours a dayChildren who are on social media for more than three hours a day are more likely to develop depression and anxiety as teenagers, according to research.Experts said the impact was likely to be linked to a lack of sleep caused by using social media late at night, and that the link to depression was more pronounced in girls. Continue reading...

• Researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health published findings on March 19 in Environmental Health Perspectives linking fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure to a 3.2% increase in cardiovascular hospital admissions within two days in major US metropolitan areas. • The analysis of 15 million hospital records across 50 US cities over 12 years found that a 10 microgram per cubic meter increase in PM2.5 correlates with approximately 4,200 additional cardiovascular hospitalizations annually across studied cities. • The research supports EPA air quality standards and highlights urgent need for pollution control measures, as cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States affecting 126 million Americans.

• The FBI and IRS are initiating a joint investigation into nonprofits over possible ties to domestic terrorism, targeting groups promoting extreme views on immigration, gender ideology, and anti-American sentiment. • The probe follows a memo from Attorney General Pam Bondi last year ordering lists of such organizations. • This initiative raises concerns about free speech and government overreach amid heightened security focus.

Prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre says connections have been proved between those in ‘trusted and central positions’ and late sex offenderThe Norwegian parliament has voted unanimously to appoint an independent investigative commission to look into connections between its foreign office and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.Speaking before the vote on Tuesday, the prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, paid tribute to Epstein’s victims and said that the files released by the US Department of Justice had clearly shown “it is possible to buy and abuse influence if you are rich enough”. Continue reading...

• A new study finds that exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances)—chemicals used in non-stick coatings and water-resistant products—is linked to low bone density in teenagers. • The research, announced by the Endocrine Society, involved collaboration between the CDC, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Simon Fraser University, and George Washington University. • The finding adds to growing evidence that PFAS contamination poses significant health risks, particularly during critical periods of skeletal development in adolescence.

Accusations were false and primary cause of major meat supplier ‘panicking’ and cancelling contract, Victorian judge finds on balance of probabilitiesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA halal certifier wrongly accused a rival of being connected to Islamic extremism to secure the business of a major meat supplier, a Victorian court has found.The Victorian county court ruled that the Islamic Co-ordinating Council of Victoria (ICCV) suffered from malicious or injurious falsehood when Midfield Meats cancelled a lucrative halal certification contract primarily because its managing director was told the Australian federal police were investigating the certifier for financing terrorism. Continue reading...