Moving Less in a Pandemic- Impact on Physical Health
We are now in month six of the global pandemic of COVID-19. Many papers focusing on the direct care of the virus are being published at a significantly accelerated…
Addressing Youth Mental Health with Digital Tools- Some Considerations
Estimates suggest 1.1 billion people worldwide suffer from mental health disorders. Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and substance use are the leading causes of disability amongst working-age adults. Many of these disorders…
Social Media Use and Mental Health in Adolescents
Latest reports indicate that smartphones are now in the hands of 81% of Americans and 97% of adolescents use social media daily. Phone use has become a signal and…
Can Technology Reduce Loneliness?
The negative impact of loneliness on health has been receiving more attention in the published literature. A recent study in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology suggests that over 17%…
Sleep- an Elixer to Combat Obesity?
Evidence shows the importance of getting a good night's sleep- 7 hours seems to be the magic number; more or less is associated with negative implications for blood pressure,…
Maybe the Kids are Alright – Digital Technology use and Well-being
Children and adolescents are digital natives; they don't recall a time before the internet, before smartphones and being able to ask a voice assistant for help. Early research pointed to…
Recent Trends in Psychological Distress- Are Outpatient Utilization Patterns Changing?
Mental health has been in the news with higher frequency in the last few years. Is that due to an increase in reporting? Better measures? Or, because there's an increase…
Global Movement for Health- What will it take?
The data linking sedentary lifestyles and ill-health are voluminous, yet the global activity rates have remained flat. We are living longer, and many countries are grappling with aging populations…
Is Social Media the New Vital Sign?
In the aftermath of the Cambridge Analytica scandal which has driven the #deletefacebook movement, is it time to consider social media as a vital sign? Would it seem odd when…