Weekly Roundup
Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2024
ARTICLES AND ESSAYS
America’s Trust in Media Remains at Trend Low
Trust in political and civic institutions highest for local and state governments, lowest for media and Congress
Gallup, 2024
NY Times reports show Harris critiqued intelligence reports for how they described female leaders
The vice president scrutinized multiple years of briefing reports, 'looking for possible gender bias,' the Times reported
Fox News, 2024
Medical schools politicizing health care, putting lives ‘on the line’: watchdog
The College Fix, 2024
Social Media and News Fact Sheet
Pew Research Center, 2024
Suicide mortality in the United States, 2002–2022
NCHS Data Brief, 2024
Abstract: After increasing from 2002 to 2018, the age-adjusted suicide rate declined from 2018 (14.2 deaths per 100,000 standard population) through 2020 (13.5) but then increased 5%, to 14.2 in 2022. Following a period of decline between 2018 and 2020, suicide rates generally increased between 2020 and 2022 for females ages 25 and older. For males ages 10-14 and 15-24, rates decreased between 2020 and 2022, while rates for older age groups generally increased. For females in 2022, firearm-related suicide (2.0) was the leading means of suicide, with rates generally increasing since 2007. For males in 2022, firearm-related suicide (13.5) was the leading means of suicide, with rates increasing since 2006.
NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports, 2024
Abstract: Objectives—This report presents final 2021 data on U.S. deaths, death rates, life expectancy, infant and maternal mortality, and trends by selected characteristics such as age, sex, Hispanic origin and race, state of residence, and cause of death. Methods—Information reported on death certificates is presented in descriptive tabulations. The original records are filed in state registration offices. Statistical information is compiled in a national database through the Vital Statistics Cooperative Program of the National Center for Health Statistics. Causes of death are processed according to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision. Beginning in 2018, all states and the District of Columbia were using the 2003 revised certificate of death for the entire year, which includes the 1997 Office of Management and Budget revised standards for race. Data based on these revised standards are not completely comparable to previous years. Results—In 2021, a total of 3,464,231 deaths were reported in the United States. The age-adjusted death rate was 879.7 deaths per 100,000 U.S. standard population, an increase of 5.3% from the 2020 rate. Life expectancy at birth was 76.4 years, a decrease of 0.6 year from 2020. Age-specific death rates increased from 2020 to 2021 for every age group. In 2021, 9 of the 10 leading causes of death remained the same as in 2020. Heart disease remained the top leading cause, followed by cancer and COVID-19. The infant mortality rate of 5.44 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2021 did not change significantly from the rate in 2020 (5.42). Conclusions—In 2021, the age-adjusted death rate increased and life expectancy at birth decreased for the total, male, and female populations, primarily due to the influence of deaths from COVID-19.
Deaths: Leading Causes for 2021
NCHS National Vital Statistics Reports, 2024
Abstract: Objectives—This report presents final 2021 data on the 10 leading causes of death in the United States by age group, race and Hispanic origin, and sex. Leading causes of infant, neonatal, and postneonatal death are also presented. This report supplements “Deaths: Final Data for 2021,” the National Center for Health Statistics’ annual report of final mortality statistics. Methods—Data in this report are based on information from all death certificates filed in the 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2021. Causes of death classified by the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision are ranked according to the number of deaths. Cause-of-death statistics are based on the underlying cause of death. Results—In 2021, the ranked order of 9 of the 10 leading causes of death remained unchanged from 2020, as COVID-19 remained the third leading cause of death in the United States. The 10 leading causes of death in 2021 were, in ranked order: Diseases of heart; Malignant neoplasms; COVID-19; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Cerebrovascular diseases; Chronic lower respiratory diseases; Alzheimer disease; Diabetes mellitus; Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis; and Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis. These causes accounted for 74.5% of all deaths occurring in the United States. Rankings are presented by age, race, Hispanic origin, and sex. The 10 leading causes of infant death for 2021 were, in ranked order: Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities; Disorders related to short gestation and low birth weight, not elsewhere classified; Sudden infant death syndrome; Accidents (unintentional injuries); Newborn affected by maternal complications of pregnancy; Newborn affected by complications of placenta, cord and membranes; Bacterial sepsis of newborn; Respiratory distress of newborn; Diseases of the circulatory system; and Intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia.
RUBBISH BIN
LGBTQ+ faculty, queering health sciences classrooms: student perspectives
Advances in Physiology Education, 2024
Abstract: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer plus (LGBTQ+) students in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors are more likely to drop out than their cisgender, heterosexual peers despite having equivalent grades and research exposure. It has been demonstrated that a sense of belonging, a very strong predictor of student retention, is low in LGBTQ+-identified STEM undergraduates. It has further been posited that faculty openness and authenticity can enhance a sense of belonging for LGBTQ+ students through the creation of an inclusive classroom culture. The authors of this article, three LGBTQ+-identified faculty in the health sciences department at Boston University, surveyed students enrolled in their courses to elicit student thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding the effect of faculty 1) sharing their identity openly in the classroom, and 2) actively working to create open, inclusive dialogue and space in their classrooms. Of 86 student participants across multiple classes, the large majority of students, both LGBTQ+-identified and non-LGBTQ+-identified, described feeling safe, included, and welcomed in the classroom. They described engaging more in peer-to-peer education and felt that instructor authenticity created a safe and inclusive classroom. A minority of LGBTQ+-identified students and non-LGBTQ+-identified students reported feeling unsure of voicing their opinions, for the former related to insecurity about being LGBTQ+ and the latter feeling a liberal bias existed in the classroom. Altogether, these results suggest a positive effect on student sense of belonging when faculty authenticity and intentionality create inclusive classroom environments in the health sciences.
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