West Newsmagazine 2-14-18

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February 14, 2018
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I HEALTH I 27
The number of young women entering U.S. medical schools has surpassed
the number of men for the first time, statistics show.
health
capsules
By LISA RUSSELL
Women now outnumber
men in medical schools
For the first time, the number of women
enrolling in U.S. medical schools has surpassed
the number of men, according to
data recently released by the Association
of American Medical Colleges [AAMC].
Women made up 50.7 percent of the 21,338
new medical students in 2017, compared
with 49.8 percent in 2016.
Since 2015, the number of women applying
to medical school has increased by 4
percent, while the number of male applicants
has declined 6.7 percent, according
to the AAMC. Overall in 2017, the number
of new students in U.S. medical schools is
up 1.5 percent, and total enrollment now
stands at 89,904 students.
“We are very encouraged by the growing
number of women enrolling in U.S. medical
schools,” said AAMC President and
Chief Executive Officer Darrell G. Kirch,
M.D. “This year’s matriculating class demonstrates
that medicine is an increasingly
attractive career for women and that medical
schools are creating an inclusive environment.
While we have much more work
to do to attain broader diversity among our
students, faculty and leadership, this is a
notable milestone.”
Comparable to prior years, the academic
credentials and experience of medical
school applicants in 2017 remain “very
strong,” the AAMC noted, with 77 percent
having done volunteer community service
in a medical or clinical setting, and the
same percentage having prior research
experience. The average undergraduate
grade point average of applicants this year
increased slightly, to 3.56, and the median
medical college admission test score was
up slightly as well.
“Tide Pod challenge” is no joke
Teenagers sometimes do exasperating,
senseless and even dangerous things.
Those three words certainly describe the
rising popularity of the “Tide Pod challenge,”
where teens post seemingly humorous
videos online that show them eating
the small, colorful laundry detergent packets.
During the first three weeks of January
alone, U.S. poison control centers handled
86 cases of intentional laundry pod misuse
among 13- to 19-year-olds, compared with
53 such cases for all of 2017.
The American Association of Poison
Control Centers issued a warning in late
January that it had received an increasing
number of reports of teenagers ingesting
the detergent pods, which can cause breathing
problems, seizures, respiratory arrest,
coma and even death when the contents
are swallowed. Tide manufacturer Procter
& Gamble also is attempting to curb the
social media trend, which the company’s
Health dangers to teens associated with the
“Tide Pod challenge” social media trend are
no laughing matter.
CEO, David Taylor, called “dangerous”
and “extremely concerning” in a recent
blog post.
P&G has produced a public service
announcement warning teens not to take
the challenge, and is working with social
media companies to remove the videos
[Youtube recently banned the Tide Pod
challenge videos and announced it would
delete them]. Taylor also appealed to parents
to speak to their kids about the trend.
“Let’s all take a moment to talk with the
young people in our lives and let them
know that their life and health matter more
than clicks, views and likes,” Taylor wrote.
“Please help them understand that this is no
laughing matter.”
Area parents with questions or concerns
about the Tide Pod challenge can reach the
Missouri Poison Center 24 hours a day by
calling (800) 222-1222. Information also is
available online at missouripoisoncenter.org.
Millennials who work at home primarily are
responsible for a significant decrease in U.S.
energy consumption.
Millennials powering lower
nationwide energy use
Literally by driving less than previous
generations, millennials are driving
energy savings of close to 2 trillion BTUs
of power consumed per year in the U.S.,
approximately 1.8 percent of the national
total, a recent analysis found. Factors such
as the rapid rise in online shopping and
employees working from home are behind
the overall decline in energy consumption,
which has more than offset an increase in
residential energy demand.
The analysis, which recently was published
in the journal Joule, was based on
a decade of data from American Time
Use Surveys conducted between 2003 and
2012. The surveys are administered each
year by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
to track how advances in information
technology are changing the lifestyles of
Americans, particularly those under age 65.
The data showed that, on average, Americans
spent an extra eight days at home in
2012 compared to 2003, one less day traveling
and one week less in non-residential
buildings. The greatest change was seen in
people ages 18-24, who spent 70 percent
more time at home compared to the general
population. People over 65 were the only
group to spend more time outside their
homes in 2012 compared to 2003.
“We did expect to see a net energy
decrease, but we had no idea of the magnitude,”
said the study’s first author, Ashok
Sekar, an expert in consumer energy use
and policy at the University of Texas
at Austin. “This work raises awareness
of the connection between lifestyle and
energy … Now that we know people are
spending more time at home, more focus
could be put on improving residential
energy efficiency.”
On the calendar
Area residents are encouraged to participate
in an American Red Cross blood
drive from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Friday, Feb.
23 at St. Luke’s Hospital’s Institute for
Health Education, 222 S. Woods Mill Road
in Chesterfield [North Medical Office
Building, Level 2]. To register for an
appointment time, visit redcrossblood.org
and enter the sponsor code SAINTLUKES
or call (314) 658-2090.
• • •
St. Luke’s Hospital holds its annual
Spirit of Women Day of Dance event
from 9 a.m.-noon on Saturday, Feb. 24 at
the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel & Conference
Center, 16625 Swingley Ridge
Road in Chesterfield. Attendance is free,
but registration is required by visiting
stlukes-stl.com. For more information,
call (314) 205-6706.
• • •
Missouri Baptist Medical Center holds
its annual Heart Fair from 8:30 a.m.-
1:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24 at the
hospital’s campus, 3015 N. Ballas Road.
Health screenings including blood pressure,
cholesterol, glucose level, BMI and
body composition measurement will be
offered at no cost. The event also will
feature live heart-healthy cooking demonstrations,
free food samples, exercise
classes and more. Advance registration is
recommended by visiting missouribaptist.
org/HeartFair.
• • •
BJC sponsors a Family & Friends
CPR course from 6:30-9 p.m. on Tuesday,
Feb. 27 at the Missouri Baptist
Medical Center Clinical Learning Institute,
3005 N. Ballas Road. The course
provides instruction and hands-on practice
for parents, childcare providers and
babysitters for adult hands-only CPR;
infant and child CPR with breaths; introduction
to adult and child AED use; and
relief of choking in an adult, child or
infant. The course fee is $25. To register
online, visit classes-events.bjc.org/wlp2/
or call (314) 454-5437.