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February 7, 2024
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01/2024
A recent survey explored what happens when couples with differing
political views attempt to watch the news together. (Adobe Stock photo)
HEALTH
CAPSULES
By LISA RUSSELL
Cardiovascular deaths
continue to rise post-COVID
Each February marks American Heart
Month; and in 2024, the U.S. unfortunately
faces what public health experts recently
called an “enduring setback” in the fight
against heart disease. New research shows
that a continued rise in fatal heart attacks
and strokes since 2020 has erased a decade’s
worth of progress the nation had previously
made toward slowing down its No. 1 killer.
A just-published study led by investigators
from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed
information about the deaths of more than
10 million U.S. adults over age 35 between
2010 and 2022. Trends from each of those
years show that, in sharp contrast to a
decline of 8.9% between 2010 and 2019,
death rates from cardiovascular causes
rose by 9.3% from 2020 through 2022.
“We were concerned about the emerging
evidence that (heart disease and stroke) outcomes
worsened during the first two years
of the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted to
understand whether the concerning trends
were temporary or whether they continued
through 2022,” said Rebecca C. Woodruff,
Ph.D., MPH, of the CDC’s Division for
Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention. The
analysis confirmed that there were 228,000
more cardiovascular disease deaths than
expected from 2020-2022; and they rose
across all age, sex and ethnicity categories.
Woodruff pointed to several possible
explanations for the ongoing increases:
• The pandemic prevented access to
healthcare for many people, which may
have led to delays in detecting and treating
their chronic or acute heart disease.
• Disruptions in daily life may have
made it harder for people to do the things
that prevent heart disease…which include
managing high blood pressure, eating and
sleeping well, being physically active,
quitting tobacco, and controlling weight,
cholesterol and blood sugar.
• Evidence also suggests that people who
have had COVID-19 are at higher risk for
new or worsening heart disease, which
may have contributed to the subsequent
uptick in cardiovascular death rates.
Political differences may
challenge relationships
In this election year, the current partisan
political climate already has many people
concerned whether Americans with differing
views can continue to coexist. But what
if you and your spouse or romantic partner
are on different sides of the political aisle …
which by some estimates includes as many
as 30% of American couples?
Communications researchers at the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
recently looked at this question in terms
of couples’ media habits and their impact
on relationships. They conducted in-depth
interviews with about 35 couples whose
political views differed, either from the
outset of their relationships or after one
partner changed political affiliation during
the relationship. Either way, seemingly
mundane decisions about news coverage
and consumption became “especially difficult,”
according to communications professor
Emily Van Duyn.
“They saw the news as inherently political,
and their selection of a news outlet or the
act of sharing an article or video meant they
were intentionally pulling their partner into
a recognition of their political differences,”
Van Duyn said. “Their cross-cutting political
views presented many challenges for
these couples,” she added. “Deciding which
media to consume and whether to do so
together or separately was difficult because
it presented them with a choice about recognizing
their political differences and finding
a way to navigate them.”
Some couples decided on a media outlet
they could view together, while others
intentionally chose to consume news independently,
whether in separate rooms or
by scrolling their social media feeds on
separate devices. Still others responded
by watching their preferred news outlets
secretly, when their partner wasn’t around.
For most of the study couples, Van Duyn
said, if the news began to take a negative
toll on their relationships, they eventually
decided to avoid it altogether or to quit
sharing articles or videos with each other.
On the calendar
BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital presents
a Staying Home Alone in-person
class on Saturday, Feb. 17 from 10-11:30
a.m. at the SLCH Specialty Care Center
West County, 13001 N. Outer Forty Road
in Town and Country, in the third-floor
conference room. Parents and children
attend the class together to ensure a child’s
readiness to stay at home alone. The registration
fee is $25 per family. To register,
call (314) 454-5437.
• • •
BJC offers a Bariatric Surgery Information
Session on Monday, Feb. 19 from 5:30-
6:30 p.m., live via Zoom. Join a Washington
University bariatric physician to learn more
about surgical weight loss treatment options.
To register, visit classes-events.bjc.org; to
learn more about BJC’s bariatric surgery
criteria for patients, call (314) 454-7224 and
press Option 1.
• • •
BJC St. Louis Children’s Hospital sponsors
a Babysitting 101 virtual class on
Tuesday, Feb. 27 from 6-8:30 p.m., live via
Teams Meeting. This interactive class is a
great introduction to the basics of babysitting
and is recommended for ages 10 and
above. The cost is $25 per child. Parents
may sit in on the class at no additional cost.
Register online at bjc.org/babysitting-class.
• • •
St. Luke’s Hospital presents Be Still to
Chill: Basics of Meditation on Wednesday,
Feb. 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at the Desloge
Outpatient Center, 121 St. Luke’s Center
Drive in Chesterfield, in Building A. Come to
this free in-person program to learn the basics
of meditation as well as many tips to support
your practice. Register at stlukes-stl.com.
• • •
St. Luke’s Hospital presents Let’s Cook!!
Heart Healthy Cooking on Thursday,
Feb. 29 from 2-3 p.m. at Schnucks Eatwell
Market, 220 THF Blvd. in Chesterfield. The
DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)
diet is a flexible and balanced eating
plan for everyone. Join a St. Luke’s dietitian
to get the scoop on DASH, learn now to
prepare sodium-free seasonings, and taste a
delicious cranberry grain salad. The course is
free. Register at stlukes-stl.com.
• • •
The first St. Luke’s Book Club event will
be held on Tuesday, March 26 from 6:30-8
p.m. at the hospital’s Institute for Health Education,
232 S. Woods Mill Road in Chesterfield,
in Conference Rooms 1 and 2. The cost
to participate is $5. Those who register to
attend in person will receive a copy of communication
and leadership consultant Anne
Grady’s book, “Strong Enough: Choosing
Courage, Resilience, and Triumph.”