Category: Resources

Health and BlogTalk Radio

These are examples of episodes already available online involving cancer and other health issues.

Another great resource for us to know about is BlogTalkRadio.  And we can even actively participate. As its Web site notes: “Launched in 2006, BlogTalkRadio is an audio Web-based platform that allows anyone to create live and on-demand talk content on the Web. If you’re a radio broadcaster at heart, BlogTalkRadio gives you the ability to go live with its Web-based ‘studio’ and host multi-participant broadcasts using just a computer and a phone. “

One of its categories is health.
 
Health and BlogTalk Radio
 
Health and BlogTalk Radio
 
Health and BlogTalk Radio
 
Health and BlogTalk Radio
 

Apple and Stanford Partner on Smart Watch Study

For the past year, Apple and Stanford have partnered on a health research study using the Apple Watch.

This important study is huge.

As Nicky Lineaweaver reports for Business Insider:

“Apple and Stanford Medicine enrolled more than 400,000 participants in the Apple Heart Study since its launch in November of 2017 — making it the largest study on atrial fibrillation (AFib) ever conducted. The study will help Apple explore how its Watch can be used to identify AFib, a common type of irregular heartbeat that heightens the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease.”

“AFib costs the U.S. around $6 billion annually, and is responsible for about 130,000 deaths and 750,000 hospitalizations in the US every year, the CDC reports. And AFib detection has been one of Apple’s strategic focuses in healthcare thus far — the tech giant released the Watch Series 4 with an FDA-cleared AFib detection feature in September, for example.”

The Stanford Medicine site notes:

“The Apple Heart Study app uses data from Apple Watch to identify irregular heart rhythms, including those from potentially serious heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation. Apple is conducting this research study in collaboration with Stanford Medicine to improve the technology used to detect and analyze irregular heart rhythms, like atrial fibrillation – a leading cause of stroke.”

Click the image to learn more about the study.

Apple and Stanford Partner on Smart Watch Study
 

Pancreatic Cancer Infographic

November marks Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month.

As a pancreatic cancer survivor, November is a special month for me.

Pancreatic Cancer Action puts it this way:

“November marks Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, a time when people across the world come together to fight back against, and raise the profile of, pancreatic cancer! It is a time of the year when we have the most voices speaking out the disease, raising funds for early diagnosis research and raising awareness in their local communities.”

Learn more about PC by reviewing this infographic from the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Pancreatic Cancer Infographic
 

Doing Publicly Disseminated Health-Related Research Properly

Sometimes, the results of health-related research are kept private. In many other instances, the results are made public. Today’s post looks at doing publicly disseminated health-related research properly.

Rebecca Hahn, writing for Quirk’s Media, offers this advice:  “Six questions to ask when you’re considering conducting a health care marketing research study for public release.”

1. “What are the key strategies to help make your project a success? Your study should be newsworthy and the topic should be fresh. It doesn’t need to be a new idea but could be a new way of looking at an issue, such as identifying gaps in perceptions about living with a condition among patients and health care providers not previously explored. Do your homework to avoid redundancy and identify information not addressed in currently available research.”

2. “Who should I involve from my organization?  When research is done for public release it needs to be carefully designed and aligned with your key business objectives. Thus, it is essential you give all relevant stakeholders a seat at the table.”

3. “Who are you trying to influence with your research to make your product launch successful?  Are these consumers or patients? Or are you trying to reach health care professionals (HCPs)or payers? This information can help guide the content of the survey and the choice of channel for distributing the information.”

4. “Who is your survey audience? Determine the best source of this information – patients, family members/caregivers, HCPs, payers, hospital administrators, policy makers, employers, etc.”

5. “How do I develop a study that yields robust results? Bigger samples are generally better for general population consumer research. Larger, stratified sample sizes help ensure generalizability and allow for subgroup analysis. Keep in mind three key areas when designing your survey: Awareness can test knowledge and bust long-standing myths. Attitudes include feelings, emotions, and opinions. Actions are behaviors, experiences and intentions. Ask the survey questions in an unbiased and straight-forward manner.”

6. What is the best way to disseminate this information?  Your choice  is typically driven by the audience you are trying to influence. Press releases can be very effective for consumers as they are intended to generate media attention and be distributed to a general audience.”

Click the image to read more.

Doing Publicly Disseminated Health-Related Research Properly
 

Where Cancer Rates Are Highest

Today, we look at cancer rates by country.

Yesterday, we cited some interesting cancer facts. Now, let’s look at cancer rates by country. And there are some surprises!

As reported by Evan Comen for 24/7 Wall Street:

“About 1 in every 6 deaths on the planet is due to cancer, the second leading cause of death worldwide. In the United States alone, the cost of cancer care amounts to approximately $157 billion in medical expenditures per year. As the global population ages, the prevalence of cancer is likely to increase. So will the costs of care as more advanced, expensive treatments become the medical standard.”

“Correlated with factors like age, income, and health behaviors, the incidence of cancer varies heavily around the world. The quality of medical treatment and access to health care is worse in poorer, developing nations. Yet, age is the main risk factor for cancer. And many countries with high incidence of cancer are wealthy, developed nations with high life expectancy.”

“To determine the countries with the highest incidence of new cancer cases, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the estimated age-adjusted new cancer diagnosis rates for 185 countries in 2018 with data from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.”

Here are the ten countries with the highest cancer rates in this analysis [Note: These countries have high life expectancies, and thus, many older residents.]:

  1. Australia — cancer diagnosis rate = 468.0 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 82.5 years.
  2. New Zealand— cancer diagnosis rate = 438.1 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 81.6 years.
  3. Ireland— cancer diagnosis rate = 373.7 new cases per 100,000 people;
    life expectancy at birth = 81.6 years.
  4. Hungary — cancer diagnosis rate = 368.1 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 75.6 years.
  5. United States — cancer diagnosis rate = 352.2 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 78.7 years.
  6.  Belgium — cancer diagnosis rate = 345.8 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 81.0 years.
  7. France— cancer diagnosis rate = 344.1 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 82.3 years.
  8. Denmark — cancer diagnosis rate = 340.4 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 80.7 years.
  9. Norway — cancer diagnosis rate = 337.8 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 82.5 years.
  10. Netherlands — cancer diagnosis rate = 334.1 new cases per 100,000 people; life expectancy at birth = 81.5 years.

Click the image of Croatia to see the other 15 countries on 24/7 Wall St.’s list.

Where Cancer Rates Are Highest

 

In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Learn more about breast cancer!!

As we know, October is a very important time for for spreading breast cancer awareness. Thus, this post is in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Let us start with one important resource, the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Click the image to access the site.

In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

 

Now, we turn to the breast cancer section of the American Cancer Society:

“Whether you or a loved one are worried about developing breast cancer, have just been diagnosed, are going through breast cancer treatment, or are trying to stay well after treatment, this detailed information can help you find the answers you need.”

Click on the image below to learn more about the actual facts of breast cancer, instead of the

“Disproven or Controversial Breast Cancer Risk Factors. There are many factors that research has shown are not linked to breast cancer. You may see information online or hear about these disproven or controversial risk factors, but it’s important to learn the facts.”

In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Good News Network

The Good News Network runs a nonprofit Web site dedicated to GOOD News.

The Good News Network runs a nonprofit Web site dedicated to GOOD News. As it notes: “From its beginnings, the Web site [in 1997] has been a clearinghouse for the gathering and dissemination of positive news stories from around the globe, confirming what people already know — that good news itself is not in short supply; the broadcasting of it is.”

 

Among Good News Network’s sub-sites are these: