The percentage of women who went without a Pap smear for cervical cancer screening increased following the COVID-19 pandemic, from 19% in 2019 to 26% in 2022, shows survey of almost 2000 US women--and this increase was even more marked in African American women.

Death rates from diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke declined in four out of five countries around the world in the decade leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, but progress has slowed compared to the previous decade.

Although Latinos and Hispanics are at elevated risk for Alzheimer’s disease and account for almost half of Los Angeles County’s population, a recent UCLA Health study finds that accessible digital resources for these communities remain in short supply since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anxiety and depression are major global mental health challenges. Current treatments offer relief but remain unsatisfactory. New research reveals how stress, brain circuits, and genes interact, pointing to better diagnosis and personalized therapies. A recent review in the journal Science China-Life Sciences, led by Chinese researchers, highlights advances from neurobiology, genetics, and psychosocial studies to guide more precise and individualized treatments.

The “great unwinding” at the end of March 2023 meant that more than 25 million people — about 30 percent of all Medicaid recipients — were removed from the program. Now, in the first study of its kind, researchers have analyzed how the unwinding affected the payer mix for children’s emergency department visits in Texas. During the unwinding, about 1.2 million children in the state lost health insurance coverage.

People hesitant about getting a COVID vaccine were more likely to consider getting the shot after hearing a myth explained and corrected with facts, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Science has continually proven the safety and efficacy of COVID vaccines, including the mRNA technology behind their development. However, vaccine hesitancy remains common.