Ten defining health care achievements of the 2010s, from artificial...
A lot has happened in the last 10 years – and advancements in health care are no exception. Here's a look back at the defining achievements and trends of the 2010s.
View ArticleU-Haul adopts policy to stop hiring smokers, e-cigarette users in 21 states
U-Haul International is adopting a policy to stop hiring people who smoke cigarettes or use other nicotine products, including e-cigarettes, as part of an attempt to promote a healthier corporate...
View ArticlePhilly health department busts 149 businesses for selling tobacco to minors
The Philadelphia Department of Public Health announced that 149 city stores caught illegally selling tobacco to minors will not be allowed to renew their 2020 sales permits. The list of busted...
View ArticleScientists have yet to 'cure' cancer, but significant advancements have...
Decades after President Richard Nixon declared a 'War on Cancer,' scientists have yet to find a cure. But from immunotherapy to better screening methods, a lot of progress was made in the 2010s – and...
View ArticleQuit smoking at least 4 weeks before surgery, WHO advises
People who quit smoking tobacco at least four weeks prior to surgery have a lower risk of complication and show better results six months later, according to a joint study conducted by the World Health...
View ArticleYou can quit smoking in 2020 – Here’s how
Whatever method you choose, know that with support you can break the habit for good. And once you do, you’ll discover the many benefits of going smoke-free.
View ArticleMore stringent regulations are reducing tobacco retailers in Philly, study finds
The number of tobacco retailers in Philadelphia is falling due to more stringent licensing regulations, according to a study published by the American Journal of Public Health. Still, Philly's tobacco...
View ArticleJuul pitches locked e-cigarette that blocks underage users
Juul reportedly is pitching the FDA on an age-locked e-cigarette that would prevent people under 21 from using the addictive devices. The device is part of its plan to curb youth vaping. The San...
View ArticleLike secondhand smoke, scientists find 'thirdhand' smoke also may pose health...
Thirdhand smoke may increase the chances of non-smokers contracting smoking-related illnesses in addition to secondhand smoke, a new study found. Thirdhand smoke describes the transfer of toxins that...
View ArticleSmokers have greater risk of severe coronavirus complications, research shows
Smokers and people with lung diseases have a greater risk of developing severe coronavirus cases, according to research from China, where the COVID-19 pandemic originated. The virus attacks the lungs,...
View ArticleScientists may have determined why many non-smokers develop COPD
Scientists have long wondered why many non-smokers develop Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and many heavy smokers do not. A new NIH study suggests people with disproportionately small airways...
View ArticleNew lung cancer screening guidelines would benefit women, Black people
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force seeks to expand the number of people eligible for lung cancer screenings by lowering the eligibility age to 50 and reducing the number of pack years to 20. The...
View ArticleOne way to reduce smoking: Mandate standardized packaging, higher taxes
The United Kingdom has coupled standardized packaging and higher taxes to send cigarette sales falling, according to a study conducted by the University of Bath's Tobacco Control Research Group.
View ArticleSmoking doubles young adults' risk of severe coronavirus complications
About one-third of young adults are at high risk of developing severe COVID-19 complications, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco. But smoking greatly...
View ArticleSmokers should begin cessation drugs, then decide when to quit
The American Thoracic Society released new smoking cessation guidelines that call for patients to begin taking medications like varenicline before deciding when to quit using cigarettes and other...
View ArticleSmoking prohibited inside New Jersey casinos due to health and safety risks
Smoking will not be allowed inside New Jersey’s casinos as indoor dining gets underway across the state over Labor Day Weekend. Gov. Phil Murphy said that the permission of smoking within casinos would...
View ArticleWawa to begin selling Nicorette products for smoking cessation
Wawa and GSK Consumer Healthcare have formed a partnership to bring Nicorette smoking cessation products to the convenience store chain's 900-plus locations. All Wawa stores will carry both Nicorette...
View ArticleSeat belts and smoking rates show people eventually adopt healthy behaviors
The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in swift behavioral changes — masks, hand-washing, distancing — as scientists learn how the coronavirus spreads and its dangers. Such changes generally take years or...
View ArticleYouth vaping threatens to wipe out gains in cigarette use, health experts warn
Youth who use e-cigarettes are three times more likely to become smokers as adults, a new study finds. Health experts worry that the recent surge in vaping will reverse the decline in traditional...
View ArticleVaping marijuana may be worse for teens than using e-cigarettes or smoking
Vaping marijuana may be more dangerous to teenagers than using e-cigarettes or smoking, according to a new study. Researchers found the habit is twice as likely to result in lung damage, but stressed...
View ArticleNew lung cancer screening guidelines double the number of Americans who...
New lung cancer screening guidelines from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force will apply to 14 million Americans — double the the number of people that was previously eligible for annual CT scans....
View ArticleThe COVID-19 pandemic has made it tougher to quit smoking
The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted a substantial drop-off in the number of people seeking to quit smoking, according to an analysis of quitline call volumes. And cigarettes sales have essentially...
View ArticleFDA looks to ban menthol cigarettes in order to curb smoking
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it plans to institute a ban on menthol cigarettes and cigars, in an attempt to curb smoking rates by stopping access to the popular flavor. The ban...
View ArticleWildwood Crest bans smoking on the beach, imposes restrictions on marijuana use
Wildwood Crest's board of commissioners passed three ordinances Wednesday that will ban smoking on the beach and restrict how marijuana can be used and distributed within the popular Jersey Shore...
View ArticleN.J.'s temporary ban on smoking in casinos expires on Sunday
New Jersey's temporary ban on smoking in casinos during the COVID-19 pandemic will expire July 4, Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday. The legislation and executive order that ended the state's COVID-19...
View ArticleSmokers who quit before age 45 nearly eliminate risk of dying from lung cancer
People who quit smoking by age 45 reduce their risk of dying from lung cancer and other tobacco-related cancers by 89%, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society. People who quit by age...
View ArticleE-cigarette smokers have higher risk of stroke at younger ages, study finds
New evidence suggests that when you use electronic cigarettes you are more likely to have a first stroke at a younger age.
View ArticleE-cigarettes are not an effective tool for smoking cessation, study suggests
E-cigarettes have long been promoted as a tool to help adults quit smoking, but new research suggests they are not a cessation aid. A study found nearly 60% of recent former smokers who were vaping...
View ArticleHaving certain health conditions as a teen may accelerate aging as an adult
People age faster as adults if they were obese, smoked or had a psychological disorder during adolescence, a new study finds. The findings could help medical professionals slow biological aging and...
View ArticleChildhood health can predict risk of heart attack, stroke later in life
Five childhood risk factors can predict cardiovascular events, including heart attacks and strokes, as an adult, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds. They are body mass index, blood...
View ArticleFDA proposes landmark ban on menthol cigarettes in effort to curb smoking
The FDA is moving forward with a proposal to ban menthol-flavored cigarettes, cigars and cigarillos in the United States. The measure aims to reduce the appeal of cigarettes to youth and young adults...
View ArticleCancer survivors have higher risk of a new diagnosis, but scientists still...
Cancer survivors have a higher risk for developing a subsequent diagnosis compared to the general population, but it isn't quite clear why this happens. Researchers have identified a variety of...
View ArticleWhy is the FDA seeking to ban menthol cigarettes? 4 questions answered
The FDA is moving forward with a proposed ban on menthol cigarettes in an effort to curb smoking rates in the U.S. The chemical compound reduces the harshness of smoking, making it more palatable to...
View ArticleMarijuana smokers are twice as likely as cigarette users to develop...
Marijuana smokers are twice as likely as people who only smoke tobacco to develop paraseptal emphysema, a serious lung disease without a cure, a new study shows. Researchers say cannabis users may be...
View ArticleCan cash incentives spur obese people to lose weight? Research is mixed
Research on the effectiveness of using money as an incentive to kickstart healthy behaviors, like losing weight or quitting smoking, has found mixed results. And then there is the question of whether...
View ArticleHigh school athletes are more likely to vape than their peers, despite making...
Teenage athletes participating in team sports are less likely to smoke cigarettes but more likely to use vapes and e-cigarettes than their less active peers, according to a study released Monday....
View ArticleTo reduce tobacco use, Pennsylvania and New Jersey need to do much more,...
The American Lung Association's 2023 "State of Tobacco Control" report graded Pennsylvania and New Jersey poorly for their efforts to reduce smoking and vaping. The annual report graded all 50 states...
View ArticleNew Jersey bill would ban smoking inside Atlantic City casinos
A bill in New Jersey would prohibit smoking inside Atlantic City's casinos. Despite banning smoking in nearly all public indoor settings in 2006, casinos were exempt and permitted to created designated...
View ArticleSmoking, drinking habits may explain why night owls tend to die younger than...
Does being a night owl increase the risk of death and disease compared to early-rising morning people? New research out of Finland suggests that bad habits like smoking and drinking may have more to do...
View ArticleE-cigarette sales surged during the pandemic, CDC says
Sales of e-cigarettes, particularly those with flavors that appeal to children, surged during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, prompting warnings from health officials about the potential...
View ArticleSecondhand smoke may substantially contribute to lead levels found in...
Secondhand smoke may be an important but overlooked source of chronic lead exposure in kids and adolescents. That is the key finding of a recent study published in the journal BMC Public Health....
View ArticleSecondhand smoke can cause deadly health issues, but Pennsylvania casinos can...
Pennsylvania's indoor smoking ban exempts casinos, private clubs and some bars. New legislation that would close those loopholes is aimed at protecting the health of casino workers. Secondhand smoke...
View ArticleNew lung cancer screening guidelines advise 5 million more people to get...
The new lung cancer screening guidelines from the American Cancer Society cover about 5 million more current and former smokers in the United States. Yearly scans are now recommended even for people...
View ArticleThere's a new effort in New Jersey to ban smoking in casinos
New Jersey lawmakers plan to advance legislation that would end a carveout to the state's indoor smoking ban within gambling facilities. New Jersey banned indoor smoking in 2006 but allowed the...
View ArticleEffort to ban smoking in New Jersey casinos stalls due to lack of support
New Jersey lawmakers delayed a vote on a bill to ban smoking in Atlantic City casinos Thursday, Nov. 30 after failing to secure the necessary support to advance it out of committee. Casino workers are...
View ArticleHoping to clear the air in casinos, workers seek to ban tobacco smoke
Casino workers and public health advocates are seeking to ban smoking in casinos, which are often exempt from public smoking bans, citing the hazards of secondhand smoke. But they're facing stiff...
View ArticleThe surprising health advantages of quitting smoking at any age
Quitting smoking is hard. Many people quit, then start again, then quit again, then start again. But even quitting temporarily is better than not quitting at all — and has plentiful health and...
View ArticleEffort to ban smoking in Atlantic City casinos moves forward as Senate...
Atlantic City workers who support a ban on smoking inside casinos cheered and applauded lawmakers Monday afternoon after a state Senate committee finally advanced a long-stalled measure that would...
View ArticleMore fatal overdoses now caused by smoking drugs than injecting them, CDC says
The number overdose deaths caused by smoking drugs has risen rapidly in the U.S. in recent years, overtaking injection as the leading cause of fatal overdoses, a new CDC reports states. The sharpest...
View ArticleVaping increases risk of heart failure by nearly 20%, study suggests
A new study found that people who used e-cigarettes at any point were 19% more likely to develop heart failure compared to people who had never used them. The research is the latest to suggest that...
View Article
