Binge drinking seen more in farmers; American diets briefly improved during COVID-19 pandemic; DIY testing kits for cervical cancer – Morning Medical Update

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Binge drinking seen more in farmers

According to a new study from the University of Georgia (UGA), one in five US farmers binge drink when they experience high levels of stress. Researchers believe this is occurring as farming requires long hours and is labor-intensive, repetitive, and often dangerous. They also suggest that the link between alcoholism and farming is a result of the financial burden of managing a farm.

Christina Proctor, lead author of the study and a clinical associate professor at UGA’s College of Public Health, said, “Alcohol is the most acceptable way to deal with that stress versus actually going to talk to somebody about that stress, or it’s a way to be able to talk about that stress with friends.”

After surveying 1,045 farmers nationally, Proctor found that 96% of farmers reported drinking alcohol, with over one-third saying they consumed two to three drinks per week. Find more of the results of the study in this article.

American diets briefly improved during COVID-19 pandemic

Interestingly, American diets may have briefly been healthier and more diverse following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a new study published in PLOS ONE, researchers from Penn State University discovered that as states responded to the pandemic with school closures and other measures during lockdown, citizens’ diet quality improved by up to 8.5%. Food diversity also improved by up to 2.6%.

Before the pandemic, research from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans found that eating patterns in the US had remained far below the guidelines’ recommendations, with the average US diet considered to be generally unhealthy.

“When dine-in restaurants closed, our diets got a little more diverse and a little healthier,” Edward Jaenicke, co-author of the study, said. “One post-pandemic lesson is that we now have some evidence that any future shifts away from restaurant expenditures, even those not caused by the pandemic, could improve Americans’ food diversity and healthfulness.”

DIY testing kits for cervical cancer

Every three to five years between the ages of 25 and 65, it is recommended that women screen for cervical cancer. However, 4.6 million women in England do not do so, with many describing it as an uncomfortable and embarrassing experience. Yet, there may be a solution to this.

In the UK, the YouScreen trial is the first time self-testing for cervical cancer has been offered in the country. In the trial, women and people with a cervix were given a self-testing kit if they were six months overdue for screening or if they were 15 months overdue for screening.

Researchers estimate that the new testing kits, if adopted by the UK, would increase the proportion of women getting screened from 69.9% to 77.3%.

Read more about the potential of at-home cervical cancer tests here.