Excessive sitting increases heart disease risk and accelerates aging, even if physical activity guidelines are met.
Pediatric clinicians should be aware of key CPS and equity considerations when identifying child welfare concerns.
Work-related stress is linked to poorer cardiovascular health, with stressed individuals having lower odds of maintaining optimal cardiovascular health.

The top news stories in medicine today.

Prolonged sitting can be detrimental to physical health

New research out of CU Boulder and the University of California Riverside supports the idea that excessive time spent sitting can increase risk of heart disease and accelerate aging. The study, which looked at 1,000 adults with an average age of 33, found that meeting physical activity guidelines is not enough to counteract the 60-plus hours per week spent sitting.

“Taking a quick walk after work may not be enough,” said Chandra Reynolds, senior author of the study and professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the Institute for Behavioral Genetics.

When a clinician should call child protective services (CPS)

It’s not uncommon for family physicians to be among the first to spot red flags regarding a child’s wellbeing and home life. Researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, Colombia Law School and Yale School of Medicine compiled a list of five things that every pediatric clinician should know about CPS and equity before making a report.

Research published in the Journal of the American Heart Association assessed a large and diverse group of Americans without cardiovascular disease, and determined that those with work-related stress were more likely to have unfavorable measures of cardiovascular health. Work-related stress was reported by 20% of participants, and after adjusting for other potential influencing factors, those with work-related stress were reported to have 25% lower odds of having average cardiovascular health and 27% lower odds of having optimal cardiovascular health.