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TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- When birth rates fall in the United States, experts try to figure out what’s happening.The fertility rate is at its lowest since the 1970s -- 1.71 per woman, according to a new study.But it's not that young people today don't want children, new research suggests. In fact, they want about as many as their parents had.Instead, young Americans may simply be having more difficulty achieving life goals in order to have kids, said study co-author Sarah Hayford, director of the Ohio State University Institute for Population Research."You see a lot of things of like, 'Oh, young people just aren't interested in having children' or 'young people have better things to do.' And we don't find that," Hayford said. "We find that young people are interested...

TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- It's no secret: The standard American diet is at the root of the obesity epidemic and many of its associated diseases. But why is American food so unhealthy? It's not just that Americans eat too much, which they do, but it's also what they eat that's unhealthy: fat, sugar, salt and ultra-processed foods. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the average American diet consists of excess salt, saturated fat, refined grains, calories from solid fats and added sugars.Americans also eat fewer vegetables, fruits, whole grains, dairy products and oils than recommended. Nearly 42% of American adults are obese, statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show.One reason may be that healthy foods are often more...

TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- Like many skiers, Dr. Ouida Brown can't narrow her love of the sport down to just one element."I love the scenery," said the orthopedic surgeon from Chicago. "I love the people." She loves being the first to make tracks in fresh powder in the morning. She loves the physical and mental challenge of trying to improve her time on a racecourse.But it's another type of challenge when Brown, who is Black, tries to convey her excitement. "No one else in my family skis," the Mississippi native said. And when she talks about the sport to other Black people, they sometimes look at her and say, "Black people don't ski!"It's true that Black skiers are a rarity. According to a 2021-22 survey by the National Ski Areas Association, only 1.5%...

TUESDAY, Jan. 17, 2023 (American Heart Association News) -- We've all walked past them: Little red, yellow or green boxes with hearts on them and the letters "AED." They can be found in office buildings, gyms, schools, airports, shopping malls – almost anywhere large crowds gather.These little boxes can save lives. But few people use them.An AED – short for automated external defibrillator – is an easy-to-use medical device that can restore a normal heart rhythm to someone who has gone into cardiac arrest. Defibrillators recently received national attention when one was used to save the life of Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin, who collapsed on the field in Cincinnati following a tackle. Hamlin is now recovering at home.He is one of the lucky ones. Receiving immediate CPR and an...