Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [public-health]

Use this tag for questions about the health of people on a community or population level. Do not use this tag for questions about the health of individuals or biological mechanisms.

Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. Overall, public health is concerned with protecting populations. These populations can be small, for example, a local neighborhood, or large, for example a country or region of the world.

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Did health authorities receive a significant number of calls about the use of disinfectants (or drinking bleach) after president Trump mentioned it?

Fox News reported on one hand that public health agencies (in Los Angeles and Maryland) were "inundated" with calls about "drinking bleach" after Trump discussed disinfectants in re Covid-19, but a few seconds later they cast doubt on those reports…
Fizz
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Could 100,000 lives a year be saved thanks to data-mining?

I read in The Guardian (mirror) (published on 2014-06-26): Google: 100,000 lives a year lost through fear of data-mining The search firm's CEO and co-founder, Larry Page, estimates 100,000 lives could be saved next year if mining of healthcare data…
Franck Dernoncourt
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Do we unknowingly eat 5 grams of plastic per week?

I just saw a DW (Deutsche Welle the German public state own international broadcaster) short documentary on You-Tube named "How to avoid micro plastic in your food" and is about how much plastic we are eating. Please seek to time 3:46. In that,…
SwiftPushkar
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Do humans need high-protein foods?

Dr. John McDougall writes: People commonly believe: the more protein consumed the better. This faulty thinking dates back to the late 1800s, and was established without any real scientific research. [...] After observing the diets of …
user17561
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Do people with ADHD have a college graduation rate of 5%?

I have been seeing people on social media say that the college/university graduation rate of people with ADHD is around only 5%. According to this Medscape article, ADHD: Recent Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment, by Lenard A. Adler and Julie…
katatahito
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Can honey help heal wounds?

Many sources claim that honey help healing wounds. Consider for example DermNet New Zealand consultant360 webmd TF1 telejournal (in french) From DermNet New Zealand, it seems that honey is most often used to heal Leg ulcers Pressure…
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Do obese adults use 42% more health care than healthy-weight adults?

In a New York Post Opinion piece the following claim was made: An obese adult uses 42 percent more health care than a healthy-weight adult, and a morbidly obese adult uses a staggering 81 percent more, according to the Robert Wood Johnson…
user11643
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Do childrens' playgrounds designed to be safe reduce injuries to children?

In Tim Harford's book-length argument that some degree of messiness is, contrary to much modern opinion, a good thing, he makes an argument late in the book that applies to the spaces where children play. Modern playgrounds have become dominated by…
matt_black
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Is radioactive milk being sold in inner-city black neighbourhoods in New York?

I recently had this article come across my newsfeed: Radiated Milk Sold in Black Neighbourhoods I always wondered about the high rates of cancer and diabetes in my neighborhood, and in other Black neighborhoods. These diseases are not…
The Forest And The Trees
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Does tobacco kill half of its consumers?

A World Health Organization "meme" doing the rounds claims: Tobacco is the only product that kills half its consumers. There are two claims here: That tobacco kills half its consumers. That no other product does this. Perhaps both claims…
Flimzy
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Is it healthy to sleep with the head under the blanket?

According to g9sleeptight.com (and many other websites), sleeping with the head under the blanket increases the risk of suffocation can trigger sleep apnea can cause brain damage stating "some studies indicate that up to 23% of individuals that…
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Are teens who vape more likely to become smokers?

eCigarettes are controversial. Some people regard them as a major health improvement because they are far less harmful than "real" cigarettes. Others seem to think they are just another way for the tobacco industry to enslave people with an…
matt_black
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Do rice products have high levels of arsenic?

A recent story shared via Facebook warns of the dangers of allowing children to eat rice cakes. Warning To All Parents: Don’t Let Your Children Eat Rice Cakes. Popular rice products found in grocery stores all over the world can be harmful to young…
Jamiec
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Can weight gain be due to underlying health conditions?

According to the NHS (United Kingdom): Most people put on weight because they eat and drink more calories than they burn through everyday movement and body functions. But in some cases, your weight gain may be due to an underlying health …
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Did Oxford University pledge to make its vaccine open license?

There are numerous news stories circulating that claim that before signing an exclusive deal with AstraZeneca to manufacture their COVID-19 vaccine, they had previously pledged to donate the license for the vaccine to any drug maker capable of…
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