Health and Media

Driver Cellphone Bans Questioned

Submitted by Benton Foundation on May 13, 2008 - 7:14am

As California gears up to start enforcing a law banning hand-held cellphone use by its millions of drivers, a new study casts doubt on whether such laws do much good in many situations.

Broadband is the Best Way to Save Environment

Submitted by Benton Foundation on April 24, 2008 - 8:54am

It was Earth Day this past weekend, the day on which we celebrate Mother Nature and get ourselves charged up about doing more to protect her. Our impact on this planet is more apparent today than ever. The universal use of broadband and broadband-enabled technologies could introduce new efficiencies and opportunities into society.

Industry Self-Regs Could Trump Task Force

Submitted by Benton Foundation on April 21, 2008 - 9:17am

The Task Force on Childhood Obesity was launched with much fanfare at a Capitol Hill press conference in fall 2006. Given all the controversy about the way snack foods were marketed to kids, the group had a full agenda and a pledge to move forward.

Texting while driving? Time to unplug

Submitted by Benton Foundation on April 18, 2008 - 7:31am

Sharon Sarmiento knew it was time to unplug when she realized she was blogging in her dreams and hearing imaginary instant messages. For Ariel Meadow Stallings, it was the hours lost while surfing the Internet that left her feeling like she had been in a drunken blackout.

Warning on Storage of Health Records

Submitted by Benton Foundation on April 17, 2008 - 7:33am

In an article in The New England Journal of Medicine, two leading researchers warn that the entry of big companies like Microsoft and Google into the field of personal health records could drastically alter the practice of clinical research and raise new challenges to the privacy of patient records.

Which Broadband and IT Vision for America?

Submitted by Benton Foundation on April 14, 2008 - 7:36pm

We need a debate in America that focuses on the most important issues like how to get fast broadband networks to all Americans; how to use IT to transform our health care system, transportation system, education system, and government; and how to encourage all organizations to become digital, thereby driving productivity and income growth and a better quality of life.

A Health Message Listeners Can Relate To

Submitted by Benton Foundation on April 11, 2008 - 7:40am

"Body Love" is a weekly, 15-minute serialized radio drama crammed with schemes, dreams and cliffhangers about how two extended families wrestle with a slew of health problems while trying to navigate prickly relationships and cope with financial strains.

A new push to avert cell-tower bird strikes

Submitted by Benton Foundation on March 26, 2008 - 10:13am
Last updated: March 26, 2008 - 8:17pm

Communication towers are one of the fastest-growing parts of the problems for migrating birds due to the US passion for cellphones and high-definition television.

CA: Keep your hands off the cell phone come July

Submitted by Benton Foundation on March 25, 2008 - 6:48am
Last updated: March 26, 2008 - 8:46pm

Come July 1, drivers in California who make or receive phone calls other than emergencies will be required to have a hands-free way of talking. but an increasing body of research suggests the legislation will accomplish little. The risk doesn't stem from whether one or both hands are on the wheel, the research suggests. It's whether the driver's mind is somewhere else.

Philadelphia’s Leading Healthcare and Broadcast Institutions Unite to Help the Southeast Asian Community

Submitted by Benton Foundation on March 20, 2008 - 8:38am

In an effort to foster dialogues about health and healthcare services in Philadelphia’s Southeast Asian immigrant community, leading local healthcare institutions have joined with community and media to crack the knowledge and language barriers that often prevent this population from accessing preventive and other health services.