What Do Americans Think About Health and Wellness?

Research!America is a nonprofit scientific research advocacy organization with a mission to achieve better health for everyone. In January 2025, Research!America released the results of their survey of the American public about their feelings regarding medical and health research.

Here are some of the results of this survey:

·         Over eight out of ten Americans believe that scientists should inform the public about their research and its impact on society.

·         Over nine out of ten Americans believe that it is important that the US be a global leader in research to improve health, and over six in ten would pay $50 more in annual taxes to ensure this.

·         Over half felt that the COVID crisis helped them better understand how health research works.

·         Over six in ten Americans think their regular health care provider should encourage them to participate in appropriate clinical trials.

A 2025 study, the Axios/Ipsos American Health Index, shows that Americans are looking for clearer information and guidance regarding health and wellness. This study also indicated that trust in federal health agencies is declining, and fewer Americans believe they know who shapes the advice offered by public health agencies.

According to the American Health Index study, the majority of Americans would like to see national health institutions strengthened. Americans feel they don’t really understand public health news stories, but once they are aware of the topics covered, they do care about the issues. Yet the public’s trust in public health agency advice is declining.

Unfortunately, despite the public’s increased interest in better understanding of and potential participation in health and wellness research, this is becoming less likely to happen. Recent terminations of National Institute of Health grants for clinical trial research have affected over 74,000 people who were participating in research studies. The two divisions most impacted by the research cancellations are those funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

The need for continued research in the mental health area is indicated by the increase in symptomsof anxiety and depression, especially among younger adults, and by the recent large increase in the number of mental health diagnoses. Both racialand geographic health disparities have been increasing, and the life expectancy gap between racial groups is widening.

A clinical trial is the main process by which new medications and other medical interventions are evaluated for safety and effectiveness. This process is resource intensive and requires significant time to complete. Maybe instead of waiting for your healthcare provider to suggest your participation in a clinical trial, you could suggest one you are interested in. A good place to learn about existing clinical trials worldwide is at the ClinicalTrials.gov website. You might also want to register your interest in volunteering for a clinical trial at ResearchMatch.

  

Past the Expiration Date? Maybe No Problem!

Although it’s always a good practice to check the expiration dates of foods before you use them, it is still usually safe to use certain foods that have “expired.” The printed expiration dates on many foods are conservative, and the food may still be as edible as it was the day before.

Dry or low moisture products such as rice, dry beans or dry pasta last long past their expiration date if stored in a cool, dry place in their original packages. Canned goods are safe for up to four years after their expiration date, as long as the can is undamaged. Highly acidic foods and those that contain a lot of sugar or have been heat treated are similarly safe beyond the printed expiration date on the label. Acid, sugar and heat inhibit the growth of microorganisms that spoil foods.

Unopened jam is fine half a year past the expiration date because of its high sugar content; store the jam in the refrigerator once the lid has been opened. Unopened mayonnaise is also safe for 6 months due to its high acidity.

The pasteurization of dairy milk allows continued use a week or so past the printed expiration data. But any off odor or change in color or clumps indicate that the milk is no longer going to taste right. Unopened shelf-stable plant-based milks will generally be safe if kept cool and dry; their ultra-high pasteurization temperature and sterile packaging ensure long palatability.

Many foods are actually still totally safe to eat after their expiration date, although the quality of flavor and texture may degrade over time. For instance, older dried beans will take longer to cook. So when you do a pantry inventory, don’t automatically throw out items that are past their expiration date. 

Will Deleting Emails Save Water? Let’s Do the Math

Much of Britain was suffering drought conditions last spring. So were other parts of the world. The UK’s National Drought Group, after noting the extensive and increasing use of water by data centers, asked the British public to delete old photos and emails from their personal computers. Will this help the drought situation?

We can think about this by doing a little math.

Data centers typically use water to cool the rooms in which their chips operate. Using GPT-4 to create one 100-word email uses about 0.5 liter (500 milliliters) of water.

Storing one 75 KB email message for a month uses about 0.001 milliliter of water. A simple division problem shows that you would be required to delete 500 emails to make up for creating one!

Perhaps there are wiser ways to save water.

What about those leaky toilets? Leak rates range from about 110 to over 15,000 liters each day. At the lowest leak rate, you would need to delete over 5 million emails a day to keep up with the water lost to the leak!

It’s probably wiser to fix the toilet leak. That will save a LOT more water than deleting old emails. 

Wear Red in February

February is Heart Month. Not just because of Valentine Day, but also it’s a good time to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Cardiovascular diseases cause about 18 million deaths annually, making it a major global health burden. The number of cases is increasing due to the growth and aging of the population.

Cardiovascular disease includes many conditions of the heart and blood vessels. Heart problems include heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrhythmia, and heart valve problems.

Blood vessel conditions include atherosclerosis, peripheralarterial disease, aortic aneurysm, cerebral vascular disease, varicose veins, and deep vein thrombosis.

About 80% of cardiovascular disease is caused by knownmodifiable risk factors. These include high systolic blood pressure, poor diet, high LDL cholesterol, smoking, and sedentary lifestyles. The worldwide increases in obesity and diabetes are major contributors to the growth of this health problem.

To learn ways to take proper care of your cardiovascular system and how to prevent or deal with specific heart conditions, please visit this month’s Healthinfo Island poster sets.

https://blog.virtualability.org/2026/02/displays-and-exhibits-for-healthinfo.html