Arizona life expectancy fell by 2.5 years in 2020, posting one of the steepest drops in a nation that saw the sharpest declines in lifespans since World War II, with COVID, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and overdoses playing a part. Read more»

U.S. life expectancy fell by an “unprecedented and shocking” 1.8 years between 2019 and 2020, a dramatic drop that experts say can only partly be blamed on the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more»

COVID-19 claimed almost 15,800 lives in Arizona this year, putting it on track to be the leading cause of death in the state in 2021 - a change from 2020, when the virus was the third-leading cause of death behind heart disease and cancer. Read more»

Pfizer joins pharmaceutical giant Merck in seeking Food and Drug Administration approval for a COVID-fighting pill after clinical trials showed the pill prevented 89% of hospitalizations and deaths, and the the United States is primed to have millions of doses of the pill in hand. Read more»

A new report by the Arizona Public Health Association found that COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in Arizona during the pandemic, unlike in other similar states that had more aggressive mitigation measures. Read more» 1

More than 5,200 of the 6.2 million U.S. children diagnosed with COVID have developed MIS-C, a rare but life-threatening complication of COVID-19, and pediatric intensive care units are now struggling to save the latest round of extremely sick children. Read more»

The effects of obesity account for a large share of the nation's health care spending, but funding for obesity prevention and control has been inadequate for decades, and the pandemic has thrust longstanding racial and economic health disparities into bold relief. Read more»

Transgender and gender noncomforming people historically have received poorer quality health and preventative care, and transgender men and women have a four times higher risk of suffering a heart attack than people who identify as the gender with which they were born. Read more»

The $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework put forward by the Biden administration, which includes funding for a $1 billion “reconnecting communities” program, offers few details about ameliorating displacement, one of the many challenges faced by the new urban renewal movement. Read more»

Total deaths in Arizona rose 25% in 2020 over the previous year, with some counties seeing increases approaching 50% for the year in which COVID-19 became a leading killer in the state. Read more»

Death rates among middle-aged white Americans, and suicide and substance abuse are not the biggest culprit, according to a new study. Read more»

An ASU study, published in Journal of Functional Foods, showed that eating 1.5 ounces of almonds can reduce levels of C reactive protein, which is part of a chain that can lead to heart disease, in people with progressed Type 2 diabetes. Read more»

A ban on arsenic-containing pesticides was lifted after a lawmaker disrupted a scientific assessment by the EPA. Read more»

The Monday Political Face-Off featured commentators Vince Rabago and John Munger. Also, Larry Sakin of the Sakin Foundation and Pamela Francis of the Educational Enrichment Foundation talked about a celebrity spelling bee to raise money for the foundation. Plus, Jack Challem, the nutrition reporter. Read more»

Researchers found that those who consume processed meats are more likely to die early of cardiovascular diseases or cancer. Read more»