WebMD: A "Hypochondria Time Suck" ?

Here's what we're checking out at Reporting on Health today:

Image

Web Health: Writing for the New York Times magazine, Virginia Heffernan smacks WebMD for creating a "hypochondria time suck" for consumers looking for credible health information. MayoClinic.com gets kudos, though.  

Obesity: We're not the only chubby country on the planet: worldwide obesity rates have doubled in the past 30 years, according to a new Lancet study examined by the Deborah Kotz for the Boston Globe.

Breast Cancer: Newsweek's Sharon Begley assesses the reasons many elderly women with dementia are still getting mammograms even though their benefit is minimal. (Hat tip to KevinMD.com.)

Children's Health: This is why my kindergartner brings his lunch most days: researchers say that schoolchildren who eat cafeteria lunches rather than bringing their own are nearly 30 percent more likely to be obese, reports Roni Caryn Rabin for the New York Times. The smoking gun in some of the schools studied: "Tater Tot Day." 

Health Policy: Have you seen this useful glossary of health policy terms at Kaiser Health News? Great resource.