Latest / Morning Medical with Dr. Chow / Screen Time in Kids, Firefighter Mental Health, and E-Bike Safety Insights

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Screen Time in Kids, Firefighter Mental Health, and E-Bike Safety Insights · Morning Medical with Dr. Chow

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  Welcome to another episode of Morning Medical with Dr.
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  Chow.
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  I'm your host, Dr.
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  Chi-Ming Chow, bringing you the latest updates in medical and health news from around the
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  globe.
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  Today, we're diving into some pressing issues that affect our daily lives and our long-term
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  health.
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  Let's start by tackling a topic that's increasingly relevant in our digital age:
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  screen time.
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  Dr.
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  Stephanie Haridopolos, the interim surgeon general and principal deputy assistant
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  secretary of health, has issued a warning about the potential long-term impacts of excessive
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  screen time, especially in young children.
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  According to Dr.
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  Haridopolos, early and excessive exposure to screens can lead to severe neurocognitive
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  delays.
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  These delays can affect attention spans, memory, and language skills, which are crucial
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  for a child's development.
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  Dr.
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  Haridopolos emphasizes that parents today are in a constant battle for their children's
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  attention against the allure of screens.
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  To address this growing concern, the United States Surgeon General's Office has developed a
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  framework known as "the 5 Ds" to help families manage and reduce screen time.
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  This strategy encourages families to discuss screen usage rules, model healthy behaviors,
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  divert attention to offline activities, disconnect during key times like meals and
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  bedtime, and delay screen exposure as much as possible.
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  The first step, "Discuss," involves setting clear and age-appropriate rules about screen
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  time.
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  By establishing these guidelines before conflicts arise, families can minimize daily
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  arguments over screen usage.
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  The second step, "Do," urges parents to model the behavior they wish to see in their
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  children.
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  If parents are constantly on their screens, children are likely to follow suit.
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  Instead, parents are encouraged to be role models and lead by example.
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  The third step, "Divert," suggests steering children towards hands-on, offline activities
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  instead of defaulting to screens when they are bored.
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  Activities like arts and crafts or cooking together can be excellent alternatives.
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  "Disconnect," the fourth step, highlights the importance of building regular screen-free
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  periods into the day, especially during meals, car rides, and before bedtime.
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  These moments are crucial for maintaining family connections and ensuring healthy sleep
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  patterns.
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  Finally, the "Delay" step involves postponing children's access to screens as much as
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  possible.
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  Dr.
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  Haridopolos recommends practical measures like charging devices in common areas rather than in
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  children's bedrooms to help achieve this.
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  These simple yet effective strategies outlined by Dr.
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  Haridopolos could make a significant difference in the future health and development of
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  children.
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  As screens continue to vie for our attention, it's imperative we take these steps to protect
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  our families' well-being.
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  In a recent article from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, former Yellowknife
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  fire chief Nelson Johnson has highlighted the urgent need for a national mental health
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  organization to support firefighters and other frontline staff across Canada.
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  Johnson emphasizes that such an organization could help provinces and territories share
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  resources more efficiently, ensuring that all firefighters have access to the necessary
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  mental health support, regardless of their location.
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  Johnson points out that while some provinces, like British Columbia, have excellent mental
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  health resources, this is not the case everywhere.
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  For firefighters in the Northwest Territories, a centralized organization could mean quicker
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  access to support without the complexity of determining which provider offers which
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  services.
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  Firefighters, whether battling wildland or structural fires, frequently encounter
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  traumatic events that can lead to both immediate and long-term health challenges.
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  Johnson explains that each firefighter may have different triggers, and one particularly
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  challenging scenario is responding to fires in or near their own communities.
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  A review of the response to the 2023 wildfire season in the Northwest Territories revealed
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  significant mental and physical health challenges due to high demands on firefighters.
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  The review concluded that the mental health training and resources available at the time
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  were inadequate.
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  Since then, efforts have been made to improve the situation.
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  In 2025, the Northwest Territories Fire Chiefs Association partnered with Wounded Warriors
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  Canada, a national mental health service provider.
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  Additionally, the territorial government signed an agreement with Homewood Health to provide
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  immediate crisis management and counseling support after incidents.
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  Despite these advancements, Johnson believes progress in destigmatizing mental health
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  conversations is still slow in the territory.
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  The responsibility often falls on individual firefighters to seek help, which they might not
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  be comfortable doing.
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  Johnson stresses the importance of proactive peer support and better identification of those
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  struggling with mental health issues.
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  Keith Hartery, a wildfire safety officer with the territorial government's Department of
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  Environment and Climate Change, acknowledges the steady progress made in addressing these
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  concerns.
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  His team works to normalize mental health conversations by offering training and
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  promoting wellness activities, such as meditation or walking, to help manage stress
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  and anxiety.
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  Following a tragic plane crash in June that claimed the lives of three firefighter air
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  support team members, counselors were immediately brought to support fire crews and
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  residents in affected areas.
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  Hartery aims to include Indigenous-led and culturally safe resources alongside mainstream
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  counseling for crew members.
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  He believes a national agency would be "fantastic" for providing a centralized hub of
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  resources.
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  In recent years, a popular pastime is sending more Americans to the emergency room with
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  devastating injuries.
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  According to a report, the Detroit, Michigan metro area is experiencing a surge in serious
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  incidents linked to electric bikes, or e-bikes.
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  Police in the area have noted an increase in e-bike crashes, while doctors report treating a
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  growing number of related injuries.
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  These e-bikes can reach speeds of up to twenty-eight miles per hour, significantly
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  increasing the potential severity of crashes on sidewalks and streets.
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  Emergency room doctor Robert Sherwin from the Detroit Medical Center has seen a range of
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  injuries from minor to major trauma related to e-bike incidents.
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  He emphasized that Class 3 e-bikes, which can travel up to twenty-eight miles an hour, may be
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  more akin to motor vehicles than traditional bicycles.
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  The increased speed and weight of e-bikes compared to regular bicycles pose a greater
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  risk, as the human body does not change just because a bike has a motor.
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  Local bike shop owner John Hughes highlighted the "real issue" as being the need to share the
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  road safely with cars.
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  He pointed out that many drivers are not attentive to cyclists, often distracted by
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  cellphones, which exacerbates the danger for e-bike riders.
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  As concerns about e-bike safety grow nationwide, some states are taking steps to
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  tighten regulations.
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  For instance, New Jersey enacted a law this year requiring e-bikes to be registered, with
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  riders needing to be at least fifteen years old and possess either a valid driver's license or
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  an e-bike license.
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  The law aims to promote responsible riding and reduce injuries by mandating helmet and
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  registration requirements.
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  A study published in the journal Neurosurgery highlighted the rise in medical emergencies
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  involving pedal-powered and electric bikes and scooters in New York City.
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  These cases accounted for nearly seven percent of trauma patients admitted to NYC Health +
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  Hospitals/Bellevue.
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  Alarmingly, trauma cases linked to e-bikes increased from less than ten percent in 2018 to
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  more than fifty percent by 2023.
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  The study found that one-third of the patients treated for injuries involving these vehicles
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  suffered a traumatic brain injury.
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  More than two-thirds required hospital admission, and about thirty percent needed
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  intensive care.
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  The most common cause of injury was a collision with a car or truck, highlighting the need for
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  better road-sharing practices and protective measures for riders.
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  Fewer than one-third of riders wore helmets, which was associated with a significantly
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  higher rate of brain and facial injuries.
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  Notably, twenty percent of patients tested positive for alcohol, correlating with more
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  severe head trauma and lower rates of helmet use.
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  Pedestrians struck by electric vehicles suffered brain injuries at nearly twice the
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  rate of riders, further emphasizing the dangers posed by these vehicles in urban environments.
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  The study's corresponding author, Dr.
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  Hannah Weiss, a resident in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of
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  Medicine, stated that these findings indicate a demand for neurosurgical care at an
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  unprecedented scale due to micromobility injuries.
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  She pointed to actionable solutions such as increased helmet use, safer bike lane design,
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  and enforcement as ways to prevent many of these injuries and better protect both riders
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  and pedestrians.
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  Dr.
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  Paul P.
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  Huang, associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at NYU Grossman School of Medicine
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  and chief of neurosurgery at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, emphasized the need for
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  urban infrastructure to evolve alongside the rise of electric bikes and scooters.
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  He called for future studies to track these injuries across multiple cities and evaluate
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  whether protected bike lanes, helmet programs, and speed enforcement can reduce the number of
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  brain and spine surgeries performed.
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  Skipping sleep may pack on pounds faster than you think, according to a new study published
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  in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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  Researchers at Columbia University Irving Medical Center studied ninety-five adults
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  already at risk for heart or metabolic disease.
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  They compared six weeks of adequate sleep with six weeks of cutting about ninety minutes of
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  sleep each night.
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  By the end of the sleep-restricted phase, participants weighed about one pound more on
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  average and had slightly larger waistlines.
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  Interestingly, while participants gained weight, researchers did not observe significant
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  changes in body fat or muscle mass.
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  They also noted that participants spent more time sitting, although their levels of moderate
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  and vigorous exercise remained about the same.
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  The study did not track how much participants ate, so it's unclear what exactly led to the
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  weight increase.
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  Dr.
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  Somi Javaid, an Ohio-based obstetrician-gynecologist and founder of HerMD,
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  who was not involved in the study, emphasized the role of sleep in regulating the body’s
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  metabolism.
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  She mentioned that chronic sleep deprivation can make it harder for the body to regulate
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  weight.
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  Dr.
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  Javaid noted that women going through menopause may be particularly vulnerable, as sleep
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  problems become more common during this life stage.
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  Dr.
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  Javaid highlighted that the American Heart Association now recognizes sleep as one of its
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  "Life's Essential 8" for heart health and recommends adults get seven to nine hours of
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  sleep each night.
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  "Chronic short sleep is not a lifestyle quirk," she said.
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  "We need to treat sleep as a vital sign of health."
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  While the findings suggest that regularly getting less sleep may contribute to weight
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  gain, the researchers acknowledged several limitations of the study.
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  They pointed out that the six-week duration might not have been long enough to detect
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  meaningful changes in body fat, which can take longer to develop than changes in body weight.
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  Moreover, the study's relatively small sample size limited their ability to compare results
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  among different participant groups.
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  The researchers also noted that some hormone measurements were collected only in the
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  morning, which may not have reflected fluctuations occurring throughout the day.
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  These factors highlight the need for further research to fully understand the relationship
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  between sleep and weight regulation.
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  As we wrap up today's episode, it's clear that sleep is a critical component of our overall
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  health.
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  Whether we're managing screen time, supporting mental health for firefighters, or navigating
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  the rise of e-bike injuries, prioritizing our well-being is crucial.
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  Thank you for tuning in to Morning Medical with Dr.
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  Chow.
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  I hope you found today's discussions insightful and empowering as you make daily choices for a
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  healthier life.
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  Until next time, stay well and take care.