Latest news with #Margolis
Medscape
6 days ago
- Health
- Medscape
Myths About Influenza Vaccination Debunked
I have written a lot about health myths that many of us as health professionals believe. Here, I'd like to address some myths about influenza shots that our patients believe. 'I do not want the flu shot, since it will make me sick or give me the flu.' This is a common reason patients will share as to why they do not want a flu shot. Frequently, I will hear about the time they did get a flu shot and shortly afterward got sick. This myth has been well studied with well-designed trials. Govaert and colleagues studied more than 1800 patients over the age of 60 who were randomly assigned to receive flu vaccine or placebo saline injection; side effects were tracked over 4 weeks. The only difference in side effects was an increased rate of local tenderness at the injection site: 17.5% in the vaccine group vs 7.3% in placebo group. There was no significant difference in systemic side effects. Douglas S. Paauw, MD Margolis et al conducted a randomized, controlled, crossover trial in 336 veterans aged 65 or older. Trial participants were randomly assigned to receive influenza vaccine followed 2 weeks later by placebo injection or placebo followed 2 weeks later by vaccine. The only significant difference after receiving vaccine compared with placebo was a sore arm. There was no difference in any other symptom. Another interesting study looked at patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who received influenza vaccine or placebo; side effects and respiratory infections were evaluated in the first week after vaccination. Local adverse reactions were noted in 27% of the vaccine group and 6% of the placebo group (P =.002). No significant difference in systemic adverse reactions was measured between the vaccine and placebo groups, and there was no difference observed in the incidence of acute respiratory infections between the vaccine and placebo groups during the first week (6.4% vs 6.3%; P = 1.0) and the first 4 weeks (24.2% vs 31.7%; P =.5) after vaccination. 'I can't get the flu shot because I am allergic to eggs.' For many years, patients were asked if they had an egg allergy, and if they did, they usually were told not to get influenza vaccine. This was because of the concern that potentially minute particles of egg protein could contaminate the vaccine and individuals with severe allergy could have a bad reaction. Turner and colleagues recruited 779 young people (2-18 years) with egg allergy to receive influenza vaccine. The cohort included 270 young people with previous anaphylaxis to egg. No systemic allergic reactions occurred in any participants. Kelso reviewed 28 studies with a total of 4315 patients with egg allergy who received egg-based Influenza vaccine: included were 656 patients with a history of anaphylaxis to egg. None of these patients developed a serious reaction when they received influenza vaccine. A 2017 joint practice parameter by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology stated that all patients with egg allergy of any severity should receive inactivated influenza vaccine annually, using any age-approved brand, and there are no special waiting periods after vaccination of egg allergic patients beyond what is standard practice for any vaccine. Pearl: Influenza vaccine can cause local discomfort but is no different from placebo in producing systemic symptoms. Individuals with a history of egg allergy can safely receive any form of influenza vaccine.
Voice of America
27-02-2025
- General
- Voice of America
Survey: Decline in number of US Christians is leveling off
The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined steadily for years, but that drop shows signs of slowing, according to a new survey Wednesday from the Pew Research Center. The Religious Landscape Study finds 62% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians. While a significant dip from 2007, when 78% of Americans identified as Christian, Pew found the Christian share of the population has remained relatively stable since 2019. The rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated — the so-called "nones" — has also reached at least a temporary plateau, according to Pew. Approximately 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, including those who are atheist (5%), agnostic (6%) or "nothing in particular" (19%). "It's striking to have observed this recent period of stability in American religion after that long period of decline," said Pew's Gregory Smith, one of the study's co-authors. "One thing we can't know for sure is whether these short-term signs of stabilization will prove to be a lasting change in the country's religious trajectory." By some measures, the U.S. remains overwhelmingly spiritual. Many Americans have a supernatural outlook, with 83% believing in God or a universal spirit and 86% believing that people have a soul or spirit. About seven in 10 Americans believe in heaven, hell or both. Young adults are less religious than their elders Despite this widespread spirituality, there are harbingers of future religious decline. Most notably, Pew found a huge age gap, with 46% of the youngest American adults identifying as Christian, compared to 80% of the oldest adults. The youngest adults are also three times more likely than the oldest group to be religiously unaffiliated. "These kinds of generational differences are a big part of what's driven the long-term declines in American religion," Smith said. "As older cohorts of highly religious, older people have passed away, they have been replaced by new cohorts of young adults who are less religious than their parents and grandparents." Michele Margolis, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist not affiliated with the Pew survey, has studied how religious involvement changes over a lifetime. Young adults frequently move away from religion. "Then when you get married and have kids, this is a time where scholars have noted that religion is more likely to become important," Margolis said. Margolis said one question going forward is whether the youngest American adults firmly reject organized religion, or if some of them will return to the religious fold as they age. Between 2007 and 2024, Pew religious landscape studies haven't indicated that Americans are growing more religious as they get older. Smith at Pew said "something would need to change" to stop the long-term decline of American religion, whether that's adults becoming more religious with age or new generations becoming more religious than their parents. How partisan politics intertwines with religious identity The long-term decline of U.S. Christianity and rise of the "nones" has occurred across traditions, gender, race, ethnicity, education and region. But it is much more evident among political liberals, according to Pew. The survey shows 51% of liberals claim no religion, up 24 points from 2007. Only 37% of U.S. liberals identify as Christian, down from 62% in 2007. Penny Edgell, a University of Minnesota sociologist and expert adviser for the Pew study, said this religious and political sorting aligns with whether people "support traditional, patriarchal gender and family arrangements." Edgell also notes that Black Americans defy the assumption that all Democrats are less religious than Republicans. "More Black Americans percentagewise are Democrats, but their rates of religious involvement are still really high," Edgell said. "That has something to do with the way that religious institutions and politics have been intertwined in historically unique ways for different groups." Roughly seven in 10 Black Protestants told Pew that religion is very important to them — about the same rate as evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Black Protestants are likely to identify as Democrats (72%), whereas evangelicals and Latter-day Saints are likely to identify as Republican (70% and 73%, respectively). The Pew survey tracks many religious traditions It's been nearly 10 years since the last Religious Landscape Study, which tracks religious data that the U.S. census does not. The new survey found that a majority of immigrants to the U.S. are Christian (58%), but they also follow the upward trend of the religiously unaffiliated, with a quarter of foreign-born U.S. adults claiming no religion. The number of Americans who belong to religions besides Christianity has been increasing, though it's still a small portion of the population (7%). That includes the 2% who are Jewish, and the 1% each who are Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. Of U.S. Christian adults, 40% are Protestant and 19% are Catholic. The remaining 3% in Pew's survey include Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses and smaller Christian groups. The two largest Protestant denominations in the Pew survey remain the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church – though both have lost many members since the first Religious Landscape Study in 2007. The Pew Religious Landscape Study was conducted in English and Spanish between July 2023 and March 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey's margin of error for results based on the full sample is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points.
Nahar Net
26-02-2025
- General
- Nahar Net
US Christian population has declined for years but drop shows signs of slowing
by Naharnet Newsdesk 26 February 2025, 15:21 The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined steadily for years, but that drop shows signs of slowing, according to a new survey Wednesday from the Pew Research Center. The Religious Landscape Study finds 62% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians. While a significant dip from 2007, when 78% of Americans identified as Christian, Pew found the Christian share of the population has remained relatively stable since 2019. The rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated — the so-called " nones " — has also reached at least a temporary plateau, according to Pew. Approximately 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, including those who are atheist (5%), agnostic (6%) or "nothing in particular" (19%). "It's striking to have observed this recent period of stability in American religion after that long period of decline," said Pew's Gregory Smith, one of the study's co-authors. "One thing we can't know for sure is whether these short-term signs of stabilization will prove to be a lasting change in the country's religious trajectory." By some measures, the U.S. remains overwhelmingly spiritual. Many Americans have a supernatural outlook, with 83% believing in God or a universal spirit and 86% believing that people have a soul or spirit. About seven in 10 Americans believe in heaven, hell or both. Young adults are less religious than their elders Despite this widespread spirituality, there are harbingers of future religious decline. Most notably, Pew found a huge age gap, with 46% of the youngest American adults identifying as Christian, compared to 80% of the oldest adults. The youngest adults are also three times more likely than the oldest group to be religiously unaffiliated. "These kinds of generational differences are a big part of what's driven the long-term declines in American religion," Smith said. "As older cohorts of highly religious, older people have passed away, they have been replaced by new cohorts of young adults who are less religious than their parents and grandparents." Michele Margolis, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist not affiliated with the Pew survey, has studied how religious involvement changes over a lifetime. Young adults frequently move away from religion. "Then when you get married and have kids, this is a time where scholars have noted that religion is more likely to become important," Margolis said. Margolis said one question going forward is whether the youngest American adults firmly reject organized religion, or if some of them will return to the religious fold as they age. Between 2007 and 2024, Pew religious landscape studies haven't indicated that Americans are growing more religious as they get older. Smith at Pew said "something would need to change" to stop the long-term decline of American religion, whether that's adults becoming more religious with age or new generations becoming more religious than their parents. How partisan politics intertwines with religious identity The long-term decline of U.S. Christianity and rise of the "nones" has occurred across traditions, gender, race, ethnicity, education and region. But it is much more evident among political liberals, according to Pew. The survey shows 51% of liberals claim no religion, up 24 points from 2007. Only 37% of U.S. liberals identify as Christian, down from 62% in 2007. Penny Edgell, a University of Minnesota sociologist and expert adviser for the Pew study, said this religious and political sorting aligns with whether people "support traditional, patriarchal gender and family arrangements." Edgell also notes that Black Americans defy the assumption that all Democrats are less religious than Republicans. "More Black Americans percentagewise are Democrats, but their rates of religious involvement are still really high," Edgell said. "That has something to do with the way that religious institutions and politics have been intertwined in historically unique ways for different groups." Roughly seven in 10 Black Protestants told Pew that religion is very important to them — about the same rate as evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Black Protestants are likely to identify as Democrats (72%), whereas evangelicals and Latter-day Saints are likely to identify as Republican (70% and 73%, respectively). The Pew survey tracks many religious traditions It's been nearly 10 years since the last Religious Landscape Study, which tracks religious data that the U.S. census does not. The new survey found that a majority of immigrants to the U.S. are Christian (58%), but they also follow the upward trend of the religiously unaffiliated, with a quarter of foreign-born U.S. adults claiming no religion. The number of Americans who belong to religions besides Christianity has been increasing, though it's still a small portion of the population (7%). That includes the 2% who are Jewish, and the 1% each who are Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. Of U.S. Christian adults, 40% are Protestant and 19% are Catholic. The remaining 3% in Pew's survey include Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses and smaller Christian groups. The two largest Protestant denominations in the Pew survey remain the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church – though both have lost many members since the first Religious Landscape Study in 2007. The Pew Religious Landscape Study was conducted in English and Spanish between July 2023 and March 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey's margin of error for results based on the full sample is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
The US Christian population has declined for years. A new survey shows that drop leveling off
WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined steadily for years, but that drop shows signs of slowing, according to a new survey Wednesday from the Pew Research Center. The Religious Landscape Study finds 62% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians. While a significant dip from 2007, when 78% of Americans identified as Christian, Pew found the Christian share of the population has remained relatively stable since 2019. The rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated — the so-called ' nones ' — has also reached at least a temporary plateau, according to Pew. Approximately 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, including those who are atheist (5%), agnostic (6%) or 'nothing in particular' (19%). See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. 'It's striking to have observed this recent period of stability in American religion after that long period of decline,' said Pew's Gregory Smith, one of the study's co-authors. "One thing we can't know for sure is whether these short-term signs of stabilization will prove to be a lasting change in the country's religious trajectory.' By some measures, the U.S. remains overwhelmingly spiritual. Many Americans have a supernatural outlook, with 83% believing in God or a universal spirit and 86% believing that people have a soul or spirit. About seven in 10 Americans believe in heaven, hell or both. Young adults are less religious than their elders Despite this widespread spirituality, there are harbingers of future religious decline. Most notably, Pew found a huge age gap, with 46% of the youngest American adults identifying as Christian, compared to 80% of the oldest adults. The youngest adults are also three times more likely than the oldest group to be religiously unaffiliated. 'These kinds of generational differences are a big part of what's driven the long-term declines in American religion,' Smith said. 'As older cohorts of highly religious, older people have passed away, they have been replaced by new cohorts of young adults who are less religious than their parents and grandparents.' Michele Margolis, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist not affiliated with the Pew survey, has studied how religious involvement changes over a lifetime. Young adults frequently move away from religion. 'Then when you get married and have kids, this is a time where scholars have noted that religion is more likely to become important,' Margolis said. Margolis said one question going forward is whether the youngest American adults firmly reject organized religion, or if some of them will return to the religious fold as they age. Between 2007 and 2024, Pew religious landscape studies haven't indicated that Americans are growing more religious as they get older. Smith at Pew said "something would need to change' to stop the long-term decline of American religion, whether that's adults becoming more religious with age or new generations becoming more religious than their parents. How partisan politics intertwines with religious identity The long-term decline of U.S. Christianity and rise of the 'nones' has occurred across traditions, gender, race, ethnicity, education and region. But it is much more evident among political liberals, according to Pew. The survey shows 51% of liberals claim no religion, up 24 points from 2007. Only 37% of U.S. liberals identify as Christian, down from 62% in 2007. Penny Edgell, a University of Minnesota sociologist and expert adviser for the Pew study, said this religious and political sorting aligns with whether people 'support traditional, patriarchal gender and family arrangements.' Edgell also notes that Black Americans defy the assumption that all Democrats are less religious than Republicans. 'More Black Americans percentagewise are Democrats, but their rates of religious involvement are still really high,' Edgell said. 'That has something to do with the way that religious institutions and politics have been intertwined in historically unique ways for different groups.' Roughly seven in 10 Black Protestants told Pew that religion is very important to them — about the same rate as evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Black Protestants are likely to identify as Democrats (72%), whereas evangelicals and Latter-day Saints are likely to identify as Republican (70% and 73%, respectively). The Pew survey tracks many religious traditions It's been nearly 10 years since the last Religious Landscape Study, which tracks religious data that the U.S. census does not. The new survey found that a majority of immigrants to the U.S. are Christian (58%), but they also follow the upward trend of the religiously unaffiliated, with a quarter of foreign-born U.S. adults claiming no religion. The number of Americans who belong to religions besides Christianity has been increasing, though it's still a small portion of the population (7%). That includes the 2% who are Jewish, and the 1% each who are Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. Of U.S. Christian adults, 40% are Protestant and 19% are Catholic. The remaining 3% in Pew's survey include Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses and smaller Christian groups. The two largest Protestant denominations in the Pew survey remain the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church – though both have lost many members since the first Religious Landscape Study in 2007. The Pew Religious Landscape Study was conducted in English and Spanish between July 2023 and March 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey's margin of error for results based on the full sample is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
The Independent
26-02-2025
- General
- The Independent
The US Christian population has declined for years. A new survey shows that drop leveling off
The number of Americans who identify as Christian has declined steadily for years, but that drop shows signs of slowing, according to a new survey Wednesday from the Pew Research Center. The Religious Landscape Study finds 62% of U.S. adults call themselves Christians. While a significant dip from 2007, when 78% of Americans identified as Christian, Pew found the Christian share of the population has remained relatively stable since 2019. The rapid rise of the religiously unaffiliated — the so-called ' nones ' — has also reached at least a temporary plateau, according to Pew. Approximately 29% of U.S. adults identify as religiously unaffiliated, including those who are atheist (5%), agnostic (6%) or 'nothing in particular' (19%). 'It's striking to have observed this recent period of stability in American religion after that long period of decline,' said Pew's Gregory Smith, one of the study's co-authors. "One thing we can't know for sure is whether these short-term signs of stabilization will prove to be a lasting change in the country's religious trajectory.' By some measures, the U.S. remains overwhelmingly spiritual. Many Americans have a supernatural outlook, with 83% believing in God or a universal spirit and 86% believing that people have a soul or spirit. About seven in 10 Americans believe in heaven, hell or both. Young adults are less religious than their elders Despite this widespread spirituality, there are harbingers of future religious decline. Most notably, Pew found a huge age gap, with 46% of the youngest American adults identifying as Christian, compared to 80% of the oldest adults. The youngest adults are also three times more likely than the oldest group to be religiously unaffiliated. 'These kinds of generational differences are a big part of what's driven the long-term declines in American religion,' Smith said. 'As older cohorts of highly religious, older people have passed away, they have been replaced by new cohorts of young adults who are less religious than their parents and grandparents.' Michele Margolis, a University of Pennsylvania political scientist not affiliated with the Pew survey, has studied how religious involvement changes over a lifetime. Young adults frequently move away from religion. 'Then when you get married and have kids, this is a time where scholars have noted that religion is more likely to become important,' Margolis said. Margolis said one question going forward is whether the youngest American adults firmly reject organized religion, or if some of them will return to the religious fold as they age. Between 2007 and 2024, Pew religious landscape studies haven't indicated that Americans are growing more religious as they get older. Smith at Pew said "something would need to change' to stop the long-term decline of American religion, whether that's adults becoming more religious with age or new generations becoming more religious than their parents. How partisan politics intertwines with religious identity The long-term decline of U.S. Christianity and rise of the 'nones' has occurred across traditions, gender, race, ethnicity, education and region. But it is much more evident among political liberals, according to Pew. The survey shows 51% of liberals claim no religion, up 24 points from 2007. Only 37% of U.S. liberals identify as Christian, down from 62% in 2007. Penny Edgell, a University of Minnesota sociologist and expert adviser for the Pew study, said this religious and political sorting aligns with whether people 'support traditional, patriarchal gender and family arrangements.' Edgell also notes that Black Americans defy the assumption that all Democrats are less religious than Republicans. 'More Black Americans percentagewise are Democrats, but their rates of religious involvement are still really high,' Edgell said. 'That has something to do with the way that religious institutions and politics have been intertwined in historically unique ways for different groups.' Roughly seven in 10 Black Protestants told Pew that religion is very important to them — about the same rate as evangelicals and members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. But Black Protestants are likely to identify as Democrats (72%), whereas evangelicals and Latter-day Saints are likely to identify as Republican (70% and 73%, respectively). The Pew survey tracks many religious traditions It's been nearly 10 years since the last Religious Landscape Study, which tracks religious data that the U.S. census does not. The new survey found that a majority of immigrants to the U.S. are Christian (58%), but they also follow the upward trend of the religiously unaffiliated, with a quarter of foreign-born U.S. adults claiming no religion. The number of Americans who belong to religions besides Christianity has been increasing, though it's still a small portion of the population (7%). That includes the 2% who are Jewish, and the 1% each who are Muslim, Buddhist or Hindu. Of U.S. Christian adults, 40% are Protestant and 19% are Catholic. The remaining 3% in Pew's survey include Latter-day Saints, Orthodox Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses and smaller Christian groups. The two largest Protestant denominations in the Pew survey remain the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church – though both have lost many members since the first Religious Landscape Study in 2007. The Pew Religious Landscape Study was conducted in English and Spanish between July 2023 and March 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 36,908 respondents in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The survey's margin of error for results based on the full sample is plus or minus 0.8 percentage points. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
