Make me sick in the ball park

If you have a sensitive stomach, you might not want to read any further. At thirty (or 28 percent) of the 107 U.S. venues used by the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, more than half of the concession stands have been cited for at least one critical or major health violation, according to a new ESPN study.

ESPN totaled each arena’s percentage of critical violations. This includes offenses that can pose a serious risk for foodborne illness, such as incorrect temperature, cross-contamination, poor hygiene, and rodent and insect contamination.

Florida’s stadiums were found to be among the worst offenders – all of their arenas had over 65 percent of their vendors in violation. But to find one of the worst venues in the country, look no further than the nation’s capital. Every single food vendor in Washington D.C.’s Verizon Center received at least one citation.

Chicago’s stadiums have the best records with three of its four stadiums receiving no critical violations; however, the city examines the arenas on non-game days, when food isn’t being prepared and workers are not present.

ESPN points out that even though most local health departments use a variation of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration food code; slight differences exist making it difficult to compare venues.

The Huffington Post reports some of the (grossest) highlights:

Tropicana Field, Tampa Bay: Several violations addressed dirty countertops, utensils and equipment. Although every report indicated a critical violation, all vendors met basic inspection standards to keep operating.

Madison Square Garden, NYC: At one stand, inspectors found “53 mouse excreta” (38 on top of a metal box underneath the cash registers in the front food-prep/service area and 15 on top of a carbonated-beverage dispensing unit).

RBC Center, Raleigh: Inspectors cited one vendor after watching employees handle raw, breaded chicken while loading fryers and then handling cooked food without changing gloves or washing hands. The employees placed cooked chicken back in the same container used to pre-portion raw chicken before cooking.

AT&T Center, San Antonio: Inspectors found 18 pounds of hot dogs that had expired more than 10 days prior.

US Airways Center, Phoenix: One location faced possible closure over pest problems after inspectors in December found mouse droppings and, upon reinspection, found “dozens of flies and a live roach” in the dish room.

To see how your state’s stadiums fared, click here.

Inside baseball’s injuries

Baseball may not be the most dangerous sport out there, but players experience their fair share of injuries. According to a new study out of William Beaumont Army Medical Center, pitchers may have the most to worry about.

The researchers analyzed the disabled lists of MLB teams from 2002 through the 2008 season, finding that pitchers were 34 percent more likely to sustain injuries than fielders. In addition to their increased injury rate, the LA Times reports pitchers also accounted for 62.4 percent of the time that players spent on the disabled list, while fielders only accounted for 37.6 percent.

As to be expected, the area of the body injured was associated with the position played. 67 percent of pitchers’ injuries were to their arms or shoulders (only 32 percent for fielders), while 47.5 percent of injuries for fielders were located in their hips or legs.

According to ESPN, the study also found that patterns of injuries were practically equal between both leagues. For example, players in the American League injured their lower extremities 30.5 percent of the time. Lower extremity injuries in the National League occurred 30.7 percent of the time.

The one big surprise to the research team was when players got injured. 74.4 percent of all injuries occurred before the middle of the season. Lead study author and orthopaedic surgeon, Maj. Matthew Posner explains they expected a “wear-and-tear phenomenon”.

The results of this study were presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine annual meeting.

First, they came for the scissors; then they took the rocks; how long before they remove the paper? As Forbes columnist Lenore Skenazy reports

“Michael Warring, president of American Educational Products in Fort Collins, Colo., had his shipment all ready: A school’s worth of small bags, each one filled with an igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Then the school canceled its order. Says Warring, “They apparently decided rocks could be harmful to children.”

Survey finds one-third of doctors do not report impaired or incompetent colleagues

A new survey by the Mongan Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital finds that one-third of doctors did not report peers that displayed incompetent or impaired behavior due to substance abuse or mental health problems.

The results were based on responses from 1,891 doctors, ranging from cardiologists to psychiatrists. Out of those responses, 17 percent or 321 doctors had “direct, personal knowledge of a physician who was impaired or incompetent to practice medicine” HealthDay reports. Two-thirds, or 214, of those physicians reported the suspected colleague.

Doctors who kept silent gave reasons such as believing that another physician would take care of the reporting, fear that the physician would find out who had reported them, and a lack of confidence that the physician would actually suffer any consequences as a result of the report.

The study does not address what exactly happened to the physicians that had been turned in. Instead, the authors focus on recommending improvements to the reporting system, such as strengthening confidentiality protections, as well as letting physicians know the outcome of their report.

Here is WebMD’s breakdown of the results:

64% agreed with the professional commitment to report doctors who are significantly impaired or otherwise incompetent to practice medicine.

69% reported being prepared to deal effectively with impaired colleagues in their practice.

64% reported being prepared to deal with incompetent colleagues.

17% said they had direct knowledge of a peer incompetent to practice in their hospital, group, or practice.

67% of this 17% reported the colleague to relevant authorities.

The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Drivers most likely at fault in Toyota car scare says Gov investigation

In a development that points to the underlying unreliability of human perception and memory, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has admitted that it has, so far, been unable to find any defects in the electronic throttle controls of Toyota cars.

The Japanese car manufacturer has been forced to recall almost 10 million vehicles after a series of incidents where cars appeared to accelerate unintentionally suggested a fatal design or manufacturing flaw. As the Financial Times reports, the NHTSA told a meeting convened by the National Research Council that several investigations have failed to find such defects. and most reported incidents of sudden, unintentional acceleration over the past 30 years are probably due to drivers hitting the wrong pedal and other errors.

Vital Statistics

A roundup of some unusual studies making news. As always, a mention here doesn’t mean an endorsement.

Tablet vs. the book: which one prevails when it comes to reading speed?

Finally, a win for the good old fashioned book. New research finds that reading speed decreases when using a tablet, such as a Kindle or Nook. The study was small, consisting of only 24 participants who enjoy and frequently read books. Each subject read from four platforms, including the Kindle, iPad, PC monitor, and a regular paper book. The subjects were tested for both reading speed and story comprehension.

The study, conducted by the Nielson Norman Group, found that when using a Kindle, participants read 10.7 percent slower than when reading off printed pages. Reading speed was 6.2 percent slower when reading from an iPad. However, despite the slower reading speeds, the results also indicated that participants preferred an e-reader to the printed book. Story comprehension remained almost the same among all platforms.

The power of touch

If you’re planning to buy a car in the near future, you may want to read this first. A new study out of Harvard, Yale and MIT, finds that the sense of touch can influence attitudes and behavior, even if the object is completely unrelated to the task.

For example, in one out of a series of experiments, 86 participants took part in a mock car sale – some sitting in hard, wooden chairs and others in cushioned chairs. Those that sat in a wooden chair were less likely to compromise on price. John Bargh, lead study author and Yale psychology professor, explains “Experiences with the physical world, such as hardness, heaviness or smoothness, activate the physical meaning of those concepts, but it also activates the abstract meanings of those concepts — hard may mean difficult, heavy may mean serious.”

The risks of cyberbullying

A new survey finds that “cyberbullying” is dangerous for the bully and the victim. The study finds bullying over the Internet or cell phones is associated with both physical and psychological consequences. The cross-sectional survey consisted of approximately 2,200 teenagers in two Finnish communities. The results showed that about 7 percent engaged in online bullying of others, 5 percent identified themselves as victims of bullying behavior, and 5.4 percent said they had bullied others and were victimized themselves.

Medpage Today reports that among the consequences, cyber victims had above average rates of self-perceived difficulties in life and one in four reported feeling unsafe. Physical effects included headaches, abdominal pains and difficulty sleeping. Cyberbullies reported emotional distress and behavioral problems such as difficulty concentrating and hyperactivity, as well as substance abuse. The study warns that teens who are a cyberbully and cybervictim may be effected the most.