Sleigh bumps

Many of you may still be in a summer state of mind, but new research already has us thinking about winter fun. A new study from the Center for Injury Research and Policy finds that sledding is responsible for a staggering average of 20,820 injuries per year.

Using data from the National Electronic Surveillance System, researchers determined an average yearly sledding injury rate of 26 per 100,000 children ages nineteen and younger. MedPage Today reports that boys were the most prone to sledding accidents (particularly those between the ages of ten and fourteen), accounting for 60 percent of those injured.

Overall, the head was the most commonly injured area of the body, making up 34 percent of the injuries requiring hospital care. Here is the breakdown of injuries as reported by HealthDay:

• Fractures – 26 %
• Cuts and bruises – 25 %
• Strains/sprains – 16 %
• Traumatic brain injuries – 9 %

According to WebMD, 4.1 percent of all emergency department visits required hospitalization. Collisions of all types – whether with trees, people, or poles – were the most common cause of sledding injuries, occurring 50.6 percent of the time. Snow tubes were the most likely to lead to brain injuries and children ages four and under, were found to be four times more likely to sustain a head injury, Reuters reports.

The researchers also found that 51.8 percent of injuries occurred at a public sports or recreation area, and 31 percent took place on private property.

This study will be published in the September issue of Pediatrics. For sledding safety tips, click here.

Vital Statistics

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

Men outnumbered by women may live longer lives

According to a study published in the latest issue of Demography, men of marriageable age (18-27) who live in areas where they are outnumbered by women may just live longer. Researchers from both China and the U.S. looked at the relationship between sex ratios and life expectancy and found that only men were affected.

The researchers used data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, which followed thousands of the state’s 1957 high school graduates. The study showed that men who attended schools where boys outnumbered girls by more than 3-to-2, were 40 percent more likely to have died by age 65 than men who went to schools where girls outnumbered boys.

After also examining 12.7 million Medicare and Social Security records, the researchers found that men who reached marriageable age in states that were 52 percent male at the time were slightly more likely to have died than men who came of age in states that were only 47 percent male.

Drinking beer regularly increases risk of psoriasis in women

Women who drink beer on a regular basis may significantly increase their risk of developing psoriasis, according to new research published in the Archives of Dermatology.

Between the years 1991 and 2005, 82,869 women were studied. In comparison with nondrinkers, those who reported drinking at least five non-light beers a week had a 76 percent chance of developing the condition. The researchers adjusted for other risk factors such as age, smoking, obesity, diet and physical activity.

Why do heavier beers seem to contribute and not other alcoholic beverages? The researchers believe that barley, a grain used in the fermentation process of heavier beers, could be to blame. Barley contains gluten, a protein substance that people with psoriasis can be sensitive to.

More and more couples are meeting online, according to new survey

A new survey, How Couples Meet and Stay Together, finds that almost 30 percent of today’s couples have met online. While the web is currently the second-most popular way Americans find a partner, the survey predicts that the Internet will soon be number one.

The survey polled more than 4,000 Americans. The results showed that same-sex relationships were more likely to be the result of meeting online, with 61 percent of the relationships starting between 2007 and 2009 being the product of an online match.

Attractive women at disadvantage for unattractive jobs, study says

A new University of Colorado Denver study finds that attractive women often face discrimination when it comes to jobs that are considered “masculine”.

Participants were given a list of jobs and photos of applicants – a stack including 55 men and 55 women Reuters reports. They were asked to sort the photos according to their suitability for a list of various job positions, such as mechanical engineer, construction supervisor, security chief, and director of finance.

Assistant professor of management and lead study author Stefanie Johnson says in a news release:

“In these professions being attractive was highly detrimental to women. In every other kind of job, attractive women were preferred. This wasn’t the case with men which shows that there is still a double standard when it comes to gender.”

The study, published in the Journal of Social Psychology, finds that attractive men are always at an advantage over men considered to be less handsome, no matter what type of job.

In general, it has been shown that attractive men and women have advantages in the workplace. Johnson points out they tend to receive higher salaries, better performance evaluations, higher levels of college admission, better voter ratings when running for public office, as well as more favorable judgments in trial.

Newsweek also recently conducted a survey assessing the importance of appearance in the workplace. The magazine surveyed 202 hiring managers and 964 members of the public. 57 percent of managers believe an unattractive job candidate will have a more difficult time getting hired, despite being qualified for the position. 68 percent said that after a candidate is hired, they believe appearance will continue to influence the way managers rate job performance. 72 percent of the public said that being physically attractive was an advantage for women looking for a job and 63 percent said attractiveness is an advantage for male job seekers.

The rest of the Newsweek results can be found here.

Red or dead?

If you’re unlucky in love, a little wardrobe change may help. A new study out of the University of Rochester reveals that women may find men wearing red to be more attractive. The study, published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, consisted of seven different experiments with a total of 288 female and 25 male undergraduate students.

According to the UK’s Telegraph, in one experiment, participants were shown a photograph of a man, surrounded by either red or white and asked to rate his attractiveness on a nine point scale. AOL News reports that other experiments compared the effects of red versus blue, green, and gray, where subjects were asked to rate factors such as status, likeability and friendliness.

Red seemed to only affect the areas of romance and power, not friendliness or likeability. The authors indicate these associations between red and power may be due to elite members in societies such as Rome, China and Japan who wore red clothing as a sign of high status. They also reference practices such as the red carpet for celebrities.

Lead study author and psychology professor Andrew Elliot explains:

“We found that women view men in red as higher in status, more likely to make money and more likely to climb the social ladder… And it’s this high-status judgment that leads to the attraction.”

The influence of red was limited to only women and did not affect the views of the male subjects on other men. The researchers report that women didn’t seem to have any awareness of the color’s impact on their choices, as none could correctly guess the purpose of the experiments. The appeal of red remained consistent across a variety of cultures and countries, including the United States, England, China and Germany.