For both men and women without a Bachelor’s degree (BA), a new study in JAMA Health Forum found that mortality between 2011-2023 was markedly higher than would have been expected had death rates from 2006-2010 continued. Among 564,855 excess deaths in 2023 alone, 481,211 occurred among people without a BA—a 26 percent increase in mortality among this population, compared to pre-2010 trends. In contrast, mortality only increased by eight percent among people who received a BA. 

For the study, published in Safety and Health at Work, researchers explored how earned sick leave laws impact rates of reportable nonfatal illness or injury across major industry categories. They obtained annual state rates of occupational nonfatal illness or injury reports and earned sick leave policy data. They found that states that implemented earned sick leave prior to 2019 saw a marginally significant increase in the rates of illness and injury reporting across industries after these policies were introduced.

Based on individual interviews with adolescents and focus group discussions, researchers from São Paulo State University have created a classification of the coping strategies used by young people in situations of school bullying. The study also provides recommendations for educational institutions.

Although there is no direct case law on liability using medical AI, the recent products liability case Dickson v. Dexcom Inc. may hold some lessons on future liability risk for manufacturers incorporating AI or machine learning (ML) technologies, according to Sara Gerke and David Simon. This legal finding could influence which products in this space are developed and marketed, with impacts on research and development and resulting benefits to the public. In this Policy Forum, Gerke and Simon discuss the case, which is the first to hold that federal law can preempt personal injury lawsuits under state law when the Food and Drug Administration codifies regulations applicable to a Class II medical device authorized through its De Novo pathway. De Novo classification requests are made for devices that cannot seek the FDA’s Premarket Notification or 510(k) approval pathway – because there are no devices substantially equivalent to it on the market – but are not deemed risky enough to require FDA Premarket Approval (PMA). New technologies such as digital therapeutics are often approved under the De Novo pathway, and Gerke et al. note that “AI/ML-enabled device manufacturers are utilizing the De Novo pathways over three times more than most device manufacturers.” Dickson may shed light on how courts address liability issues with these devices in the future, the authors conclude.

Households affected by high electricity prices during the energy crisis tend to be more negative towards climate policy. Research from the School of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Gothenburg shows that perceived unfairness reinforces misconceptions about fuel taxes.