Community Safety

Washington – The number of people killed in traffic crashes during the first nine months of 2015 increased 9.3 percent from the same time period the previous year, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Dublin – Recent research shows that smoking bans appear to be having a positive health effect, helping to reduce heart disease among smokers and non-smokers alike.

Pittsburgh – Irregular sleep schedules may contribute to poorer metabolic health in middle-aged women, according to a University of Pittsburgh study.

Boston – Women who who eat more fiber during adolescence and early adulthood may help lower their risk of breast cancer, according to a study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Boston – Keep eating those green, leafy vegetables. You might be reducing your risk of developing glaucoma later in life.

New Orleans – Teens who are overweight or have poor physical fitness may have high blood pressure by middle age, according to research from Ochsner Medical Center.

Washington – Zika, a mosquito-borne virus new to North and South America, could spread into the United States, the World Health Organization’s regional office for the Americas warned Jan. 24.

New York – Diets that are high in saturated fat and sugar and low in fiber may contribute to sleep that’s lighter, more disrupted and less restorative to health, according to researchers at Columbia University.

Los Angeles – People younger than 45 may take stroke symptoms lightly and postpone going to a hospital for treatment, according to the results of a survey from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Pittsburgh – Nearly half of all concussions among youth hockey players are caused by illegal contact, according to a new study from the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Concussion Program.