Winter Health and Safety, GivingTuesday, and More Health News Trends

A look at health news from PR Newswire in November and December that you might have missed.

By Ally Bautista | Published Jan. 9, 2024

Happy New Year! As 2023 came to a close, we were tracking the health headlines to identify recurring trends in year-end news. In November and December, PR Newswire distributed over 5,000 health-related press releases. Among the most popular trends in that lineup were winter health and safety tips, GivingTuesday, health insurance, and AI.

Let’s take a closer look at these trends and additional newsworthy stories from November and December.

Popular Health Releases

The following health news stories from the past two months received a high number of views and engagement:

• Following approval from the FDA, Eli Lilly and Company’s Zepbound™ (tirzepatide) injection for adults living with obesity became available in U.S. pharmacies.
• Le-Vel unveiled plans for MYFRESH Meals, a health-conscious farm-to-table meal delivery service available nationwide.
• Peptone and The Institute of Oncology Research announced a collaborative research agreement focused on novel target discovery in prostate cancer.
• Medtronic’s Symplicity™ blood pressure procedure for the treatment of hypertension received FDA approval.

Health News Trends

These are some of the trends we noticed among health-related press releases in November and December, with a few examples of each.

Winter Health and Safety Tips

‘Tis the season for health and safety! With the holidays on the horizon, several organizations published news about how to have a healthy and safe winter. Flu season, which we covered in our last health trends blog, was still in full swing, and some releases provided continued guidance on respiratory illness vaccination and prevention. Other stories focused on sharing tips related to common winter and holiday season activities.

Some examples of recent winter health and safety news include:

• In time for holiday toasts, The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism debunked widespread, yet incorrect, myths about alcohol and its effects on the body.
• The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons gave tips to prevent injuries from winter sports and outdoor activities like skiing and ice skating.
• Home Instead shared ways to create a safe home for older adults during the holiday season.
• The FDA highlighted best practices for handling flour safely while making holiday treats.

GivingTuesday

Black Friday is known for big sales to kick off holiday season shopping, but another post-Thanksgiving day focuses on generosity. Taking place on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, GivingTuesday encourages people and organizations to contribute to charity. In 2023, 34 million U.S. adults participated in GivingTuesday in some way.

PR Newswire distributed over 80 releases that mentioned “GivingTuesday” or “Giving Tuesday” in November and December. They spanned many different industries, but here are a few that were health-related:

• (RED) shared its “Holiday Edit,” a guide featuring gifts and experiences that fight AIDS and give back.
• 24 Hour Fitness and Playworks partnered for a unique and enriching playground experience for kids at Marguerita Elementary School in Alhambra, California.
• The St. Baldrick’s Foundation set a one-day goal of raising $50,000 to Conquer Kids’ Cancer.
• 1MD Nutrition teamed up with Olympic and pro athletes to raise funds for Vitamin Angels and address malnutrition worldwide.

Health Insurance

In 2022, 92.1% of people in the U.S. had health insurance at some point during the year. November 1, 2023, marked the start of the Open Enrollment period for 2024 health coverage, and releases about health insurance subsequently hit the wire in November and December. They covered a variety of topics, from new plans and benefits to surveys and reports.

Below are some examples of health insurance releases from recent months:

• The National Association of Insurance Commissioners shared guidance on open enrollment and enrolling for marketplace coverage in 2024.
• Policygenius’ 2023 Health Insurance Survey found that many Americans still struggle to financially cover their basic health care needs despite being insured.
• eHealth released its Medicare Snapshot Report, which examines costs and plan selection trends and covers six years of insightful trendline data.
• Medline announced a new Food Benefit Solution that allows Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid Organizations to offer home-delivered, healthy food options to health plan members.

AI

We’ve identified artificial intelligence as a featured trend in the past, and it remains a hot topic in the healthcare space. As organizations implement AI-driven technology to improve efficiency in administration, patient interactions, and more, its presence in the industry continues to rise; the AI healthcare market is projected to be worth $187 billion in 2030.

PR Newswire distributed over 800 releases that mentioned AI and the health industry in November and December. Here are a few:

• SAS experts weighed in with their predictions on how AI and analytics will impact people’s happiness, health, and livelihoods in 2024.
• The Kaiser Permanente AIM-HI Coordinating Center awarded five organizations with funding for research projects deploying AI and machine learning in healthcare.
• United We Care unveiled its cognitive AI mental health and wellness coach, Stella 2.0.
• PostEra announced a research collaboration with Amgen to discover small molecule therapeutics using AI.

Looking Ahead

As 2024 begins, we anticipate seeing many releases aiming to help people with their fitness and wellness New Year’s resolutions. News from events such as CES and the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference will also likely impact health trends on the wire. We’ll keep our eyes on the headlines to keep you updated!

About the Author

Ally Bautista is a Customer Content Specialist at PR Newswire. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she enjoys baking, creating visual art, and keeping up with pop culture news in her free time.