INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The Louisiana State Senate has given the green light to legislation that would expand pharmacy's ability to administer immunizations, and now the House of Representatives is slated to vote on the legislation in the coming days. The passage of SB 60 is important because expanding the pharmacist's ability to administer vaccinations is a relatively low-cost way to expand access and ultimately improve outcomes.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — To say that the impact of high prices at the pump this year is not as bad as it was in 2008 may be a testament to just how bad it was in 2008. As long as the price-per-gallon hovers above or below that magical $4, it’s still plenty bad, and there still are plenty of people who are changing shopping behaviors because of it.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Researchers at the University of Alabama in Birmingham found that controlling fat intake could help cut one's risk of developing diabetes.

To examine this, researchers divided 69 overweight nondiabetics, who were at risk for the disease, into two groups, placing the subjects on a diet with modest reductions in either fat or carbohydrate for eight weeks. The lower fat group received a diet comprised of 27% fat and 55% carbohydrate; the lower carbohydrate group's diet was 39% fat and 43% carbohydrate.

WASHINGTON — An Associated Press/GfK poll released Friday determined that rising gas prices will cause “serious” hardship for as much as 41% of Americans.

Almost 3-in-4 adults acknowledged that $4 per gallon or more at the pump will at least cause some hardship.

NEW YORK — Such mood disorders as anxiety and depression may be a precursor to diabetes in Latinos, according to a study by University of California at San Diego researchers scheduled for presentation at the American Psychiatric Association’s annual meeting in Honolulu.

As reported in the Los Angeles Times, the researchers found that while Latinos have higher-than-average rates of diabetes, they also seem to have higher-than-average risk of having both diabetes and a mood disorder.

OBERLIN, Ohio — Walmart and Target are the top go-to shopping destinations for college students, according to a new study.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — It’s often said that yesterday’s science fiction is tomorrow’s reality, and while automakers have yet to unveil flying cars similar to the ones in “Blade Runner,” the integration of WellDoc’s services with Ford Motor’s SYNC technology serves as a prime example.

(THE NEWS: Ford developing health care in the dashboard. For the full story, click here.)

CHICAGO — Consumers today are a lot less skittish about rising gas prices than they were in 2008, Nielsen reported.

“Unlike 2008, when the average price for regular gas jumped above $4 a gallon, today’s improving job market and strengthening economy are helping consumers cope better than during this recent economic downturn,” wrote Todd Hale, SVP consumer and shopper insights for Nielsen, in a report released Thursday.