iHeard Weekly Alerts

In parts of the U.S., infections from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are on the rise. About 1 in 5 St. Louisans (20%) say they’ve heard about the increase. RSV infection typically causes mild cold-like symptoms but can be severe among infants and older adults. Among St. Louis adults surveyed, African American community members were more […]

For the last 10 weeks, St. Louis has seen a steady increase in the proportion of adults who have heard that the FDA recommended an updated COVID vaccine for the fall. In last week’s survey, 40% of St. Louis adults had heard about the FDA recommending an updated COVID vaccine. This survey was administered just […]

We asked St. Louis adults what they are hearing about COVID-19. In the last 7 days, nearly two-thirds (65%) have heard that COVID cases are rising. This is a big increase from last week (+42%). In addition, 35% heard there is a new COVID variant, and 37% heard that FDA advisers recommended an update to […]

We asked St. Louis adults if they had heard “COVID cases are rising” in the past week. Almost half (46%) said “yes” and nearly all of them (93%) believed it was true.    When the same respondents were asked about their own COVID precautions such as mask-wearing, hand-washing, avoiding close contact or large gatherings, 11% reported […]

Over half (54%) of adult survey respondents in St. Louis reported knowing someone who has ever experienced post-partum depression (PPD), and 1 in 5 (20%) know someone who’s had PPD in the last year.  Postpartum depression – a condition in which a person feels sad, anxious, and tired after giving birth – has been in […]

Only one week after the FDA approved a new pill for postpartum depression, nearly 30% of St. Louis adults surveyed had heard the news. Increasing community awareness of this treatment is an important part of protecting moms, babies and families in St. Louis. According to the CDC, 1 in 8 women who recently gave birth […]

In last week’s poll, 38% of St. Louis adults surveyed reported hearing about the closure of SSM Level II trauma services at DePaul Hospital in North County. This week, we asked respondents if they would be affected by the change, and separately, if they would be affected the expected closure of South City Hospital.  Almost 1 […]

Within weeks, North County’s DePaul Hospital will be ending its Level II trauma services. That news is spreading in St. Louis: 38% of adults surveyed this week heard about the change in service, up 68% from the prior week. SSM Health announced that on September 10th it will end Level II trauma services at DePaul […]

Elon Musk claimed on Twitter that COVID vaccines may be the cause of basketball player Bronny James’ cardiac arrest. We asked St. Louisans if they had heard in the past week that COVID vaccines are causing increased heart problems among young athletes. Although few had heard it (9%), two-thirds of those (67%) believed it. Multiple […]

We asked St. Louis adults, “If someone you know in St. Louis needs help staying cool or paying utility bills from air conditioning, do you know where to send them?” Only 24% said “yes.” The majority (63%) said “no,” while 13% were “not sure.” Younger St. Louisans (under age 40) were less likely to know […]

For 22 weeks, iHeard panel members have reported hearing about the rising mental health crisis among teens. This week, we asked what they were hearing about the reason for declining teen mental health. Most cited social media use (53%), followed by social and cultural division in the U.S. (12%) and gender and sexual identity (8%). […]

In a poll from June 24-26, St. Louis adults rated gun violence as the biggest health problem in St. Louis. Three weeks later, in a follow-up survey among the same adults, 37% selected “banning semi-automatic weapons and assault rifles” as the most effective way of reducing gun violence in St. Louis, followed by “increasing the […]

The two health stories most heard by St. Louis adults last week both involved beverages. Almost half (45%) of respondents to a weekly survey had heard in the last 7 days that aspartame sweeteners may cause cancer; 28% had heard about new energy drinks under investigation due to possible health risks. White St. Louisans were […]

More St. Louis organizations are expanding access to safe spaces for young people, and at least some in St. Louis are getting the message. In this week’s poll, 43% of African American adults surveyed and 25% of Whites had heard about it. Adults ages 40 and older were more likely to have heard it than […]

Although there was widespread agreement in last week’s survey about the biggest health concerns facing St. Louis, we found some differences by sub-group that are relevant for local community leaders and service providers to consider. Respondents chose from 13 health problems: Gun violence, Mental health, Healthcare access and cost, Drug abuse, Traffic safety, Obesity, Reproductive […]

In the latest iHeard survey, we asked St. Louis adults what they considered the biggest and second biggest health problem facing St. Louis. By a landslide margin, most people named gun violence the area’s biggest health problem.  The order of health problems in our survey was randomized for each respondent. This week’s report is based on […]

It’s been one month since a new recommendation was announced to lower the starting age for mammograms from 50 to 40 years, but awareness of the guideline remains low in St. Louis. Only 19% of St. Louis adults surveyed heard last week about the new recommendation, a 39% decline from when we first asked about […]

St. Louis hospitals are now distributing free gunlocks to help reduce firearm injuries, but only 15% of St. Louis adults surveyed have heard about the initiative. African American community members were more likely to have heard about it than Whites (26% vs 9%). On June 2, 2023, SSM Health joined 8 other hospitals across the […]

Only 8% of a panel of St. Louis adults said they understood Artificial intelligence (AI) “very well,” and asked specifically about AI and healthcare, more had heard about potential negative impacts than benefits (50% vs. 38%). Most respondents said they understood AI only “somewhat well” (61%), or “not well at all” (30%). Males reported greater […]

Nearly half (46%) of St. Louis adults surveyed think that social media’s effect on youth is mostly negative. Only 4% think it is mostly positive, and the rest think it is equally positive and negative (37%) or don’t know (14%). When asked who is most responsible for making social media safer for young people, 45% […]