The average wait times for patients to see a doctor in an emergency room have risen steadily over the past decade from about 38 minutes to almost an hour, according to new federal statistics released Wednesday.

Officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say that the increase for ER waiting time is due to supply and demand. More and more people are turning to ERs, while the number of emergency departments is shrinking

It is not impossible that U.S. adults could be overweight in the next 40 years if the trends of the previous three decades continue, according to a new government-funded study.

Researchers say that the figures may seem impossible and that the actual rate does not reach the 100 percent mark. However, any upward movement in the rate is disturbing, considering that two in every three Americans are already overweight

A lower rate of insurance reimbursement policies coupled with an increase in the use of anti-depressants has resulted in a significant decline in psychotherapy practiced by psychiatrists in the United States.

According to a report in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, the percentage of patients' visits to psychiatrists for psychotherapy, or talk therapy, fell from 44 percent in 1996-97 to 29 percent in 2004-05

Health inspectors will on Saturday begin issuing citations and fines to New York City fast-food chain restaurants that fail to post calorie counts next to the prices on their menus.

The new rule, allowing a two-month grace period, took effect in May. It marks the first time a U.S. city has launched an anti-obesity campaign. It requires restaurants that have 15 or more nationwide outlets to post calorie information beside their prices

Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama lead the nation in the percentage of obese adults, according to survey results released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The agency's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that self-reported obesity rates in these states were over 30 percent. Mississippi respondents reported the highest rate of obesity, at 32 percent, and Tennessee had the third-highest rate at 30.1 percent. Colorado had the lowest rate of obesity at 18.7 percent