Current Events in May 2022

Audi is recalling 466 model year 2022 A3 Sedans and S3 Sedans.

The child seat anchorage fitting sleeves are incorrectly marked with a different symbol than the one described in the owner's manual.

An incorrectly marked child restraint anchorage may cause confusion during child seat installation. This could result in a child seat being improperly secured, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

What to do

Dealers will replace all four fitting sleeves free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on June 3, 2022.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at (800) 253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 72M7.

COVID-19 ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 82,073,745 (81,976,948)

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 998,109 (998,010)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 518,943,587 (518,145,195)

Total ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 6,256,280 (6,253,856)‌

Employers relaxing vaccination mandates, study finds

After COVID-19 vaccines became available about a year ago, many U.S. employers required employees to get one, sparking controversy at some hospitals and airlines. With new cases of the virus causing less severe symptoms, employers now appear to be relaxing these mandates.

An analysis of April job postings at job site Indeed shows that about 6.7% of U.S. job listings cited vaccination as a requirement. That percentage is down from its March peak of 7.1%.

“I believe the downward trend is indicative of whether employers think advertising required vaccination will help them attract the workers they want,” said AnnElizabeth Konkel, an economist at Indeed who conducted the analysis.

Booster shots lag behind vaccination rate

While around 76% of the U.S. adult population has been fully vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says fewer Americans have gotten one booster shot, much less a second one.

In its latest update, the CDC reported that fewer than half of eligible Americans have gotten a first booster shot. Only about 10 million Americans have gotten a second booster shot.

The CDC is urging Americans to get booster shots, saying they will offer better protection against the emerging subvariants of COVID-19. While the subvariants spread easier, vaccinated and boosted individuals appear to have less severe symptoms.

Insomnia may be a result of ‘long COVID’

The symptoms of COVID-19 are well-known. Patients often experience dry coughs, congestion, fever, and fatigue. Sometimes they lose their sense of smell. 

But patients whose symptoms drag on for weeks – a condition known as long COVID – may also suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia, a study has found.

“Sleep disorders are one of the most common symptoms for patients who’ve had COVID-19,” said Dr. Cinthya Pena Orbea, a Cleveland Clinic sleep medicine specialist “They report insomnia, fatigue, brain fog and sometimes we even see circadian rhythm disorders.”

Around the nation

• Florida: Cases are trending higher in just the last week. An analysis of federal data shows that the state has added 5,299 news cases in just the last seven days. In the previous three weeks, the state averaged about 113 cases per day.

• Nevada: Gov. Steve Sisolak has announced that he will end his COVID-19 state of emergency on May 20 as the state begins to return to normal. In a statement, Sisolak said the emergency order provided flexibility to state agencies in meeting the health crisis.

• Tennessee: A report issued by the Tennessee Department of Health covering the month of April shows that new COVID-19 cases and deaths were prevalent in eight Northeast Tennessee counties. But the totals were much lower than the region reported in January.

• Massachusetts: Health officials report that the test positivity rate in Boston, excluding colleges, is now over 10%. Several schools in the region, including Arlington, Belmont, and Cambridge, are once again urging students and staff to wear masks as cases continue to climb.

• Minnesota: Minnesota is now down to a single high-risk county when it comes to the spread of COVID-19. Pennington County in the state’s northwest corner currently has the only high community-level risk rating in the state.

In emergency situations such as a stroke, time is of the essence. To cut down on emergency response times, AT&T has upgraded its system so that wireless 911 calls are routed to the appropriate call centers more quickly.

The new nationwide enhancement – “Locate Before Route” – will use location-based routing so that AT&T can more accurately identify where a wireless 911 call is coming from. The feature will use a device's GPS and hybrid information to route the call.

Previously, wireless 911 calls were routed based on the location of cell towers. Given a tower’s typical 10-mile coverage, emergency responses were sometimes delayed. According to AT&T, those delays sometimes increased when a call was made within the border areas of a 911 call center where state, county, or city boundaries overlap.

“In today’s environment, over 93% of the US Population have cell phones and rely on these for communications. It is critical that when they dial 9-1-1 the call routing is going into the closest dispatch center. This will be a game changer for wireless 9-1-1 calls," said Kim Zagaris, a retired fire chief and the technology and policy advisor of the Western Fire Chief Association, in a comment sent to ConsumerAffairs. 

"With the new release of AT&T location-based routing, a device can be located and routed within 164 feet of the device location. Taking away the transfer time of the past systems and be quicker response for emergency personal responding saving valuable time.”

The nationwide rollout of AT&T's new feature has already started and is available in 16 states – Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota. The company promises that other regions will be rolled out over the next several weeks, and company officials hope to have the country completely covered by the end of June.

AT&T addresses possible privacy concerns

In an email to ConsumerAffairs, an AT&T spokesperson said mobile customers can feel confident that the new location feature will not cross any privacy lines. 

"The handset location used for Location Based Routing is only used when a caller places a 9-1-1 call," the spokesperson said, adding that a 911 caller’s location is only shared with public safety professionals at the call center and the data is delivered via dedicated links to the center.

The pain for consumers and truck drivers continues at the fuel pump. The average price of both regular gas and diesel fuel hit record highs this week and show no sign of slowing.

According to AAA, the national average price of regular gas is $4.40 a gallon, while the average price of diesel is $5.55 a gallon. One reason for the surge is the high price of oil, which is a result of the shortage caused by the loss of Russian petroleum from the market.

When refiners receive a barrel of oil, they can choose to produce gasoline or diesel fuel. With fewer COVID-19 cases manifesting than in previous months, consumers are driving more and using more gasoline. However, the trucking industry's demand for fuel has never been higher due to supply chain backlogs.

Benjamin Dierker, director of Public Policy at the Alliance for Innovation and Infrastructure, says gasoline and diesel fuel are different markets competing for the same barrel of oil. He said refineries often respond to “market signals” to determine whether to produce more gas or diesel fuel. Lately, the market has signaled a need for more diesel fuel.

“Falling inventory and high demand for distillates in the supply chain and for air travel are spiking diesel costs,” Dierker told ConsumerAffairs. 

‘Kink in the hose’

So with less available oil, refiners have to choose between producing gasoline or diesel fuel. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, says there’s an additional problem: The nation’s oil refineries aren’t producing as much of either fuel.

“Refining is the kink in the hose, and we're down 1 million barrels a day of refining capacity vs early 2019,” he wrote on Twitter.

Fuel prices were already fairly high before Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year, provoking international sanctions. But since the invasion, gasoline prices have risen another 25%.

If consumers can take any consolation, today’s record-high pump prices aren’t really a record when adjusted for inflation. The U.S. Energy Information Administration reports that the 2008 high of $4.11 a gallon is actually $5.30 in today’s money.

Drug overdoses cost the lives of more than 100,000 Americans in 2021, up 15% from 2020 and more than any other year, according to a new report from the National Center for Health Statistics.

The report claims that more than 80,000 people died using opioids (including prescription pain pills and fentanyl). Since the year 2000, prescription pain pills, heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine have killed more than a million people across the U.S.

“2022 will probably be as horrible as 2021 was, quite possibly worse,” Keith Humphreys, an addiction and drug policy researcher at Stanford University, told the Washington Post.

The Post reported that overdose deaths skyrocketed by 30% during the first half of the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2020. The publication cited strained finances, mental health issues, and the housing crisis as reasons for the spike.

Young and rural consumers affected most

Most of the people affected by the drug outbreak are younger Americans and those living in rural areas. A recent study from the Journal of the American Medical Association shows that young Americans lost an estimated 1.2 million years of life from drug overdoses between 2015 and 2019.

“Adult decedents have been the focus of most overdose mortality reports, despite the fact that adolescents (aged 10-19 years) and young people (aged 10-24 years) are increasingly dying of unintentional drug overdose,” the study authors reported.

“This troubling trend requires further study, given that adolescents and young people are deprived of many more years of work, community life, and family life than are older individuals dying of unintentional drug overdose.” 

Humphreys notes that fentanyl has significantly impacted the number of opioid overdoses. He says the drug, which is increasingly laced in counterfeit pills bought online and made in labs, is easier to produce than plant-based drugs. It’s also sometimes mixed with heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamines, which makes it an even greater concern. 

“There may not be much heroin around in 10 years because everything is fentanyl,” Humphreys said. “What do you do in a world where no one needs a farm anymore to make drugs?”

Consumers continued to face higher prices across the board in April. The Labor Department reports that its Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.3% from March to April and is up 8.3% over the last 12 months.

While still high, the April inflation rate was down from March's 1.3% increase and 8.5% annual inflation rate.

Consumers paid more for housing last month, with the cost rising 0.5% from March and gaining 5% over the last 12 months. Food costs were also higher. Gasoline prices actually fell 6.1% from March, but as every motorist knows, they are back up in May.

For consumers on fixed incomes or those who live paycheck-to-paycheck, the surge in the cost of living can create significant challenges. Many personal finance advisers worry that rising prices will push some people to take out payday loans to try to make ends meet.

"Inflation is making it much more expensive to buy everyday items like gas and groceries, and for consumers who already struggle to make ends meet, payday loans may seem like the way to stay afloat,” Annie Millerbernd, NerdWallet’s personal loan expert, told ConsumerAffairs. “But we know that payday lenders build their business on folks who have to borrow again and again because they can’t pay off that first loan.”

To counter the repeat borrowing cycle, 16 of the 26 states that allow payday loans have adopted reforms that require lenders to offer borrowers free extended payment plans. But a recent report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found that many borrowers continue to pay steep roll-over fees even with this protection.

Other options

Before going to a payday lender, Millerbernd says consumers should explore all other options.

“If a friend or family member can loan you some extra cash, that’s a much safer choice,” she said. “You can also try local nonprofits or charities, which may help with essentials like food.”

If you must borrow to make ends meet, Millerbernd suggests considering a loan that can be repaid in installments rather than all at once. Personal loans are usually a better option since they carry lower interest rates and the loans can be paid back in fixed installments over time.

“Buy now, pay later loans may be one way to afford some of those regular expenses without a credit check, just be sure you have a plan to pay it off on time," Millerbernd said.

A new study conducted by researchers from the Endocrine Society explored the effect that stress can have on women’s fertility. The researchers learned that higher exposure to stress made it harder for female mice to get pregnant. 

“We examined the effect of stress on ovarian reserve using a scream sound model in rats,” said researcher Wenyan Xi, Ph.D. “We found that female rats exposed to the scream sound had diminished ovarian reserve and decreased fertility.” 

How stress affects fertility

For the study, the researchers divided up female mice into three groups for three weeks – one group was exposed to white noise, one group was exposed to background noise, and a third group was exposed to a screaming sound. The team analyzed the effect that the different sounds and the stress had on the number and quality of the mice’s eggs, their ability to get pregnant, and their sex hormones. 

The researchers learned that exposure to the screaming sound, which caused a spike in stress levels, had a negative effect on the mice’s fertility. They had higher cortisol levels, which in turn created lower levels of two important reproductive hormones – Anti-Mullerian hormones and estrogen. The former is responsible for the production of reproductive organs, while the latter aids in reproductive development. 

The team hopes these findings emphasize the fertility risks associated with higher stress levels. 

“Based on these findings, we suggest stress may be associated with diminished ovarian reserve,” said Dr. Xi. “It is important to determine an association between chronic stress and ovarian reserve because doing so may expand our appreciation of the limitations of current clinical interventions and provide valuable insight into the cause of diminished ovarian reserve.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from Washington State University explored the long-term health risks associated with food insecurity. According to their findings, young adults who struggled to get enough food were more likely to develop diabetes and obesity within 10 years than those without food security issues. 

“When we look at the data 10 years later, we do see this separation in prevalence of diabetes: those that experienced risk of food insecurity at young adulthood are more likely to have diabetes in middle adulthood,” said researcher Cassandra Nguyen. 

Long-term health risks

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 4,000 people enrolled in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Participants received medical exams at the start of the study to get a baseline assessment of body mass index scores and their risk for diabetes. They also reported on other important factors, such as the risk of food insecurity, social demographics, and overall health and wellness. 

The researchers ultimately identified a link between food insecurity and long-term health risks. Participants between the ages of 24 and 32 who were worried about having enough food at any point within the last year were more likely to develop obesity and diabetes by middle adulthood.

The team didn’t notice any higher or lower risk of disease among different racial or ethnic groups. However, they explained that food insecurity may make consumers more likely to follow unhealthier diets, which increases the risk for higher BMIs and diabetes. 

“Eating according to the dietary guidelines tends to cost more money, and it may cost more time,” Nguyen said. “It’s not always accessible to households that have limitations such as transportation to sources of lower cost, nutritionally dense food.” 

Moving forward, the researchers say consumers need to be educated about the resources available to those struggling with food security, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 

“It’s really important to ensure that individuals who are experiencing food insecurity are able to be identified and that they have resources made available to them to be able to break the cycle,” Nguyen said. 

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) is recalling 21,306 of the following vehicles:

• Model year 2020-2022 GLE450, GLS450,
• Model year 2021-2022 AMG GLE53,
• Model year 2020-2021 GLE580, GLS580,
• Model year 2021 AMG GLE63, Maybach GLS600 &AMG GLS63.

A ground cable bolt for the 48V ground connection under the front passenger seat may not be secured properly. This can cause the electrical cable to overheat. An overheated electrical cable can increase the risk of a fire.

What to do

Dealers will inspect and tighten the ground cable bolt -- as necessary -- free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on June 7, 2022.

Owners may contact MBUSA customer service at (800) 367-6372.

Hyundai Motor America is recalling 54 model year 2019 Nexos.

The inlet receptacle filter could detach following hydrogen refueling and cause a hydrogen fuel leak.

A hydrogen leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.

What to do

Dealers will replace the hydrogen fuel inlet receptacle free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on June 6, 2022.

Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at (855) 371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 224.

Bakkavor USA of Charlotte, N.C., is recalling Whole Foods Market Red Lentil Dal.

The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. No illnesses have been reported to date.

The recalled product, which comes in 12-oz plastic trays, with UPC 1 95515 02394 8 and use by dates of 4/15/2022, 4/17/2022, 4/18/2022, 4/19/2022, 4/22/2022, 4/24/2022, 4/25/2022 & 4/26/2022, was sold in Whole Foods Market stores in 48 states -- Alaska, Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product may bring a valid receipt to a Whole Foods store for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may call (844) 936-8255 from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (CST) Monday through Friday or 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Audi is recalling eight model year 2022 R8 Spyders and model year 2021-2022 R8 Coupes.

The gearbox may have an insufficient amount of transmission oil, which can lead to clutch slippage and -- in certain driving situations -- a transmission oil leak.

What to do

Dealers will inspect and correct the transmission oil level in affected vehicles free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on June 3, 2022.

Owners may contact Audi customer service at (800) 253-2834. Audi's number for this recall is 37O1.

COVID-19 ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 81,979,368 (81,877,929)

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 998,060 (997,539)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 518,154,019 (517,393,760)

Total ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 6,253,879 (6,251,576)‌

White House steps up campaign for boosters

Cases of COVID-19 are rising in the U.S., but it's happening faster in some states than others. The White House says the difference may lie in the percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated and boosted.

Dr. Ashish Jha, the White House pandemic response coordinator, says states with low rates of booster shots may see the worst outbreaks of the easily transmissible subvariants of the virus. He points to upper New York state as a case in point.

Jha said the U.S. has weapons available, such as booster shots, to keep the effects of the virus in check if people would only take advantage of them. While cases of the coronavirus are rising, there has been almost no increase in severe cases.

Prescriptions for Paxlovid have increased tenfold

Prescriptions of Paxlovid have surged since the White House began encouraging doctors to treat COVID-19 patients with the antiviral drug. Experts say that may be what’s keeping severe cases of the virus from rising.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla says prescriptions for Paxlovid increased from 8,000 to 80,000 between late February and April.

Paxlovid is a drug cocktail made up of two drugs. One of them keeps the virus from replicating and the other keeps the first from breaking down in the body too quickly. The drug is approved for COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms who are at risk for hospitalization.

Coach tests positive but the Warriors win anyway

When the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Memphis Grizzlies Monday night in the NBA playoffs, they did so without their head coach. Earlier in the day, Steve Kerr tested positive for the virus and had to sit out the game.

With assistant coach Mike Brown filling in, the Warriors held their own against Memphis, thanks to Steph Curry’s 32 points. The team won 101-98 and took a 3-1 series lead. Game five is tomorrow night in Memphis.

Around the nation

• New York: Gov. Kathy Hochul has announced that she tested positive for COVID-19. “Today I tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I'm vaccinated and boosted, and I'm asymptomatic. I'll be isolating and working remotely this week," Hochul said in a tweet at the beginning of the week.

• California: The city of San Jose has reimposed a mask mandate for municipal workers, joining other California cities that have done so. While cases are on the rise around the state, the San Francisco Bay area is seeing the sharpest increase.

• Michigan: Federal health officials have upgraded the COVID-19 risk in parts of Michigan. Grand Traverse County in Northern Michigan was considered to have a “high” community COVID-19 spread as of the start of this week, and people are being urged to wear masks in indoor public spaces.

• Texas: The Texas Medical Center has announced that it will no longer provide COVID-19 data updates on its dashboard. It says the information is now less relevant. "With advancements in treatment and the successes in vaccination, we are now able to effectively manage the virus in our community,” the center said in a statement.

• Alabama: The COVID-19 lockdowns in China are adversely affecting a hospital in Birmingham. University of Alabama Hospital officials say they are being forced to ration a key medical supply because they can no longer get enough of it from Chinese factories in Shanghai.

After more than a century and a half, Lincoln College in Illinois is no more. Over the course of its history, it was able to stave off the Great Depression, the Spanish flu, and a couple of World Wars, but the wrath of COVID-19 and a cyberattack that hindered access to all of the college’s data proved to be too much for the predominantly Black college.

“Lincoln College has been serving students from across the globe for more than 157 years,” said David Gerlach, president of Lincoln College. “The loss of history, careers, and a community of students and alumni is immense.”

Gerlach said things were looking good up until 2019, with enrollment at Lincoln at an all-time high. But when the coronavirus hit town, recruitment, fundraising, athletics, and campus life was brought to their knees.

Added to the economic burdens brought about by the pandemic that required significant investments in technology and campus safety measures, many students decided to put college on the back burner. That put an even greater crunch on the school’s finances. Supporters of the school tried their hand at a GoFundMe campaign in hopes of raising $20 million, but the effort barely raised $2,000.

Cyberattack delivers knockout punch

The knockout punch for Lincoln came in the form of a cyberattack from Iran in December 2021, one that held the college’s computer systems hostage and made all systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts inoperable.

By the time the school paid the ransom and got everything restored four months later, the recruitment projections showed significant enrollment shortfalls that required a transformational donation or partnership to sustain Lincoln College beyond the current semester.

“The cyberattack was just another kick in the shin,” for the struggling college, Gerlach told Forbes. 

We’re likely to hear about cyberattacks and colleges again. Cybercriminals have come to love targeting colleges and universities because, by and large, they just don’t have the cyber defenses to stave off ransomware attacks. So far this year, North Carolina A&T State University, North Orange County Community College District, the Ohlone Community College District in California, and Midland University in Nebraska have also reported ransomware attacks.

Ransomware attacks like these cost colleges an average of $112,000 in ransom payments. But that ransom payment is just a drop in the bucket compared to the total cost of resolving the attack, which averages about $2.7 million per incident, according to Chester Wisniewski, a principal research scientist at security software and hardware company Sophos.

“The average cost to an organization in the private sector was $1.8 million U.S. dollars after a ransom attack,” Wisniewski told Forbes. “So it was almost a million dollars higher cost for educational institutions to recover versus a normal private sector organization.”

If you like to shop, the idea of becoming a “secret shopper” for a retail chain may sound enticing, especially if you can earn big bucks for doing so. 

But be careful – these jobs rarely pay very much. If you are offered hundreds of dollars or a lot of free merchandise, then it's likely that your secret shopper offer is coming from a scammer.

This scam was widespread a decade or so ago, and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) recently reported that it appears to be making a comeback and targeting a new generation of potential victims.

To be clear – being a secret shopper is a legitimate job. However, there are very real differences between those types of jobs and the “too good to be true” offers that come from scam operators.

Red flags to watch for

According to the BBB, the new version of the secret shopper scam has a few different wrinkles. The offer usually comes in the form of an email, text, or social media message to become a secret shopper. Amazingly, the “company” offering you the position, which picked you at random, doesn’t even require an interview. That’s red flag number one.

If you agree, the scammer sends you a rather large check, asks you to buy a few things, then requests for you to send them the change. That’s red flag number two.

It’s a common scammer’s trick because the check is fake and will bounce a few days after you deposit it in your account. In the meantime, the victim has spent their own money on buying the requested items and sent their own money in the form of the change to the scammer.

“I saw a job posting on LinkedIn for a secret shopper position,” one victim told the BBB’s Scam Tracker. “I applied and shortly afterward received a check in the mail. The check was for $2,470 and the business wanted me to go to local stores, purchase gift cards with $2,000, and keep the rest as pay. I was supposed to scratch off the security covers and send pictures.” 

That’s red flag number three. Whenever an alleged business wants you to send them money in the form of gift cards, it’s a scam. The reason is simple. Gift cards can’t be traced and the money can't be retrieved once it has been spent. According to the BBB, no legitimate business will ask to be paid that way.

How to do it safely

If you would like to be a secret shopper, there are safe ways to go about it. The Mystery Shopper Professionals Association (MSPA) maintains a database of legitimate companies seeking mystery shoppers. Its role is to secretly monitor the customer service and performance of franchise locations.

Mystery shoppers should also research the secret shopper companies before applying. Before applying to a secret shopper job, make sure the company exists, has working contact information, and has good reviews and feedback from previous employees. 

One simple way to check out a potential mystery shopper employer is to search the company online, followed by the word “scam.”

Finally, be wary of jobs that offer hundreds of dollars or free expensive merchandise. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

When Americans rented a truck from Penske to move, cities in the Sunbelt were their most popular destination over the last 12 months. The company says the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 were busy.

In fact, the company’s annual moving report found that early 2022 is even busier. Penske describes truck rentals for do-it-yourself moves as “robust.”

When compared to 2020, 20% more Americans moved in 2021. New remote work opportunities enabled an estimated 14 million to 23 million Americans to relocate, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Houston was the top moving destination in 2021, and other Texas cities were not far behind. Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio were other popular new cities that truck renters called home. And despite the appeal of mild winters in the Sunbelt, even Chicago got in on the moving action.

The top 10 moving destinations

Here’s Penske’s list of the top moving destinations in 2021:

1. Houston, Tex.

2. Las Vegas, Nev. 

3. Phoenix, Ariz. 

4. Charlotte, N.C.

5. Denver, Colo. 

6. San Antonio, Tex.

7. Dallas, Tex. 

8. Orlando, Fla. 

9. Austin, Tex. 

10. Chicago, Ill.

Popularity equals rising housing costs

Not surprisingly, cities near the top of the list have seen the biggest increase in home prices. The Houston Association of Realtors recently reported that people who bought a home in Houston needed to increase their incomes by nearly 27% in order to qualify for a median-priced house.

That same report showed that the current median-priced home in Houston is $330,800, and only 47% of households make enough money to afford a single-family home. That’s down by almost 10% from the same time in 2021.

If people who are priced out of the housing market must rent instead, Xiaodi Li, an economist at Moody's Analytics, says that will make rent costs more expensive.

“However, we should also consider the macro environment and whether a recession will hit the U.S. economy," Li told ConsumerAffairs. “We expect rents, especially those in high-cost areas, might be negatively affected alongside home sale prices.”

Home prices in Phoenix, number three on Penske’s list, are growing faster than any city in America. According to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Prices Indicies, the median home price in the Arizona city has risen 33% over the last 12 months and is up 57% over the last two years.

A new study conducted by researchers from Rutgers University explored how parents’ financial concerns may impact their infants’ sleep. According to their findings, babies may be more likely to have poor sleep when their parents struggle to afford diapers. 

“Sleep promotes brain development and solidifies learning and memory,” said researcher Sallie Porter. “Children with compromised sleep are more at risk for childhood obesity and emotional and behavioral problems.” 

Poor sleep can yield long-term effects

For the study, the researchers surveyed nearly 130 parents of children under the age of three. They answered questions about their financial hardship, diaper needs, and their infants’ sleeping habits. This included information on their perception of their children’s sleeping habits, general sleeping problems, how long it typically takes their babies to fall asleep, how often their babies wake up in the middle of the night, and any struggles they experience with sleep and their bedtime routine. 

Ultimately, one-third of the participants were short on diapers each month, while more than 75% said they were short on diapers at least once per year. Nearly 90% of the parents also said they were food insecure. 

This lack of diapers was found to be linked with poorer overall sleep outcomes. When parents struggled to provide diapers, they reported that their infants slept less, woke up more throughout the night, and had generally poorer sleep on a regular basis. 

This financial burden also affected how parents viewed their infants’ sleep. The more that parents struggled to provide diapers, the poorer their perception was of their kids’ sleeping habits. 

The researchers explained that a lack of sleep affects infants’ health and development long-term, and struggling to afford diapers can negatively affect parents’ mental health. The team hopes pediatricians work with families in need of diapers and help direct them toward resources that can help them. 

“Approximately one-third of U.S. mothers report difficulty affording diapers, and prevalence during the COVID-19 pandemic is likely much higher,” said Porter. “Diaper need is associated with an increased incidence of irritated skin and urinary tract infections. It is also related to increased maternal mental health symptoms.” 

A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Bath explored the effect that social media can have on mental health. The team found that consumers are likely to see improvements in their mental health and well-being when they take a step back from these platforms.

“Scrolling social media is so ubiquitous that many of us do it almost without thinking from the moment we wake up to when we close our eyes at night,” said researcher Dr. Jeff Lambert. “We know that social media usage is huge and that there are increasing concerns about its mental health effects, so with this study, we wanted to see whether simply asking people to take a week’s break could yield mental health benefits. 

“Many of our participants reported positive effects from being off social media with improved mood and less anxiety overall. This suggests that even a small break can have an impact.” 

Cutting back social media use can have mental health benefits

The researchers had 154 people between the ages of 18 and 72 who reported using social media every day participate in the study. For one week, the participants were divided into two groups: one group continued their social media use as usual, and the second group was asked to stop using all social media platforms. At the end of the week, the participants reported on their mental health and well-being. 

The researchers learned that participants who took a one-week break from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok experienced improved mental health and wellness. When the study began, the participants reported using these apps for an average of eight hours per week. After analyzing phone stats on screen time and usage at the end of the study, the group that remained on social media spent an average of seven hours on social media apps. The group that was asked to pause their scrolling reportedly spent 21 minutes on social media. 

The study showed that cutting back on the time spent on social media was linked with improvements in anxiety, depression, and well-being. Compared to assessments taken at the start of the study, there was a significant difference in mental health symptoms for those who stayed off of social media for one week. 

The goal now for the team is to build on these findings to better understand how social media breaks can affect mental health long term. For now, they recommend that consumers experiment with spending less time on social media if they are worried about their mental well-being.

“Of course, social media is a part of life and for many people, it’s an indispensable part of who they are and how they interact with others,” Dr. Lambert said. “But if you are spending hours each week scrolling and you feel it is negatively impacting you, it could be worth cutting down on your usage to see if it helps.”