<strong>Food allergies lower among vulnerable Canadians</strong>
A team from Allergy, Genes, and Environment Network (AllerGen), co-spearheaded by UW professor Susan Elliot in the department of geography and environmental management and University of Calgary professor Ann Clarke, published findings that food allergies are less prevalent among new Canadians and Canadians with “low education.”
The study, published in the <em>Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology</em>, surveying over 15,000 individuals from over 5,500 households in Canada, concluded that, while Aboriginal identity and low-income levels do not seem to correlate to a decreased prevalence of food allergies, new Canadians’ self-reporting of allergies tended to increase by two per cent per year spent in Canada.
“These findings support the ‘healthy immigrant effect,’ which states that new Canadians tend to have a low prevalence of chronic conditions, but their health status worsens with time and eventually converges with that of the Canadian-born population,” Clarke was quoted as saying in a UW press release.
The r4easons for the decreased prevalence of self-reported allergies among these populations are currently unknown. Further research will be needed to determine them.
<strong>Apple unveils iPhone 6, Apple Watch</strong>
Apple Inc. revealed the latest in its emporium of products with the unveiling of the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch, “smartwatch,” is the newest product category offered by the tech giant and is a foray into the world of wearable tech.
The new iPhone will come in two sizes, the iPhone 6 offering a 4.7-inch screen while its larger counterpart, the iPhone 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch screen, a significant increase that <em>Associated Press</em> is calling “large enough to neutralize a key advantage Samsung and other Android manufacturers have had.”
The phones will begin shipping with new iOS8 on Sept.19 in Canada. The iPhone 6 will start at $749 off contract for 16 gigabytes of storage and, at the same storage point, the iPhone 6 Plus will start at $859.
The Apple Watch requires the use of an iPhone 5 or above and will be available next year.
Alongside the Apple Watch and the iPhone 6, Apple announced its new mobile payment system, Apple Pay.
The system, which will only be available in the U.S., allows consumers to pay at selected retailers using their iPhones. Credit cards can be added to the Apply Pay service by taking a photo of the credit card and Apple verifying the information. Fingerprint identification will be used to authorize purchases made on the Apple Pay feature. Apple has said that card information will not be stored on its servers, unlike photos on the iCloud.
