Girls miss more school or college days due to periods than any other reason – including colds, mental health or truancy, according to a new report. Periods cause girls to be absent from school or college for three days a term on average, compared with colds and flu (2.6 days), mental health (1.9 days) and truancy (1.2 days), the data released by washroom provider phs Group has revealed. This equates to 54 lost education days over the course of their teen years, the equivalent of 11 academic weeks. The findings form part of phs Group’s Period Equality: Breaking the Cycle report, now in its third year, for which Censuswide polled 1,262 girls aged 13-18 years across the UK. The majority (82%) cited cramps as the main reason for this, while almost one in five (19%) said they stay away from lessons because they’re embarrassed about being on their period, and one in 12 (8%) said it’s because no period products were available to them. This is despite the introduction of period equality measures in recent years, designed to improve access to free period products in education settings. “It’s important to recognise that huge advances have been made in giving girls access to free period products in schools across the UK. What we must do now is close the gap between providing schools with all the products they need and getting them into the hands of any girls that need them, for whatever reason,” said Kelly Greenaway, period equality lead at phs Group. “We know from our own data providing schools with products, that they have more than enough for their girls, so we need to tackle the misconceptions around free access to products in washrooms, and the stigma and shame that goes hand-in-hand with failing to have open conversations about menstruation.” Since the launch of the Government’s Period Product Scheme in January 2020, which provides free period products to education settings in England, via phs Group, 99% of secondary schools and 94% of post-16 organisations have ordered products through the scheme. However, the report published today highlights how periods remain a barrier to education for many girls – with the number of girls missing school due to their periods almost the same for the 2023 findings (54%) as the findings in 2019 (52%), before free sanitary product schemes were introduced. Despite the roll-out of such schemes, over half (52%) of the students surveyed said they did not find period products freely available in their school and college settings, while one in seven (14%) said they did not know if they were available. To help tackle the issue and raise awareness, phs Group is launching a new period equality podcast – called The Blobcast: Free The Period – hosted by menstrual wellbeing and confidence educator Kasey Robinson. Robinson said: “I know too well about the barriers facing so many of us when it comes to our menstrual health. It’s simply not enough to blame absenteeism figures on access to products alone. “On the ground, the story is clear: we aren’t being educated, supported and informed enough about periods. Menstruation is still a taboo subject, and our experience is a secret to keep to ourselves and something we feel forced to hide. In education settings, this is leading to more and more girls staying away from school. “Without workshops, learning resources and the support for and from teachers and caregivers, this issue will stay the same, or get worse,” Robinson added. “It should not be a revolutionary act to teach people about periods, it’s a right. We need to break the cycle of shame and encourage open and honest conversations about periods – exactly what The Blobcast is seeking to do.” The Blobcast: Free The Period launches on all free streaming platforms on October 18. More information can be found at www.phs.co.uk/TheBlobcast.

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ACL injuries have already influenced the Women’s World Cup with the contenders weakened after a number of key players were ruled out in the build-up to the tournament in Australia and New Zealand. Players are asking why the injury has been so prevalent in women’s football, including glaring omissions of Netherlands forward Vivianne Miedema, England's Leah Williamson and Beth Mead, Canada's Janine Beckie and rising USA star Catarina Macario in this tournament. And now the Lionesses will be forced to sweat on the health of Keira Walsh, who suffered a knee injury to be forced off against Denmark. The Barcelona midfielder was taken off on a stretcher, replaced by Laura Coombs, and appeared distraught, covering her face with her hands. "I'm devastated for her to be honest,” said Ellen White on BBC Sport. “She's been one of the best if not the best player for England. She knew it didn't look good. She'll be a big miss. Laura has come in, I'm devastated for her." While Jonas Eidevall added that the dry pitch may have contributed to the injury: “It's a danger to player welfare to have such a dry pitch. It's not good enough. I'm a big advocate of watering the pitches, it makes the ball go faster and stops situations like this.” USWNT midfielder Andi Sullivan, who tore her ACL in college at Stanford, believes it is a “multifaceted issue” hurting the game. “I don’t know if I’m the expert in it, even though I’ve experienced it,” said Sullivan. “There’s so many different factors that could contribute to that and I think we are a little bit behind on the research as to why, so hopefully now the prevalence will kind of wake people up,” Sullivan added. “This is an issue we need to pay attention to and look more into preventing and how to handle it better.” Last year it was estimated that nearly 60 players in the world's top professional women's leagues were sidelined because of anterior cruciate ligament injuries. Among them was Spain's Alexia Putellas, who injured her ACL just before the Euros last July. Putellas, who will play for Spain at the World Cup, partnered with FIFPRO, the international players' union, to call attention to the outbreak of ACL injuries and demand a closer look at possible contributing factors including workload, medical care, field conditions and even equity. Studies have shown women are up to eight times more likely to suffer ACL injuries in sports involving sudden changes of direction, like soccer and basketball, than their male counterparts. Dr. Mark Cullen, the team physician for the University of New Hampshire who specializes in orthopedic surgery, says women have wider hips which impacts knee mechanics. “They also tend to land a little bit more stiff-legged and don’t absorb the forces as well as their male counterparts, and that puts more force on the ACL and contributes to the tears,” Cullen said. Katie Rood, who plays professionally in Scotland, was hoping to make New Zealand's roster and play in soccer's biggest tournament on home soil. But she recently announced that she had joined the “ever-growing ACL club.” “It’s been an interesting process so far and one I’m sure I’ll learn a lot from, especially as it’s a serious issue in the women’s game. What’s hit me quite hard in this situation is just how many times I’ve been asked ‘Is the club looking after you?’” she wrote. “It’s a reminder that health care and medical treatment isn’t often the norm in the women’s game and we all know of players being left to fend for themselves after getting seriously injured with their clubs.” Rood, however, praised her team for their support. Miedema won’t be ready in time to help the Netherlands when it returns to the Women's World Cup after finishing as runner-up to the United States four years ago in France. She is one of four players from Arsenal in the Women’s Super League currently sidelined by ACL injuries. The list includes Williamson, who tore her ACL in April. When Arsenal’s Laura Wienroither tore her ACL earlier this month, Miedema posted on social media: “At least we will all be in the gym together. PS. ACL group is full now. Please no more.” Five of the nominees the 2022 women's Ballon d’Or — Putellas, Miedema, Macario, Mead and France’s Marie-Antoinette Katoto — all sustained ACL injuries last year. Mead, who won the Golden Boot at the Women's Euros last year, was left off England's 23-player roster for the World Cup. “We have to take care of players and do what’s smart, and not do what’s a little bit naive,” England coach Sarina Wiegman said. Having already lost Katoto, France was dealt another ACL blow when Delphine Cascarino tore her ACL while playing for Lyon. Lyon teammate Macario, one of the most promising young U.S. attackers, tore her ACL last June. Macario rehabbed at Aspetar, a specialized sports medicine facility in Qatar, but announced in May that she wouldn't make it back in time for the World Cup. Aside from the mechanics, there's an emotional toll that such long-term injuries take on athletes. For some, it means the loss of a paycheck, for others it may be that their careers stall or are cut short. Others miss out on chances to play in the World Cup. Tierna Davidson, who plays for the Chicago Red Stars in the National Women's Soccer League, tore her ACL last March. She said the injury and the rehab helped her appreciate her career. “At the beginning, I felt like I was impatient and I was frustrated. When is this going to be over?” Davidson said. “But I think throughout the process, I really learned how to be patient and how to listen to myself and allow myself the space to enjoy the good things, which is important when you’re going through something like that.” Read More England vs Denmark LIVE: Women’s World Cup latest score after Lauren James goal and Keira Walsh injury Why are England wearing black armbands today? Who are the BBC World Cup commentators? Alex Scott, Fara Williams and full list of pundits Laura Coombs: England’s unlikely midfield general in profile Women’s World Cup groups: A comprehensive guide to each squad Women’s World Cup TV schedule: How to watch every match today

By John Kruzel WASHINGTON The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday declined to revive a Florida law signed by

The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board has defended the newspaper’s decision to publish a defensive column from US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who dismissed allegations of wrongdoing detailed in an investigative news outlet before it had even published its story. The conservative justice – who authored the court’s landmark opinion overturning Roe v Wade one year ago – failed to disclose private jet travel and a luxury fishing trip with a hedge fund billionaire who would later repeatedly ask the nation’s highest court to intervene on his behalf, according to ProPublica’s findings published on 21 June. ProPublica, which has published several investigative pieces outlining alleged ethical lapses among members of the court, had yet to publish its report before The Wall Street Journal ran his column with the blunt and accusatory headline “ProPublica Misleads Its Readers”. Later that day, the editorial board defended its decision to run his defensive piece. “The political assault on the Supreme Court continues, and the latest Justice in the grinder is Samuel Alito,” the board wrote. “As usual, this is a non-scandal built on partisan spin intended to harm the Justice and the current Court majority.” The Wall Street Journal did not return The Independent’s request for comment or explain how it commissioned Mr Alito’s column and how the newspaper made a decision to publish a response to ProPublica before anyone read its reporting. “Justice Alito clearly wanted his defense to receive public disclosure in full, not edited piecemeal. We saw ProPublica’s list of 18 questions and had a good idea of where the reporters were going. The story proved us right,” the editorial board wrote. “It is also hilarious to be denounced for betraying the media brotherhood for the offense of scooping the competition,” the board added, appearing to dismiss criticism that the newspaper provided a venue for a powerful figure before allegations against him were publicised at length as merely a resentful media story. “This is the same crowd that would prefer if we didn’t exist,” the board added. “Their pearl-clutching reveals the degree of media conformity when it comes to approved progressive political targets like Justice Alito.” The board stated that it is defending the Supreme Court “because someone has to,” alleging that the investigations are not about sincere ethics questions but are instead about “the left’s fury at having lost control of the Court” and instead to “destroy” it. ProPublica’s founding editor-in-chief Paul E Steiger served as the managing editor of the Wall Street Journal from 1991 to 2007. Stephen Engelberg, ProPublica’s current editor-in-chief, told The New York Times that Mr Alito’s column “declared without anyone having read the article and without asking for our comment.” “We’re curious to know whether The Journal fact-checked the essay before publication,” he added. Read More Justice Alito tries to get ahead of damning report about billionaire gifts with defensive Wall Street Journal op-ed Wall Street Journal under fire for Justice Alito op-ed: ‘This has simply broken my brain’ Deb Haaland and Tribal leaders welcome Supreme Court decision upholding Indian Child Welfare Act Supreme Court rules Alabama discriminated against Black voters in major victory for voting rights

Exercises such as “wall sits” could be the best form of activity to help people reduce blood pressure, a new study suggests. Other physical activity including cardio, resistance training and HIIT workouts are also good for bringing down resting blood pressure levels, researchers found. But isometric exercises – those that involve engaging muscles without movement, such as wall sits and planks – provide the best results, they said. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, saw researchers conduct analysis on previous studies looking at exercise and blood pressure. Some 270 studies were included in the final analysis which contained data on almost 16,000 people. They examined the impact different exercises had on systolic blood pressure, which notes the force at which the heart pumps blood around the body; and diastolic blood pressure, the resistance to the blood flow in the blood vessels between heartbeats when blood is pumped around the heart. The researchers, led by academics at Canterbury Christ Church University in Kent, found that there were significant reductions in resting blood pressure following cardio (aerobic exercise); dynamic resistance training, such as squats, press-ups and weights; high intensity interval training (HIIT); and combined training and HIIT. But the largest reductions were seen after isometric exercise training. A secondary analysis on specific types of exercises found the most benefit was seen among those who performed “isometric wall squats” and among runners. The academics said that current exercise recommendations for the prevention and treatment of high blood pressure are based on “older data” and suggest that it may be time to review the current guidelines. “Aerobic exercise training, dynamic resistance training, combined training, high-intensity interval training and isometric exercise training are all significantly effective in reducing resting systolic and diastolic blood pressure,” they wrote. “Overall, isometric exercise training is the most effective mode in reducing both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. “These findings provide a comprehensive data driven framework to support the development of new exercise guideline recommendations for the prevention and treatment of arterial hypertension.” For the average adult high blood pressure is considered to be from 140/90mmHg. When a person’s blood pressure is too high it puts extra strain on blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes. Persistent high blood pressure can lead to a number of serious health problems including heart attacks, strokes and vascular dementia. While there are medications which can help, people can make a number of life-style changes to help bring their blood pressure down including regular exercise, losing weight, cutting back on caffeine, alcohol and salt. Read More Dating app screenshot culture is out of control Husband fired from family business after wife roleplayed with reborn dolls The bowel cancer symptom George Alagiah wished he’d caught earlier Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

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