WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- Compression stockings are used incorrectly in 29 percent of patients and sized incorrectly in 26 percent of patients, according to U.S. researchers.

They said their findings highlight the importance of nurse and patient education about correct use of the stockings, which help prevent the formation of deep vein clots that can cause pulmonary complications and death.

The study included 119 women and 23 men recovering in a hospital after surgery. Thirty-seven patients had thigh-length stockings, and 105 had knee-length stockings.

Problems with use and size of stockings were more common with thigh-length stockings and in overweight patients. Thigh-length stockings were more likely be uncomfortable than knee-length stockings. Twenty percent of patients didn't understand the stockings' purpose, and this lack of understanding may be a factor in patients wearing them incorrectly, the researchers said.

The findings were published in the September issue of the American Journal of Nursing.

Compression stockings are meant to promote blood flow and reduce the risk of venous thrombosis, a blood clot that forms in the vein. Many studies have shown that compression stockings, used alone or in combination with other external compression devices or medications, significantly reduce the rate of deep vein thrombosis following surgery.

"Problems with the use of sizing of graduated compression stockings are common throughout the country, and this study is one of the first to systematically analyze the problems and recommend ways to improve practice," study lead author Elizabeth H. Winslow, a research consultant at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, said in a journal news release.

"Based on the study findings, we recommend that knee-length stockings be the standard length used and that the education of nurses and patients about the proper use of stockings be improved," she said.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about deep vein thrombosis.

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 20 (HealthDay News) -- If you're a minor or already drunk, many vendors in American sports stadiums will still gladly sell you a beer or other alcoholic beverage.

That's the finding from a new study that suggests stadiums aren't doing enough to keep booze away from those who shouldn't drink.

People who clearly appeared underage were able to buy alcohol 18 percent of the time at 16 professional sport stadiums in five states, and actors who seemed to be drunk were able to make purchases nearly three-fourths of the time.

"Professional sports stadiums are another place where there's a great likelihood of illegal alcohol sales," said study author Traci Toomey, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. "We know that we have problems with fans drinking too much and contributing to problems in and around stadiums. We need to make sure we prevent these illegal sales from occurring."

The study authors launched the study in the wake of previous research into illegal alcohol sales and media reports about alcohol-related incidents at stadiums.

The researchers recruited two men and five men who were older than 21 but were judged by a panel to appear between 18 and 20. The study authors also hired four actors -- two women, two men -- to act as if they were drunk.

From September 2005 to November 2006, the study participants visited stadiums in five states and tried to buy alcohol. Selling alcohol to minors is illegal, and it's against the law in some places to sell alcohol to people who are already intoxicated.

The study authors don't identify the stadiums, mainly to prevent word spreading on where it's easiest to illegally buy alcohol. However, they said the stadiums housed professional hockey, basketball, baseball and football teams.

The findings appear in the November issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.

Vendors who worked in the stands were almost three times more likely to sell booze to the participants as vendors in concession booths, the team found.

"I would imagine these vendors are under quite a bit of pressure, trying to not block the views of others, trying to pay attention," Toomey said of alcohol sellers who work in the stands. "They don't have the time or proximity [to buyers] to make observations necessary to avoid making an illegal sale."

The study authors suggested that stadiums consider banning the sale of alcohol in the stands. Some stadiums have already done so, according to the researchers.

Henry Wechsler, a longtime researcher at Harvard School of Public Health who studies alcohol use, agreed that stadiums should reconsider selling alcohol in the stands.

"You just have to attend a sports event to see that some fans drink too much and spoil the event for others through loud, disruptive and drunken behavior," he said. "Limiting serving to the booths could make drinkers walk and stand on line between drinks, cutting down the number they consume."

More information

Find out more on problem drinking at the U.S. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

MONDAY, Aug. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Whether it's frizzy or flyaway, nearly everyone puts up with an unruly head of hair from time to time. Now scientists have trained their microscopes on hair to find out why it misbehaves -- and how to tame it.

In a new study, said to be the first of its kind, German researchers say they've gotten extreme-close-up views of how hair fibers interact. Their insights could lead to products that banish bad hair days for good, they say.

"At the moment, it is not known why hair feels good," explained study co-author Eva Max, a doctoral student in chemistry at the University of Bayreuth in Germany. That, in turn, makes it difficult to scientifically study hair care products, which make up a $60 billion industry worldwide.

In the new study, Max and colleagues explored the workings of hair with an atomic-force microscope and samples of Caucasian female hair. The study authors were scheduled to present their findings Aug. 17 at the American Chemical Society's national meeting, in Philadelphia.

According to the team, damage to hair causes scaly projections to protrude from hair fibers. These projections create friction with other fibers and make hair feel rough to the touch and hard to comb.

The researchers also found that electrical charges build up on hair, causing friction.

The next step is to figure out what happens to the hair when it's exposed to hair-care products such as shampoo and conditioner.

"There are several changes that take place at the same time when hair is exposed to hair care products, and it will help greatly to understand which of those changes is crucial for optimizing hair care," Max said. "If, for example, it would turn out that there is an optimum friction between single hairs for pleasant (touch), the molecular composition of hair-care products can be optimized to achieve this friction."

Steven Shiel, who studies hair at Proctor & Gamble, said the German research could help shed more light on how hair fibers interact and lead to better hair care products. "Those invisible-to-the-eye changes have a great impact on how the ingredients in the products affect the hair," he said.

Hair styling products have become more sophisticated in recent years, and this has much to do with science, said Shiel, an associate director with P&G Beauty.

"A lot of this is based on this fundamental understanding of hair's underlying structure and properties," he said. "Fundamentally understanding the hair structure is really important in terms of developing products that really deliver."

More information

Learn about hair loss and disease from the National Institutes of Health.

FRIDAY, Aug. 15 (HealthDay News) -- Can't save money? Spending too much? Both? Don't blame just the economy or old habits.

Psychologists and marketing experts have found that the time frame of your savings goals, plus your sense of well-being and your spending style, could all play a role in your personal cash flow situation.

"Some people think, 'We have no incentive, that's why we don't save,' " said Leona Tam, an assistant professor of marketing at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., who was expected to present her study findings at the American Psychological Association's annual meeting, Aug. 14-17, in Boston.

But Tam has found that the ability to save money has more to do with whether people focus on short-term goals -- planning to save money next month -- rather than long-term goals -- planning to save next year. Those who focus on short-term goals do better, she said.

Tam asked 678 adults to estimate how much they could save in the next month, and then how much they could save in a specific month in the future, or the next year. The participants always saved closer to the estimate -- or even more -- for their next-month goal, and fell short for a specific month in the future.

"Savings are significantly lower for people who estimate higher for a future time frame," she said. "They think they can actually save more in the future," compared to the very near future. "That could explain why most of us don't save enough."

The solution? Set short-term savings goals, Tam said, to close the gap between estimated and actual savings.

A second study scheduled for presentation at the meeting found that your consumer "type" and your sense of well-being affect your spending habits.

In past research, study author Miriam Tatzel, a professor of psychology at Empire State College, State University of New York, found four consumer "types," based on attitudes about money and how materialistic people are. Her new study involved 329 adult college students, on average 38 years old.

"Value Seekers" are materialistic but tight with money, while "Big Spenders" are materialistic and loose with money. "Non-Spenders" are tight with money but not materialistic, while "Experiencers" are loose with money and not materialistic, she wrote.

Tatzel then gathered information about well-being to gauge which types of spenders are happiest. The least happy are Big Spenders, who often have credit-card debt. The happiest are the Experiencers, she said.

The discovery that Experiencers are happiest doesn't surprise Tatzel. "Studies in the literature show that when people reflect on how they spend money, money spent on experiences tends to leave a stronger feeling of being happy than money spent on objects," she said. Spending on travel, workshops or education, for instance, gives a happier feeling than spending on a car for these people.

And a third study found that impulse buying results in either feelings of guilt or shame, and guilt is more productive.

Sunghwan Yi, a professor at the University of Guleph in Ontario, Canada, asked 222 college students how they felt after buying something on impulse. Those who felt guilty used healthy coping techniques, such as making a plan to reduce impulse buying. Those who felt shame used avoidance responses, such as denial, the study found.

More information

For more on how finances can affect your mental well-being, visit the American Psychological Association  .