In this Harvard Magazine Forum piece, Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty member Rohini Pande, PhD, shares her perspective on steps that can be taken, both short and long term, in response to the rash of violence against women in South Asia.
Smokers who received proactive support to help quit smoking had higher quit rate
Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty member David R. Williams, PhD, is co-author on a study published in JAMA that explores the effectiveness of an intervention designed to assist smokers of low socioeconomic status quit smoking by offering them telephone-based motivational counseling, free nicotine replacement therapy, and other services.
Employees with financial incentives more likely to participate in wellness programs
In this The St. Louis American article, Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty member Jason Block, MD, MPH, comments on his new research that shows that a financial incentive can drastically increase employee participation in a health coach program, a wellness initiative that involves one-on-one phone calls with a personal health coach.
Study finds poverty & social isolation put older men at increased risk for higher resting heart rate, a known risk factor for CVD
Visiting Scientist Cathal McCrory, PhD, is lead author on a paper published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series B that examines the impact of poverty and psychosocial factors, such as social connectedness and loneliness, on resting heart rate (RHR) in older adults.
Increases in U.S. diurnal temperature associated with increased mortality, especially in elderly
Harvard RWJF Scholar Colleen Reid, PhD, has co-authored a study published in International Journal of Biometeorology that explores the association between diurnal temperature range (DTR) and mortality in 95 large U.S. communities. While much research has focused on Asia, Reid’s study examines the U.S., and shows a statistically significant association between DTR and mortality, driven mainly by effects of DTR on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality in the elderly.
Exploring PTSD Symptom Clusters and Asthma Attacks Among Hurricane Katrina Survivors
Harvard Pop Center Yerby Fellow Mariana Arcaya, ScD, and affiliated faculty members Mary C. Waters, PhD, and S.V. Subramanian, PhD, have published a study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress that examines the relationship between PTSD symptom clusters and asthma attacks among natural disaster survivors.
Could targeting reading comprehension help to mediate inverse relationship between education and coronary heart disease?
Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty members Ichiro Kawachi, MD, PhD, and Laura Kubzansky, PhD, and former Harvard RWJF Health & Society Scholar Arijit Nandi, PhD, have published a study in Health Education & Behavior that is aimed at improving the understanding of the inverse relationship between education and coronary heart disease by looking more closely at factors such as literacy, depressive symptoms, and perceived constraint.
Using multilevel factor analysis to better understand students and their school environments
Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty member SV Subramanian (Subu), PhD, has co-authored a study published in Prevention Science that introduces the use of Multilevel Factor Analysis (MLFA) as an alternative strategy to understanding the nested relationship of students and their school environments.
Survey developed to measure and improve primary care team dynamics in ambulatory setting
With increasing interest in a team-based approach to delivering patient care in ambulatory settings, Harvard Pop Center affiliated faculty member Alyna Chien, MD has co-authored a study published in Health Services Research that explores the effectiveness of a survey designed to measure primary care team dynamics.
Low-cost, valid tool for researchers to assess nutrition and exercise in after-school programs
Harvard Pop Center faculty members Cassandra Okechukwu, ScD, MSN, and Steven Gortmaker, PhD, are co-authors on a study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity that evaluates a low-cost, practitioner-administered observational tool to assist researchers in validly assessing nutrition, physical activity and screen time in an after-school program setting.