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JAMA study findings call for more targeted interventions in LMICS for malnutrition and infections for children under age 2, as well as for pregnant women

Newborn baby sleeps on the forearm of a man

An original investigation of 77 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) published in JAMA Network found that 82% of under 5 child deaths occurred before age 2, with over half occurring in the neonatal period. Authors include faculty member S (Subu) V Subramanian, visiting scientist Rockli Kim, and their colleagues Omar Karlsson and Andreas Hasman. The study also spotlights diarrhea and pneumonia as two significant causes for child death over 2…

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Multiple episodes of depressive symptoms over time linked to higher risk of stroke

Graph from journal publication

This study published in the journal Stroke aims to build upon (and refine) existing evidence linking depression to higher risk of stroke by assessing the relationship between depressive symptoms and stroke risk over time, “given the remitting-relapsing nature of depressive symptoms.” Authors include HCPDS Director Lisa Berkman, and faculty members Ichiro Kawachi and Laura Kubzansky.

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Truesdale speaks with CNN and NPR about realities and challenges of aging and working longer

Head shot of Beth Truesdale

Beth Truesdale (visiting scientist and former Sloan Fellow on Aging and Work at the Harvard Pop Center) explains in this piece on CNN why working longer, although associated with health benefits for some, may not always be possible or healthy for others. Truesdale is co-editor (along with Lisa Berkman) of the forthcoming book “Overtime: America’s Aging Workforce and the Future of Working Longer.” She also speaks with NPR in this…

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Study led by graduate student affiliate Hayami Koga focus of Harvard Gazette piece on optimism and longevity

The Harvard Gazette Optimism and Longevity piece

Our graduate student affiliate, Hayami Koga, is lead author of a study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (faculty member Laura Kubzansky is also an author) that builds upon prior research on women and longevity by expanding across diverse racial and ethnic groups.  

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International Money Fund: Are the tradeoffs fair and acceptable when it comes to population health?

Photo of International Monetary Fund lettering on side of building

A study published in World Development by three researchers affiliated with the Harvard Pop Center (former Bell Fellow Adel Daoud, faculty member S V Subramanian, and the 2017 recipient of the Sissela Bok Ethics and Population Research Prize Anders Herlitz, reviews already existing policy-evaluation studies, finding that International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies “on balance show that IMF policies, in their pursuit of macroeconomic improvement, frequently produce adverse effects on children’s…

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Reframing “environmental harms” to include more than just pollutants and toxins to effectively address reproductive health inequities

Head shot of Brittney Francis

Harvard Bell Fellow Brittney Butler, PhD, has co-authored a review in the journal Current Obstetrics and Gynecology Reports that examines the literature from the last five years focused on “the built and social environment factors and maternal pregnancy complications among racially marginalized women.” Their findings point to a scant number of existing studies—after excluding the ones that focused on environmental toxins—and they make the case for why an environmental justice framework is…

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The Harvard Gazette reports: “Women mostly stayed in workforce as pandemic unfolded, defying forecasts”

Claudia Goldin standing in front of Abstract Art

Harvard Pop Center faculty member Claudia Goldin, PhD, has authored a working paper titled “Understanding the Economic Impact of COVID-19 on Women” that reveals that the stresses experienced by certain women (depending on education, occupation, and race) during the pandemic had more to do with the fact that they stayed employed while also educating their children and/or taking care of their aging parents as opposed to losing their jobs. Learn…

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A cross-national look at the health impacts of perceived healthcare discrimination in the rapidly aging populations of the U.S. and Brazil

Bell Fellows Angela Dixon and Leslie Adams

As populations continue to grow and live longer, their reliance on healthcare systems to help them prevent and treat the illnesses and disabilities associated with aging will also continue to grow. In order to support healthy aging within a society, it is imperative that barriers to healthcare access are minimized. Perceived healthcare discrimination is one such barrier that is worthy of deeper exploration, and now recent Harvard Bell Fellows Angela…

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Honing in on small geographic areas within districts in India yields large differences

Indian mother holding baby

Estimating health indicators, such as birth weight and size, is typically calculated at the district level in India, a practice that fails to capture the inequalities that may exist between smaller geographic areas, such as villages. A team of researchers affiliated with the India Policy Insights project have published a study that takes a novel look at low birth weight (LBW) and low birth size (LBS) across these smaller geographical…

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Better than average… study applies complex variance modelling to more accurately assess treatment effects of the Head Start program

Road sign that says "average"

When assessing the effectiveness of a large-scale, federally funded program such as Head Start—a program designed to better prepare children ages 3-5 from low-income families for school—it is limited to only look at the Average Treatment Effect given the “considerable systematic heterogeneity within population between individuals.” This study applies complex variance modelling, an extension of multilevel modelling, to capture the variance, as well as the mean, in order to shed…

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