In South Africa, $5 food voucher linked to increase in HIV testing rate

A study by former Harvard fellow Mark McGovern, PhD, along with faculty members David Canning, PhD, and Till Bärnighausen, PhD, and colleagues, has found that efforts to scale up HIV testing through home-based testing are supported by offering a $5 dollar (US) food voucher to residents in South Africa.

Rising temperatures may lower your spirits, sense of well-being

Former Harvard Pop Center fellows Clemens Noelke, Mark McGovern, and Daniel Corsi, along with Pop Center Director Lisa Berkman, are among the authors of a study published in Environmental Research that looked at temperature and emotional well-being in a sample of 1.9 million Americans over a six-year period. Temperatures over 70 degrees were associated with reduced positive emotions, and increased negative emotions and fatigue, particularly among less educated and older Americans.

Report warns of high cost of increasing non-communicable diseases in Indonesia

A World Economic Forum report co-authored by Pop Center affiliated faculty member David Bloom, PhD, and PGDA Fellow Mark McGovern, PhD, warn that increasing non-communicable diseases (cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, diabetes and mental health conditions) could cost the emerging country of Indonesia close to 4.5 trillion dollars from 2012-2030. The report was covered by CNBC and this Wall Street Journal blog.

How can you statistically correct for missing data and selection bias in HIV prevalence estimates?

Missing data is a common problem in HIV research due to non-participation in testing, and selection bias can occur if non-participation in testing is associated with HIV status. For example, longitudinal data suggests that individuals who know or suspect that they are HIV positive are less likely to participate in HIV surveys. Four researchers from Harvard Pop Center, including Mark McGovern, PhD, Till Bärnighausen, MD, Joshua Salomon, PhD,  and David Canning,…