Harvard Pop Center faculty member Nancy Krieger, PhD, follows up on her recently published piece in The Lancet on structural racism and health inequities in this bmj opinion.
What is driving later-life cognitive function of a rural South African population that lived under Apartheid?
Harvard Bell Fellow Lindsay Kobayashi, PhD, is lead author on a paper published in Social Science & Medicine that is one of the few studies that takes a closer look at the life-course drivers (e.g., self-reported childhood health and father’s occupation) of cognitive aging in South Africa. Other authors include researchers associated with the Harvard Pop Center and the HAALSI study.
Is becoming a homeowner after the age of 50 good for mental health?
Research findings indicate yes, although according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, the reasons why a new home is acquired make a difference. Harvard Pop Center faculty member and former fellow Mauricio Avendano, PhD, is an author on the study.
David Cutler in JAMA Forum on what actions policy makers may need to take to address rising medical costs
Harvard Pop Center faculty member David Cutler, PhD, outlines three likely approaches—cutting prices, charging people more, and bundled payments—that policy makers may need to take to tackle the trend in rising medical costs experienced over the last three years in this JAMA Forum.
Medical symptoms of girls in sub-Saharan Africa found to be under reported by parents
Harvard Pop Center faculty member Margaret McConnell, PhD, is co-author on a paper that has found that parents appear to under report the symptoms of girls, which could be linked to their poorer health outcomes. The study is published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
Depression and anxiety levels increase with age and vary by gender in aging South African population
Harvard Bell Fellow Collin Payne, PhD, is author on a paper in Demography that takes a rare look at the mental health status of aging adults in Malawi, South Africa, a low-income setting with a high incidence of HIV. Findings suggest that declining levels of physical health with age may be a key driver of the rise in depression and anxiety.
In South Africa, when HIV testing is not always possible, is self-reported status a viable, reliable alternative?
A team of researchers affiliated with the Harvard Pop Center and the Health and Aging in Africa: A Longitudinal Study of an INDEPTH Community in South Africa (HAALSI)Â has found that the self-reported HIV status of older adults was accurate enough that it could be considered as a routine first step to establish HIV status when testing is not possible. The study was published in JIAS (Journal of the International Aids…
Green fields of promise when it comes to better gender integration across fields of study within U.S. higher ed
Harvard Sloan Fellow Kyle Albert, PhD, is co-author of a study that has found less gender segregation in the newer fields of study within the U.S. higher educational arena, such as in the green fields that have emerged in response to greater environmental awareness.
How does Syrian refugee influx influence voting behavior and election outcomes in Turkey?
A working paper co-authored by by Bell Fellow Onur Altindag, PhD, shows that the massive influx of approximately three million Syrians into Turkey brought about only a modest drop in support for the AKP (the ruling Justice and Development party) and a statistically insignificant impact on election outcomes. The discussion paper is produced by IZA Institute of Labor Economics.
A closer look at minors’ use of U.S. courts to bypass parental consent when seeking an abortion
Harvard Bell Fellow Onur Altindag, PhD, is co-author of a paper published in the American Journal of Public Health that reveals significant demographic differences between minors who seek an abortion through a judicial bypass and those who have parental consent in Arkansas, the only state that provides such data at the individual level. For the first time, the study additionally shows stark aggregate differences in the use of judicial bypass…