Former Pop Center RWJF Scholar Summer Hawkins, PhD, has co-authored a paper indicating that nearly half of nonsmoking pregnant women studied in NYC had elevated cotinine levels despite living in a city with comprehensive tobacco control policies. Study results suggest that “health professionals need to assess sources of SHS exposure during pregnancy and promote smoke-free environments to improve maternal and fetal health.”
Low birth weight not associated with poor health outcomes among young adults in Brazil
Although a growing literature suggests that low birth weight increases the risk of poor health outcomes in adulthood, a new study co-authored by Pop Center faculty members SV Subramanian and Gunther Fink has found evidence to the contrary. Their findings, published in PLoS One, reveal that low birth weight did not result in poor health outcomes among young adults in Brazil. The researchers hope to expand upon on these findings by conducting further studies…
Bullied in fifth grade, poor health in tenth grade?
A new study in Pediatrics, co-authored by faculty member Mark Schuster, examines the longitudinal associations of bullying with mental and physical health from elementary to high school. The study, titled “Peer Victimization in Fifth Grade and Health in Tenth Grade,” revealed that bullying was associated with worse mental and physical health, greater depression symptoms, and lower self-worth over time. These findings suggest that if clinicians recognize bullying when it first starts and intervene accordingly,…
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Small Changes in Household Eating Routines Make a Difference
Associate Professor of Population Medicine at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute/Harvard Medical School and Pop Ctr faculty member Elsie Taveras discusses how small changes in household routines and eating habits can make a difference.
Youth employment in South Africa
Pop Center faculty member Till Bärnighausen and colleagues explore the challenges of youth employment in South Africa in this working paper.Â
The Association of Prenatal Life Stressors with PPD Diagnoses
Harvard Pop Center faculty member, Cindy Liu, looks at the association of prenatal life stressors with post-partum depression diagnoses in this study in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology.
Capturing Sexual Behavior Information in Youth in Ghana
Former Harvard/RWJF Health & Society Scholar, Bart Bingenheimer, and colleagues report on the success of a new survey instrument suitable for capturing sexual behavior information in Ghana and other sub-Saharan areas.
Do Youth Compensate for Increased School-Day Activity?
In their recent study, “School-Day and Overall Physical Activity Among Youth“, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Pop Center faculty members Steven L. Gortmaker and SV Subramanian, find that increasing physical activity during the school day leads to greater physical activity outside the classroom.
Family Meals and Childhood Obesity
Tracy Richmond, Pop Center faculty member, seeks to understand how family meals impact childhood weight control behaviors.
Cultural Orientations, Parental Beliefs and Practices, and Latino Adolescents’ Autonomy and Independence
Study by Mark Schuster, Pop Center faculty member, seeks to learn more about Latino family parent-child interactions during middle adolescence.