How does perceived life expectancy influence colon cancer screening participation?

Harvard Bell Fellow Lindsay Kobayashi, PhD, is lead author on a study that has found those who expect to live another 10-15 years were significantly more likely to participate in colorectal cancer screening than those who expected to live five years or less. The results of the study also suggest that it may be important to communicate the risk of the screening to those with lower life expectancy, as the benefits of early diagnosis are minimal…

Borrowing marketing tactics of Big Food industry to cultivate healthier habits

In this news piece on WAtoday.com (Western Australia), Harvard Pop Center faculty member Ichiro Kawachi, MD, PhD, shares his views on how the field of public health could perhaps more effectively influence people to develop healthier eating habits by leveraging techniques, such as nudging and framing, successfully used to market junk food.  

Can psychological insights bring relief to U.S. consumer debt burden?

Harvard RWJF Health & Society Scholar Rourke O’Brien, PhD, is author on a paper in Perspectives in Psychological Science that examines psychological barriers to the responsible use of credit and debt, and suggests ways that policymakers could help to remedy the consumer debt issue in the U.S.