Global increases in sedentary behavior – like sitting or lying down – are worrisome for public health as they may be harbingers of increased mortality and morbidity, such as obesity and high blood pressure. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 25% of adults and more than 80% of adolescents across the world are not physically…
Tag: health disparities
Ph.D. Spotlight: The Disablement Process of Aging United States Veterans.
Being that military service was a normative part of early adult life for today’s older U.S. population, the number of veterans aged 60 and older in 2015 was estimated to be over 9.3 million. Older United States (U.S.) veterans are a population at risk for disability due to their early life experiences with military service…
Do Volunteers Just Have Higher Cognitive Function or Is Volunteering Good For Brain Health?
Volunteers play an important role – they help many of our nations’ non-profits address critical missions and address a variety of unmet needs for under-privileged members of our society. In fact, in 2019, Independent Sector estimated that the average value of volunteer work is worth more than $25/hour, and with an estimated 63 million Americans collectively volunteering…
Ph.D. Spotlight: Weathering the Storm: An Examination of Fetal Loss, Maternal Age, and Norms of Race and Sexuality.
Dr. Latinsky’s dissertation tests if fetal loss can be applied as an extension of prior literature on the weathering hypothesis. To do so, this study extends upon the weathering hypothesis: the observation that black people experience substantially higher levels of stress than their white counterparts in the United States, that this gap only increases as…
Ph.D. Spotlight: Frank Annie on Structural Health Outcomes in the Appalachian Region
Dr. Annie’s dissertation investigates the overall impact of chemical exposure, health care disparities, and current health care issues facing the Appalachian Region of the United States while adding to the research of human disease ecology and essential health care delivery. His dissertation is structured as three-papers and offers a thorough exploration of theoretical frameworks connected…
New Abortion Laws Contribute to Sexist Environments that Harm Everyone’s Health
This piece first appeared in The Conversation. Nine states have passed laws in 2019 alone that restrict abortion at the earliest stages of pregnancy. Those of us who study public health are becoming increasingly concerned about the potential for negative health consequences of these kinds of policies on women. That’s because research has shown that laws limiting reproductive rights and services…