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This study investigated whether changes in neighborhood context induced by neighborhood relocation mediated the impact of the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) housing voucher experiment on adolescent mental health. Mediators included participant-reported neighborhood safety, social control, disorder, and externally-collected neighborhood collective efficacy. For treatment group members, improvement in neighborhood disorder and drug activity partially explained MTO's beneficial effects on girls' distress. Improvement in neighborhood disorder, violent victimization, and informal social control helped counteract MTO's adverse effects on boys' behavioral problems, but not distress. Housing mobility policy targeting neighborhood improvements may improve mental health for adolescent girls, and mitigate harmful effects for boys.

Background Recent years have seen increased interest in the role of neighborhood factors in chronic diseases such as cancers. Less is known about the role of neighborhood factors beyond individual demographics such as age or education. It is particularly important to examine neighborhood effects on health among African American men and women, considering the disproportionate impact of cancer on this group. This study evaluated the unique contribution of neighborhood characteristics (e.g., racial/ethnic diversity, income) beyond individual demographics, to cancer control behaviors in African American men and women. Methods Individual-level data were drawn from a national survey (N = 2,222). Participants’ home addresses were geocoded and merged with neighborhood data from the American Community Survey. Multi-level regressions examined the unique contribution of neighborhood characteristics beyond individual demographics, to a variety of cancer risk, prevention, and screening behaviors. Results Neighborhood racial/ethnic diversity, median income, and percentage of home ownership made modest significant contributions beyond individual factors, in particular to smoking status where these factors were associated with lower likelihood of smoking (ps < .05). Men living in neighborhoods with older residents, and greater income and home ownership were significantly more likely to report prostate specific antigen testing (ps < .05). Regional analyses suggested different neighborhood factors were associated with smoking status depending on the region. Conclusion Findings provide a more nuanced understanding of the interplay of social determinants of health and neighborhood social environment among African American men and women, with implications for cancer control interventions to eliminate cancer disparities.

Raymond P. Guiteras and Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak // Keywords: General Equilibrium Effects of Interventions, Political Economy, Sanitation. JEL Codes: O43, Q56, P16; 2016-001

The Effect of Advanced Placement Science on Students' Skills, Confidence, and Stress

Companies challenge the new contract worker law by cutting down their working hours

The Long-Term Health Impacts of Medicaid and CHIP

Introduction:  Increased psychosocial stress and obesity are both associated with elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, the effect of change in cumulative psychosocial stressors (stressors) on change in body mass index (BMI) over time is unknown, particularly among older women, a population in whom weight change characterization is complex. Methods and Results:  We examined change in stressors in relation to change in BMI among 20,750 women without CVD or cancer at baseline (2012-13) participating in the Women’s Health Study (WHS) follow-up cohort. Stressors and BMI were collected at two time points 2012-13 (Baseline: T1; mean age=71.8 ± 5.8 years) and 2014-15 (Follow-up: T2; mean age=73.8 ± 5.8 years). Our measures of stressors were comprised of a composite of 8 domains, including acute (e.g. negative life events) and chronic (e.g., financial) stressors. We defined stressors over 3 years of follow-up into four categories: chronically low, delayed, acutely high, and chronically high; and BMI change was grouped into three categories (BMI: loss >3%, gain >3%, and maintenance ± 3%). Women with chronically high stress and delayed stress were younger, current smokers and reported more anxiety/depressive symptoms compared to other women. Women with chronically high stress were more likely to have diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia than their counterparts. Compared to women who maintained both their BMI and had low stress over time, women with delayed stress or chronically high stress had higher odds of decreased BMI [Delayed: Odds Ratio (OR)  1.16,  95% Confidence Interval (CI):  1.03-1.30 ; Chronically High:  OR=1.12, 95% CI 1.01-1.24 ] ( Table 1 ). Conclusion:  Chronically high and delayed cumulative stress were associated with higher odds of weight loss in older women over 3 years. Future studies are needed to test associations between stressors and metabolic, hormonal and autonomic factors resulting in adiposity or musculoskeletal changes.

Julia Steinberg will use an NICHD K01 grant to investigate the impact of depression throughout the reproductive cycle

Walsemann research identifies integrated early childhood education as factor for improved cognitive function for Black individuals

Long-term Dynamics of Health, Well-Being, and Population Change after a Disaster