Health in Social Context
The establishment on campus of a school of public health emphasizing the social and behavioral sciences provides the opportunity to integrate innovative basic social science approaches pioneered by MPRC scholars with outstanding research on improving health and reducing health disparities situated in a social and environmental context. Examples to date include the application of time use methods to obesity, the application of models of gender and parenthood to health, and the environmental context of physical activity.
Research in this area includes:
- determinants of infant, child, and youth health;
- health and aging; and
- impact of health care systems and social programs.
Some examples of current research in this area can be seen below.
Environmental Systems and Occupational Health Policy Analyses to Interrupt the Impact of Structural Racism
Payne-Sturges leads multi-disciplinary research team
13 million Facebook users weigh in on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, vaccination, and mask wearing
Quynh Nguyen and colleagues use big data from the Facebook-based U.S. COVID-19 Trends and Impact Survey to identify predictors of attitudes and behaviors during the pandemic
Stigma as a deterrent to PrEP usage among Black sexual minority men
Journal article by Typhanye Dyer, Hongjie Liu, and others finds that stigma is associated with lower utilization of PrEP
Can incentivized peer-to-peer health communication promote preventative health behaviors?
A new NBER Working Paper by Jessica Goldberg tests this theory in India and Zambia
Maryland Environmental Justice Map and Screening Tool
Sacoby Wilson leads project to enhance environmental equity monitoring
Confronting Racism in Environmental Health Sciences
Commentary by Devon Payne-Sturges and others presents recommendations for a path toward eliminating racial inequities
Care Coordination for African American and Hispanic Adults with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias
National Institute of Aging R01
Examining and Addressing COVID-19 Racial Disparities in Detroit
Governance Studies at Brookings paper
Using Big Data to measure discrimination impacts on birth outcomes
New National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities grant
Desai co-authors brief on health insurance inequities in India
Many Indians do not take advantage of their insurance coverage
'Accountable Care' hospitals may assist rural Alzheimer's population
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society article examines challenges of rural caregiving
Global Trends of Mask Usage in 19 Million Adults
Faculty Associate Frauke Kreuter and colleagues are using large scale data gathered on Facebook to get a sense of public understanding about mask-wearing
Work mobility during COVID
NSF Rapid Response project will examine job restructuring, policy effects
NSF RAPID Study on the 2020 Coronavirus Social Impacts
Long Doan along with Faculty Associates Liana Sayer, Sociology, and Jessica Fish, Family Science, will examine the social impacts of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic.
Using New Policy Parameter to Study Early Childhood Intervention for Low Birth-weight Infants
Erich Battistin examines a relatively understudied early-childhood intervention for low birth-weight infants using new policy parameter
Reproductive readiness predicts a woman’s non-use of contraception in the postpartum months in U.S.
Michael S. Rendall and Monica L. Caudillo examine reproductive readiness in U.S. Women’s Postpartum Non-Use of Contraception
Advanced School Progression Relative to Age and Early Family Formation in Mexico
Mónica Caudillo Demography article re-examines education outcomes in light of advanced school progression by age
Boudreaux examines men's life expectancy in cities
Demography paper with External Affiliate Andrew Fenelon finds "remarkable increases"
Public Health Researchers Win Data Contract to Study LGBTQ Health Disparities
Access to new dataset opens up research opportunities
Devon Payne-Sturges on air pollution and child health
Absent federal policy, the state of Maryland can implement policies to protect children’s health