Overweight low-income mothers of young kids ate fewer fast-food meals and high-fat snacks after participating in a study – not because researchers told them what not to eat, but because the lifestyle intervention being evaluated helped lower the moms’ stress, research suggests.
Tag: Poverty
What we don’t understand about poverty in America
What if the idealized image of American society — a land of opportunity that will reward hard work with economic success — is completely wrong?“Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty,” a new book from Mark Rank, a leading academic expert on poverty, explores this concept.It is the first book to systematically address and confront many of the most widespread myths pertaining to poverty.
Romney’s plan to alleviate childhood poverty would save tax dollars in the future, says one of the country’s foremost experts on poverty
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has proposed providing at least $3,000 per child to millions of American families. The move could actually provide enormous future savings for the country, says one of the country’s foremost experts on poverty.
County by county, study shows social inequality’s role in COVID-19’s toll
Counties that score worst on measures of poverty, economic inequality, housing, food access, family structure, transportation, insurance and disability had far more cases and deaths from coronavirus in the first months of the pandemic.
Increase in Head Start funding ‘a national priority’
Increased funding for Head Start – the largest federally funded, early childhood development program in the United States – is needed to support families during the COVID-19 recession and to ensure a more stable economic recovery.
Air pollution spikes linked to lower test scores for Salt Lake County third graders
More frequent exposure to air pollution spikes were associated with reduced test scores for third graders in Salt Lake County. Schools with a higher proportion of students of color and from households experiencing poverty were exposed to more peak pollution days than were schools serving middle- to upper- class and predominately white students.
Exploring health risks of poverty, racial discrimination
Growing up in poverty and experiencing racial discrimination can affect physical health, and researchers at the University of Georgia have been awarded a $10 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to explore how.
Latest poverty statistics: U-M experts can discuss
University of Michigan experts are available to discuss the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 report on poverty and income statistics, to be released Sept. 15.
Study Shows Socioeconomic Status Linked to Heart Failure Mortality in United States
A variety of treatments exist to address heart disease, yet it continues to carry a poor prognosis. A new study from University Hospitals showed that a person’s address can help predict their chance of mortality from heart disease.
New Study Finds Racial Disparities in COVID-19-related Deaths Exist Beyond Income Differences in 10 Large U.S. Cities
New analyses by a team of researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine examine the interplay between race/ethnicity and income on COVID-19 cases and related deaths in 10 major U.S. cities. The researchers found that non-white counties had higher cumulative incidences and deaths compared to predominantly white counties—and this was true for both low-income and high-income communities.
Medicaid expansion meant better health for the most vulnerable low-income adults, study finds
The most vulnerable residents of Michigan say their health improved significantly after they enrolled in the state’s expanded Medicaid program, a new study finds. Those with extremely low incomes or multiple chronic health problems, and those who are Black, got the biggest health boosts. But participants of all backgrounds reported improvements.
New poverty measure confirms coronavirus-driven federal stimulus measures were effective
Notre Dame research finds that the poverty rate fell by 2.3 percentage points from 10.9 percent in the months leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic (January and February) to 8.6 percent in the two most recent months (April and May).
Cash Me Outside: Transfers to the Poor Linked to Eco-Benefits
In a new study, researchers recently discovered that Indonesia’s national anti-poverty program reduced deforestation by about 30%.
$5.7 million to fight global hunger awarded by Mississippi State-based Fish Innovation Lab
The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Fish at Mississippi State University is awarding $5.7 million in grants to develop innovative approaches for helping solve hunger affecting more than 800 million people worldwide.
What are smallholder farms?
Smallholder farms supply majority of world’s food supply but still face poverty.
Surviving the coronavirus while black: Pandemic’s heavy toll on African American mental health
ANN ARBOR—Black communities in the United States have been disproportionately affected by the number of coronavirus cases and deaths. At the same time, white nationalist activities have increased in the last months.Riana Elyse AndersonRiana Anderson, assistant professor at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health, discusses how these trends are affecting the mental health of African Americans.
Inspiring stories from women like themselves helped these moms improve their diet
When researchers asked overweight low-income moms who should be in study videos promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors, moms said they wanted to see themselves. The researchers obliged. And the intervention they designed produced the desired results when it came to improving participants’ diet.
FAU Nurses Provide PPE for Homeless, Low Income Individuals During Pandemic
A team of FAU nurses is addressing the dire needs of a low income neighborhood in West Palm Beach by spearheading programs to provide lifesaving PPE such as face masks for those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. People living in poverty as well as homeless individuals and those struggling with social determinants of health are at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and dying from it.
Exploring the link between education and climate change
What are the most effective ways to achieve desired sustainable development outcomes? A new study brings together several different connections between education and climate change and evaluates them together.
Researchers map areas of major Texas cities where residents are most likely to need hospitalization, ICU care for COVID-19
Areas within Texas’ major metropolitan cities where residents are at the greatest risk for hospitalization and critical care due to COVID-19 have been mapped for the first time by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth).
Faculty Q&A: H. Luke Shaefer on how the coronavirus outbreak highlights inequities in health care, employment systems
FACULTY Q&ALuke ShaeferAs the coronavirus continues to spread, University of Michigan poverty scholar H. Luke Shaefer discusses how the pandemic will impact hourly workers and families with low incomes. Shaefer, faculty director of Poverty Solutions U-M, is a professor of social work and public policy.What are the implications of the coronavirus pandemic for low-income families?As there are more and more closures, those who don’t have paid time off and only get paid when they clock in are going to run into the most financial trouble.
Coronavirus K-12 closures impact safety, stability for vulnerable NYC students
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the first NYC public school closures on Thursday, adding to the over 1,000 K-12 schools across the country that are closing or moving to online education to help control the spread of…
Low-income older adults dually enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid have substantially higher mortality rates than adults solely enrolled in Medicare
In a new study published today in JAMA, a team of researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) evaluated how health outcomes for low-income older adults who are dually enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid have changed since the early 2000s.
Learning Empathy as a Care Giver Takes More Than Experience
Research among nursing students shows that past experience living in poverty or volunteering in impoverished communities, does not sufficiently build empathy towards patients who experience poverty.
U.S. Detention of Child Migrants
Record-breaking numbers of unaccompanied children have been arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border, leading the Trump administration to expand child detention policies and sparking debate over how to handle the flow of asylum seekers.
More Youth Suicide Found in Poor Communities Across U.S.
A study led by Jennifer Hoffmann, MD, from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, found that higher county-level poverty is associated with increased youth suicide rates among children 5-19 years old in the United States in 2007-2016. Children and adolescents from counties where 20 percent or more of the population lives below the federal poverty level were 37 percent more likely to die by suicide, compared to communities with the lowest poverty concentration. Youth suicide by firearms was 87 percent more likely in areas with the highest poverty levels. Findings were published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Launch of Think Global Health
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) introduces Think Global Health, a multi-contributor website that examines how changes in health are reshaping economies, societies, and the everyday lives of people around the world.
Gun Violence, Bullying and Poverty Again Named as Top Three Social Concerns for Youth by Chicago Parents
Consistent with last year, Chicago parents again selected gun violence, bullying/cyberbullying and poverty as the top three social problems for children and adolescents in the city, according to the latest survey results released by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH). Hunger was new to this year’s top 10 list of social issues facing youth, with 62 percent of parents across all community areas in Chicago considering it a big problem.
Dads in prison can bring poverty, instability for families on the outside
A new University of Washington study finds that families with a father in prison tend to live in neighborhoods with higher poverty.
How much energy do we really need?
Two fundamental goals of humanity are to eradicate poverty and reduce climate change, and it is critical that the world knows whether achieving these goals will involve trade-offs.
Embargoed Access AJPH January 2020 Issue
Diaper banks,fentanyl-associated overdoses, eating disorders, and more in January 2020’s Issue of AJPH
STATEMENT OF APA PRESIDENT MARKING WORLD POVERTY DAY
Following is the statement of Rosie Phillips Davis, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association, marking World Poverty Day:
“World Poverty Day represents an opportunity for us to examine our biases, move beyond our individual selves and identify the systemic, underlying mechanisms driving income insecurity. Psychological science can help address the structural barriers and cognitive processes that perpetuate poverty and generate solutions.”
UCI-led team to study socioeconomic effects of coastal flooding in California
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine are leading a new project with three other UC campuses to study the impact of coastal flooding on disadvantaged communities in California. Launched with funding from the National Science Foundation’s Coastlines & People initiative, the effort will employ advanced simulation systems to deepen understanding of increasing flood risks within the state’s two most imperiled areas: Greater Los Angeles and the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
Ethnically Diverse Mothers, Children Living in Poverty at Risk for Sleep Problems
Researchers said strategies to reduce stress, electronic device and increased daily exercise may improve mothers’ sleep, while providing them with information about healthy sleep requirements, such as regular and early structured bedtimes, may improve sleep for their children.
Expanding Medicaid means chronic health problems get found & health improves, study finds
Nearly one in three low-income people who enrolled in Michigan’s expanded Medicaid program discovered they had a chronic illness that had never been diagnosed before, according to a new study.
And whether it was a newly found condition or one they’d known about before, half of Medicaid expansion enrollees with chronic conditions said their overall health improved after one year of coverage or more.
American Psychological Association’s 127th Annual Convention Aug. 8 – 11, 2019, Chicago
Hundreds of Presentations to Address Opioid Epidemic, Deep Poverty, Suicide, Gun Violence and Climate Change The American Psychological Association’s 127th annual convention will take place Aug. 8-11, 2019, at the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago. The opening session will…