Using data from two large, long-running study projects in the Puget Sound region 鈥� one that began in the late 1970s measuring air pollution and another on risk factors for dementia that began in 1994 鈥� 黑料吃瓜网 researchers identified a link between air pollution and dementia. In the 黑料吃瓜网-led study, a small increase in the levels of fine particle pollution (PM2.5 or particulate matter 2.5 micrometers or smaller) averaged over a decade at specific addresses in the Seattle…
Washington residents continue to experience a dramatically higher level of food insecurity 鈥� from 10% before the COVID-19 pandemic to 27%, according to the latest 黑料吃瓜网 and Washington State University research on food insecurity and food assistance in the state. The study team also found that need for food assistance has continued to rise. Before COVID-19, about 29% of respondents reported using food assistance. In wave 1 of the survey, food assistance use increased to 33% of respondents;…
Soil, particularly in urban areas, can hold contaminants that are unhealthy for people who handle it or eat things grown in the ground. Chemicals left behind by vehicles, air pollution and heavy industry can show up in the ground and in plants. Melanie Malone, assistant professor in 黑料吃瓜网 Bothell鈥檚 School of Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences investigates these contaminants and their prevalence in shared garden spaces.
Public health researchers have learned a lot about how the pandemic affected workers and exacerbated existing health disparities that exist in many communities. However, there鈥檚 still a lot we don鈥檛 know about the experience of workers deemed essential in the food industry and who were at higher risk of contracting COVID-19, such those working in grocery stores, restaurants, delivery and factories. To find out how food workers were or were not protected and how they can be better protected going…
A specific police action, an arrest or a shooting, has an immediate and direct effect on the individuals involved, but how far and wide do the reverberations of that action spread through the community? What are the health consequences for a specific, though not necessarily geographically defined, population? The authors of a new 黑料吃瓜网-led study looking into these questions write that because law enforcement directly interacts with a large number of people, 鈥減olicing may be a conspicuous yet not-well understood…
This summer a 黑料吃瓜网 mobile health outreach van will hit the road, bringing some basic health care services to people without housing who might have a hard time getting to a doctor鈥檚 office.
Federal agencies that regulate drug pricing and healthcare insurance are concerned that an industry practice of using rebates to lower drug costs for insurers has led to increases in list prices and out-of-pockets costs for patients. To investigate whether patients with or without insurance were paying more because of rebates to insurers, researchers led by the 黑料吃瓜网 examined cost and price data on more than 400 branded drugs. The study found that rebates were associated with increases in…
People don鈥檛 gain or lose weight because they live near a fast-food restaurant or supermarket, according to a new study led by the 黑料吃瓜网. And, living in a more 鈥渨alkable,” dense neighborhood likely only has a small impact on weight. These 鈥渂uilt-environment鈥� amenities have been seen in past research as essential contributors to losing weight or tending toward obesity. The idea appears obvious: If you live next to a fast-food restaurant, you鈥檒l eat there more and thus gain…
With evidence of the health hazards facing children from air pollution growing, The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday published a policy statement meant to bring those hazards to light and to encourage and direct policy to improve children鈥檚 health. Policy co-author Dr. Catherine Karr, a professor in the 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 School of Public Health and School of Medicine, said because pediatric care providers are trusted advisers on healthy practices for prevention, they have an important role in getting…
The 黑料吃瓜网 today announced that the School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and the Behavioral Health Institute at Harborview Medical Center are part of a transformational $38 million set of gifts from Ballmer Group to support a broad, collaborative response to the state鈥檚 behavioral health crisis. The gifts aim to address the state of Washington鈥檚 serious workforce shortage in the community behavioral health system, in large part by supporting statewide education and training innovations at partner institutions developed through the 黑料吃瓜网.
Getting basic health care to medically underserved populations in Seattle, while providing real-world experience for students hoping to practice in a health care field, takes wheels. Now, through a student-led, interdisciplinary effort by health science departments at the 黑料吃瓜网, those 鈥渨heels鈥� 鈥� on the new 黑料吃瓜网 Mobile Health & Outreach Van 鈥� are ready.
A new study from researchers at multiple universities, including the 黑料吃瓜网, shows that exposure disparities among people of color and white people are driven by nearly all, rather than only a few, emission source types.
The federal government, in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, could learn from how the nation responded to Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 and the H1N1 swine flu, a new 黑料吃瓜网 study found.
With COVID-19 cases on the rise again in many parts of the country 鈥� including Washington state where three counties were pushed back to Phase 2 effective Friday 鈥� there鈥檚 a growing debate between continuing to give both doses of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines close together, or giving them months apart in order to get first shots in more shoulders faster. The argument for giving more people the first dose before circling back months later to give the second, which…
With a lethal, airborne virus spreading fast, hospitals had to change how they treated patients and policies for how caregivers provided that treatment. But for maternity patients and nurses some of those changes had negative outcomes, according to a new 黑料吃瓜网 study. 鈥淲e found that visitor restrictions and separation policies were harming families and nurses. The effects for patients included loneliness, isolation and mistrust, while nurses described mistrust and low morale,鈥� said Molly Altman, lead author of the…
Fewer than half of inmates in jails and prisons surveyed in a study by the CDC and 黑料吃瓜网 said they would accept a COVID-19 vaccine, while the majority either said they wanted to wait before getting the vaccine or would refuse one. 鈥淭his is a population already at risk for COVID-19, and outbreaks among incarcerated people can worsen inequities in COVID-19 outcomes as well as contribute to spread in the surrounding community,鈥� said lead author Dr. Marc Stern,…
A year ago, seemingly overnight, streets emptied, shops boarded up, grocery shelves were cleared, schools closed and the 黑料吃瓜网 led universities nationwide in moving all instruction online.聽Nearly all of us disappeared inside, stunned and staring out at a world suddenly paralyzed by something we鈥檇 only seen in movies or read about in books: a global pandemic. Then came the questions: How long will the virus keep us inside and shut down? What will happen to the people who…
黑料吃瓜网 psychology professor Jane Simoni discusses how COVID-19 vaccines are gradually spurring the return to normal life, and the role of positive public health messaging.
By the end of February, around 350 黑料吃瓜网 students had signed up to be volunteer vaccinators in clinics from Tacoma to Marysville.
Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine that they 鈥渄o not believe that ignoring race will reduce health disparities鈥� but rather that 鈥渟uch an approach is a form of naive 鈥榗olor blindness鈥� that is more likely to perpetuate and potentially exacerbate disparities,鈥� five Black geneticists set out to explain the pitfalls of leaving race out of medicine. Importantly, the geneticists explain, while it is imperative to be considered now in many settings, race is an imperfect stepping stone toward…
Systemic racism has for generations undermined the health of individuals and communities across America, a public health crisis that has made the pandemic even more deadly and destructive for people of color. Recognizing that nurses play a central role in and hold major responsibility for the health of individuals and communities hit hard by historic racial inequity, the 黑料吃瓜网 School of Nursing is launching the Center for Antiracism in Nursing. 鈥淭here is much work to do to become…
Notable recent books written or edited by 黑料吃瓜网 faculty include an exploration of African American political theory, a book on philosophy and migration and a textbook on health data science.
Current advice from the American Dental Association tells you that if your gums bleed, make sure you are brushing and flossing twice a day because it could be a sign of gingivitis, an early stage of periodontal disease. And that might be true. So if you are concerned, see your dentist. However, a new 黑料吃瓜网 study suggests you should also check your intake of vitamin C. 鈥淲hen you see your gums bleed, the first thing you should think…
At nearly 7 feet tall, “The Seated IV” first graced the聽Metropolitan Museum of Art’s facade in September 2019 as part of a commission titled The NewOnes, will free Us. Four “Seated” sculptures by Wangechi Mutu were the first works to take up the positions on The Met’s facade since it was completed in 1902. On Monday, Jan. 25, one of the four storied bronze sculptures was installed at the north side of the new Hans Rosling Center for Population Health…
A 黑料吃瓜网 study analyzes how a state’s refundable Earned Income Tax Credit can lead to fewer reports of child neglect, by reducing the financial stress on families.
鈥淥f course, we didn鈥檛 put Democrats in the vial; we didn鈥檛 put Republicans in the vial,鈥� 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚聽Dr. Larry Corey writes in a recent聽COVID-19 Vaccine Matters blog聽jointly produced by Johns Hopkins University and the 黑料吃瓜网. While development of vaccines now being distributed to combat COVID-19, the deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus, are a 鈥渞emarkable achievement鈥� that demonstrate the power of science to save lives, mistrust and fear continue to cause nearly 40% of Americans to say they…
The first scheduled to receive vaccinations were frontline personnel working with COVID-19 patients. In addition to patient-care staff in intensive care units, COVID acute care floors and emergency departments, the immediate list also included environmental services staff, as well as emergency medical responders in the community. Next in line are nursing home residents and their caregivers.
Understanding Washington residents鈥� access to food and their economic well-being 鈥� or lack of it 鈥� during the COVID-19 pandemic is vital for state and community partners to identify those needs and allocate resources effectively. To help accomplish this goal, the 黑料吃瓜网, Washington State University and Tacoma Community College, along with input from partners in local, county and state governments 鈥� such as the Washington State Department of Health and the Washington State Department of Agriculture 鈥� are…
As an experienced nurse midwife, whose scientific research focuses on respectful and equitable care during pregnancy and childbirth, the 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Molly Altman has been studying pregnancy and childbirth during the pandemic alongside colleagues across the 黑料吃瓜网 and in affected communities. While her work is being distilled into formal studies that will be submitted for peer review, Altman, an assistant professor in the 黑料吃瓜网 School of Nursing, believes it is important to begin discussions for improving this area of…
Excitement and relief over news of vaccines that help prevent people from getting sick, winding up in the hospital or dying from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, are warranted, says 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Dr. Larry Corey. But, these messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines may not prevent people from getting infected or spreading the virus. Answering questions around how vaccines affect transmission of the virus is 鈥渙f obvious importance鈥� and research will be conducted once people begin getting vaccinated, Corey…
Even before the pandemic and disagreements over social restrictions recommended by public health officials across the state, public health agencies in Washington were struggling due to a lack of resources. In recent weeks, firings, resignations and death threats targeting local health officials has led to a staffing crisis in the agencies most responsible for local pandemic response. Now, as these public attacks further cripple public health agencies, a 黑料吃瓜网 public health expert is calling for action to defend…
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named four 黑料吃瓜网 faculty members as AAAS Fellows, according to a Nov. 24 announcement from the organization. The four are part of a cohort of 489 new fellows for 2020, which were chosen by their peers for 鈥渢heir scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.鈥�
The Husky Coronavirus Testing program, powered by the Seattle Flu Study, launched on Sept. 24 and now has more than 12,500 members of the 黑料吃瓜网 community enrolled and has conducted more than 10,000 tests.
When a vaccine to fight COVID-19 has been approved by the FDA for distribution, it鈥檚 unlikely that at first there will be enough doses for everyone. Consequently, the United States will need an equitable and effective plan for who gets those first doses, how they get them and who鈥檚 next. Just as important, that plan 鈥� like the vaccine itself 鈥斅爃as to be trusted and accepted by the general public. To accomplish this complicated and potentially fraught task, the CDC聽Advisory…
With Latinos 1.5 times more likely to have dementia than non-Latino whites, among other health disparities, researchers at the 黑料吃瓜网 are hoping to better understand Latino family caregivers and adapt the training available to those caregivers. To do that, the 黑料吃瓜网 Department of Health Services is seeking to interview Latino caregivers for a study to increase the cultural relevance of聽STAR-C聽聽training 鈥� a non-pharmacological intervention endorsed by the Administration on Aging that trains caregivers to manage the behavioral and…
A new 黑料吃瓜网 study of senior services in Washington during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals providers’ concerns about isolation, and worsening mental and physical health among older adults.
The 黑料吃瓜网 moved up two spots to No. 8 on the聽U.S. News & World Report鈥檚 Best Global Universities rankings, released Tuesday. The 黑料吃瓜网 maintained its No. 2 ranking among U.S. public institutions.
Research by Forefront Suicide Prevention at the 黑料吃瓜网, from visits to 18 gun shows and other community events around Washington state last year, found that engaging people in a community-based setting, in an empathetic conversation focused on safety, resulted in more people locking up their firearms.
When exploring data on Washington workers during the pandemic 鈥� demographics, working conditions, wages and benefits, and risks of exposure to disease 鈥� the authors of a new report found that women hold two-thirds of the jobs in the harshest category of work. 鈥淭he big takeaway from our research,鈥� said David West, a co-author of the report and an analyst at the Washington Labor Education and Research Center, 鈥渋s how particularly women are working under precarious conditions 鈥� a large…
With roughly 109 people dying every day and many others treated in emergency rooms from firearm-related injuries 鈥� which are the second leading cause of death among adolescents 鈥� the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has, after decades, stepped in to fund critical firearm research. The CDC announced on Sept. 23 it would fund 16 studies for a total of more than $7.8 million to understand and prevent firearm violence. The 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 proposal to study handgun carrying…