The University of Minnesota has awarded School of Public Health (SPH) Professor Dianne Neumark-Sztainer one of its highest faculty honors: a McKnight Presidential Endowed Professorship.
Epidemiology and Community Health
Switching to a plant-centered diet linked to reduced diabetes risk for young adults as they age
PhD student Yuni Choi found that study participants with the greatest increase in plant-centered diet quality scores had a 48% lower risk of Type 2 diabetes compared to those who did not alter their diet.
Nguyen creates distance public health course for people in prison
Associate Professor Ruby Nguyen created an introductory public health class for the Minnesota state prison system that will teach incarcerated residents how to understand the issues of today, and possibly, open the door to a future career in the field.
Evaluating changes in food insecurity, stress, and weight-related behaviors among mothers during pandemic
The findings of the study by PhD students Jessica Friedman and Junia N. de Brito will help clinicians and policymakers improve their understanding of how the pandemic is affecting the health of mothers and connect women and their families with community resources and support.
Gum disease raises the risk of developing dementia
Associate Professor Ryan Demmer studied a large group of people with varying levels of gum disease and found 19% of them developed dementia.
Children eat healthier school meals following Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act
The study by recent graduate Aaron Berger (PhD ’20) found that kids ate a regular amount of the improved meals, which sets them up for healthier lives.
Measuring SARS-CoV-2 infection among a sample of symptom-free Twin Cities health care workers
The results of the study led by Associate Professor Ryan Demmer suggest that the prevalence of active infection at any single point in time is potentially low among health care workers without symptoms.
Discovering the genetic source of diabetes
Professors Baolin Wu and Jim Pankow are leading a new study to identify the segments of human genetic code associated with the onset of diabetes.
Food insecurity raised risk for disordered eating in low-income adolescents
The study led by PhD student Laura Hooper surveyed a group of diverse, low socioeconomic status adolescents and found that 39% experienced household food insecurity and 43% reported disordered eating.
Surveying social interactions during the pandemic
Professor Shalini Kulasingam is leading a survey of Minnesotans to learn about their daily social contact patterns during the outbreak. The data from the study will be incorporated into one of the models used by the State to plan its response to the pandemic.
Excess sugar linked to dangerous heart and abdominal fat
The study led by PhD student So Yun Yi found that sugar intake over a 20-year period was related to the existence of fat volumes around the heart and abdomen later in life.
Family deaths may keep Black and Native American young adults from graduating college
Research by PhD student Naomi Thyden shows that young adults who were college-aged when a sibling or parent died were about half as likely to graduate from college.
