Staff
Mental health as a public health issue
Research explores rural hospital administrators’ beliefs on offering obstetric care
The study led by Professor Katy Backes Kozhimannil found that administrators of U.S. rural hospitals providing obstetric care reported needing at least 200 annual births for safety and financial viability.
U of M researchers find that losartan is not effective in reducing COVID-19 lung injuries
The University research team — which included Division of Biostatistics researchers Joseph Koopmeiners, Thomas Murray, and Helen Voelker — found that the blood pressure medication did not protect the lungs of patients admitted with COVID-19, and had no effect on mortality.
New research examines the association between structural racism in labor markets and infant birth weight
Postdoctoral fellow Bert Chantarat and Associate Professor Rachel Hardeman found that, for U.S.-born Black pregnant people, living in racist labor markets was associated with low newborn birth weight specifically in the southern regions of the United States.
Culturally-centered care increases feelings of respect, autonomy for birthing people of color
Associate Professor Rachel Hardeman and predoctoral trainee J’Mag Karbeah found that alternative care models centering the birthing person’s culture and community may improve their experiences and health during pregnancy.
Limited social media engagement may have caused older adults to miss out on resources and support early in the pandemic
The study led by researcher Jude Mikal showed older adults are not participating in the most popular groups and pages or staying on social media sites long enough to see the most important pandemic information shared.
People use Facebook as an emergency communication system during pandemic
Researcher Jude Mikal found that in the first weeks of the pandemic Facebook users shared helpful details, spread misinformation, and even created a call-out culture to police social distancing behavior.
Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating are prevalent among U.S. young people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds
Researcher Nicole Larson says the findings reveal a need to increase the reach and relevance of efforts to prevent body dissatisfaction and disordered eating to ensure they benefit young people across groups.
Switching to plant-centered diet reduces risk of cardiovascular disease for young and middle adults
The study, led by postdoctoral researcher Yuni Choi and Professor David Jacobs, showed that people who most frequently ate nutritionally-rich plant foods, and fewer nutritionally-poor plant foods and unhealthy animal products had a 52% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
Using diet pills and laxatives for weight control linked to future diagnosis of an eating disorder
The results of the study by incoming postdoctoral fellow Vivienne Hazzard and Professor Dianne Neumark-Sztainer suggest the use of these products is an early marker of an eating disorder or that they actually serve as risk factors for the illness.
School of Public Health awarded $10 million to lead Midwest hazardous waste training consortium
Professor Peter Raynor heads the Midwest Consortium for Hazardous Waste Worker Training, which provides 37 different courses to train workers and community residents who may be exposed to hazardous substances in nine states.
