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Welcome to the October issue of HSPH
Update, an e-letter for friends of the
Harvard School of Public Health.
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| From the Harvard Public Health Review |
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Public health takes aim at sugar and salt
 In the last few years, evidence has mounted that too much sugar and salt -- often invisibly insinuated into beverages,
processed foods, and restaurant fare -- harms health.
Research at HSPH and elsewhere, for
example, has tied sugary drinks to an epidemic of obesity in the United
States. The average 12-ounce can of soda contains 10 teaspoons of
sugar, and the average teenage boy consumes nearly three cans of sugary
drinks a day. Is it any wonder that about two-thirds of Americans are
now overweight or obese? Read more.
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Asthma and lead poisoning:
helping children in stressful environments live healthier lives
Robert and Rosalind Wright, who are both HSPH faculty members and alumni, are using their combined expertise in
toxicology, genetics, pulmonary medicine, and the effects of physical
and social environments on health to change how medicine is practiced.
Their goals are three-fold. First, they intend to document
scientifically the role stressful environments play in creating medical
problems that range from asthma to lead poisoning. Second, they want to
get physicians talking with patients and their families about how these
stressors cause and exacerbate disease. Finally, they hope to identify
ways to intervene in the lives of children and adults who face the
double burden of being poor and of being exposed to daily emotional
distress -- to help them live healthier lives.
Read more.
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Navigating health on the information superhighway
Complexly designed websites, pop-ups, slow connections, and text
written at grade levels difficult to understand can disenfranchise
people from getting the health information they need, say HSPH researchers.
Read more.
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John Briscoe offers bold, unorthodox ideas for managing scarce water
What do people in developing nations understand about water that people in wealthy nations do not?
"They
understand the absence of it," says John Briscoe, newly appointed
Professor of the Practice of Environmental Health at HSPH.
Read more.
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Students target air pollution from Boston to sub-Saharan Africa
 A pair of HSPH doctoral students look at air pollution in new ways. For one, the goal is to describe unique air pollution challenges
in the developing world. For the other, the aim is to measure more
precisely the effects of air pollution on the heart, to understand how
it causes damage.
Read more.
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Catching the flu before it catches the world
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HSPH investigators help lead H1N1 response. Read more.
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Stimulating ideas
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HSPH researchers tap into a new source of government dollars. Read more. |
Scientific pioneers, inspirational teachers
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Looking for something you can count on?
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Establish a charitable annuity at the Harvard School of Public Health. Harvard pays you a guaranteed income for life backed by the University's assets. In the future, your donation will help support students and research at HSPH aimed at improving the health of millions worldwide. To learn more, contact Ericka Webb, 800-446-1277. |
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