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Welcome to the April issue of HSPH
Update, an e-letter for friends of the
Harvard School of Public Health.
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Four preventable risk factors reduce life expectancy, lead to disparities
 Smoking, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and
being overweight or obese reduce life expectancy in the U.S. by nearly five years in men and a little more than four years in women, according to a study led by HSPH researchers Goodarz Danaei and Majid Ezzati. read the full paper
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Next steps for health care reform
 Now that health care reform has passed, what is the media's role in
covering its implementation? Read about a recent panel discussion featuring HSPH's Robert Blendon.
Associate Prof. Atul Gawande writes in the April 5 issue of The New Yorker that health care reform has a
tough road ahead, as Medicare did in the 1960s.
Health economist Meredith Rosenthal talks about some of the law's challenges, one thing she would
change about the law, and what lessons might be learned from health care
reform in Massachusetts. watch video
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Use a different fat, lower heart disease risk
Dariush Mozaffarian, assistant professor in the department of epidemiology,
led a new study that provides the first conclusive evidence from
randomized clinical trials that people who replace saturated fat in
their diet with polyunsaturated fat reduce their risk of coronary heart
disease by 19% compared with people who do not. read the full paper |
Menthol's health risks examined  HSPH's Gregory Connolly serves on the FDA's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, which
recently requested information from tobacco companies about how they market menthol cigarettes. HSPH alumni Jonathan M. Samet, SM'77, and Mark Clanton, MPH'90, also serve on the panel. read moreEarly
next year, the panel plans to
issue a report to the FDA on the health risks of the products. The
agency will decide whether they should be banned. read more |
Childhood cancer survivors may face shortened lifespanAlthough more children today are surviving cancer than ever before,
young patients successfully treated in the 1970s and 80s may live a
decade less, on average, than the general population, according to a
study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and HSPH. read more |
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A time of promise and possibility
 Among this
year's newly-admitted prospective students may be a future Secretary of Health
and Human Services, a social entrepreneur who will eradicate malaria, or a
brilliant scientist who will link an environmental factor to a chronic disease
such as diabetes or asthma. Your gift to the HSPH Annual Fund will allow promising future leaders to attend HSPH regardless of their financial circumstances. Make a gift to the HSPH Annual Fund today.
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On the web
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HSPH Bookshelf
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In the new book Savor, spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh and HSPH nutritionist Lilian Cheung combine timeless Buddhist wisdom
with nutrition science to motivate people to eat healthier. |
Walk for your heart
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According to a
study by HSPH doctoral student Jacob Sattelmair, women who said they walked briskly had a 37 percent lower risk of stroke
than those who didn't walk. Women who reported walking at least two
hours a week at any pace had a 30 percent lower risk. read more |
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