Key Takeaways: When food consumers are properly incentivized, they will choose healthier options. When financial incentives are removed, consumers are more likely to choose less healthy options by comparison. A new study of food consumer shopping behaviors has found that when faced with a choice – lower prices or healthier foods – they will likely...
Health
New Book Sheds Light on Adult Mortality in India
A new book titled, Adult Mortality in India: Trends, Socioeconomic Disparities, and Consequences, provides an in-depth analysis of adult mortality patterns in the country and addresses crucial issues related to public health and policy. Authored by Moradhvaj Dhakad, a researcher in the IIASA Population and Just Societies Program, and IIASA alumna Nandita Saikia (currently a...
Facebook Fitness and Insta-Vitamins: How Social Media Shapes Women’s Health
A new study led by researchers from the University of Sydney has found young women’s engagement with social media plays a major role in shaping how they think – and act – in relation to their health. The research, published in the peer reviewed journal Health Marketing Quarterly, studied 30 women aged between 18 and 35...
Impacts of YouTube on Loneliness and Mental Health
Frequent users of YouTube have higher levels of loneliness, anxiety, and depression according to researchers from the Australian Institute for Suicide Research and Prevention (AISRAP). Dr. Luke Balcombe and Emeritus Professor Diego De Leo from Griffith University’s School of Applied Psychology and AISRAP sought to understand both the positive and negative impacts of the world’s...
Academy Survey Shows Generation Z Adults Are Unfamiliar with Sunburn and Tanning Risks
A recent American Academy of Dermatology survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults revealed that many Generation Z adults, ages 18-25, are unaware of the risks associated with overexposure to the sun and believe tanning myths. In recognition of Skin Cancer Awareness Month this May, the AAD encourages everyone to practice safe sun to protect...
Older Drivers Drinking or Using Drugs Up to Four Times Likelier to Be at Fault During a Car Crash
Substance use among older drivers increases the probability of them being at-fault two to four times during a crash, a new study, analyzing nine years’ worth of US nationwide highway traffic data, shows. Although older drivers are less likely to report using substances, this research found that out of a sample of 87,060 drivers involved...
Fentanyl and the U.S. Opioid Epidemic
Opioid addiction and abuse in the United States has become a prolonged epidemic, endangering public health, economic output, and national security. Summary Since 2000, more than a million people in the United States have died of drug overdoses, the majority of which were due to opioids. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids have been driving the crisis...
Hope Is on the Horizon for a Malaria-Free Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is disproportionally affected by malaria. The region accounts for 95% of the world’s malaria cases. The disease kills an African child every 60 seconds. These figures are alarming. But malaria is preventable and treatable. The progress made between 2000 and 2015 is proof of what can be achieved. Support from global donors helped...
Better Social Drinkers Don’t Earn More
Social drinking after work is traditionally seen as an important way to build relationships in East Asia. There’s sometimes even a fear that missing out could leave you on the back foot when climbing the career ladder. However, a joint paper looking at the drinking habits and economic situation of working men in Japan, Taiwan...
Worldwide, Those with ‘Traditional’ Values Adhered More Strictly to Covid Precautions
Given the battles over COVID-19 rules and recommendations in the United States over the past three years, the findings of a new UCLA-led study may come as a bit of a shock: Globally, those who professed to hold traditional values tended to adhere more closely to coronavirus-prevention measures than those who considered themselves more liberal....