Regina A. Shih

Asian American Lives and Livelihoods Don't Just Deserve Our Qualified Support

Racism against Asian Americans is deeply rooted in the history of the United States. Enduring stereotypes about and bias towards Asian Americans, as well as lack of concern about them, have had long-standing harm on Asian American lives and livelihoods. What can the Asian American community and its allies do?

Turning Off Power to Combat Wildfires Could Harm the Very People Who Need Protection

While intentionally shutting off power may be a practical way to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires, is it worth the risks? Until more thoughtful and comprehensive decisions are made, planned power outages need to be planned better.

U.S. Soldiers Denied Sleep Suffer Major Health Effects

More than 60 percent of service members don't get the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep per night. About a third get by on five hours or less. The military, and society at large, needs to recognize the importance of sleep as a crucial link to physical and mental well-being.

Quality Sleep at Sea

The U.S. Navy may be waking up to something sleep experts have known for a long time: that people function best when they follow their natural sleep rhythms.

A Global Focus on Dementia

The Group of 8 industrial nations is convening a special session to seek an international approach to dementia research at a time the disease is being recognized as a 21st century global health crisis of historic proportions.

Weather Forecasts, and Our Trust in Them, Need to Improve

When scientists predict extreme weather that never materializes, lay people tend to wonder what went wrong. This is a natural tendency that is not tied to a failure of the science, but rather to differences in the way scientists and lay people view predictions about extreme events.

Removing Road Blocks to Climate Change Adaptation Planning

Despite increasing interest and investments in climate adaptation science, the implementation of adaptation plans through institutional policies or other actions designed to reduce health vulnerabilities has been slow. Institutionalized assumptions are an important roadblock.

Journal Article

Change in Caregiving to Older Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Differences by Dementia Status

Results demonstrate impact of COVID-19 on 3451 family caregivers of older adults on changes to care activities and support networks. Dementia caregivers lost more social ties and performed more care activities relative to before the pandemic.

Journal Article

Barriers and Facilitators to Home- and Community-Based Services Access for Persons With Dementia and Their Caregivers

Barriers to HCBS access for persons with dementia range from community and infrastructure barriers (e.g., clinicians and cultural differences), to interpersonal and individual-level barriers (e.g., caregivers, awareness, and attitudes).

Commentary

Could Dementia in the National Security Workforce Create a Security Threat?

Individuals who handle classified material could become a security threat if they develop dementia and unwittingly share government secrets. This Perspective proposes a framework to assess this risk and guides further study of this potential threat.

Journal Article

Low Exposure to Home- and Community-Based Services Among U.S. Adults: Cause for Concern?

A lack of knowledge about HCBS is a barrier to access, and exposure to HCBS users is one source of knowledge. There are no contemporary estimates of exposure in the U.S. population. Overall, service exposure was more home- than community-based.

Report

2020 California Neighborhoods Count: Validation of U.S. Census Population Counts and Housing Characteristic Estimates Within California

In response to concerns about the accuracy of decennial census data, researchers conducted the California Neighborhoods Count to evaluate the accuracy of 2020 Census housing unit and population counts for a subset of California census blocks.

Commentary

Transportation Equity for Older Adults

This Perspective reviews and weighs solutions to the equity concerns surrounding older-adult transportation. A framework is presented for communities to explore and assess how well they are serving the transportation needs of older adults.

Journal Article

Loneliness and Multiple Health Domains: Associations Among Emerging Adults

We examine associations of loneliness with physical, behavioral, and health behavior outcomes, and investigate moderating effects by sex, race/ethnicity, and sexual/gender minority status.

Journal Article

Understanding What Works: Measuring and Monitoring Quality in Medi-Cal's Home and Community-Based Services

This issue brief describes challenges and opportunities related to measuring, reporting, and monitoring the quality of HCBS sponsored by Medi-Cal.

Report

New York State 1115 Demonstration Independent Evaluation: Interim Report

This report examines whether two components of New York State's Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver—the Managed Long-Term Care (MLTC) program and the 12-month continuous eligibility policy—have achieved their goals.

Journal Article

Perceived Impacts of a Medicaid Rebalancing Initiative to Increase Home- and Community-Based Services

Stakeholders reported that BIP participation had a range of impacts on the HCBS ecosystem, often beyond the structural reforms. Our findings highlight BIP impacts to monitor over the long term and to consider in evaluations of future rebalancing efforts.

Research Brief

A Unique Shelter for Older Adults Experiencing Abuse Offers Potential Cost Savings and Other Benefits

This brief describes the model of the Weinberg Center (the nation's first elder-specific shelter), examines some client outcomes, and begins to quantify the model's costs and benefits for older adults experiencing abuse or mistreatment.

Report

An Initial Evaluation of the Weinberg Center for Elder Justice's Shelter Model for Elder Abuse and Mistreatment

The authors describe the model of the Weinberg Center (the nation's first elder-specific shelter), examine some client outcomes, and begin to quantify the model's costs and benefits for individuals experiencing elder abuse or mistreatment.

Journal Article

Longitudinal Associations of Sleep Problems with Alcohol and Cannabis Use from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

This study examined longitudinal associations of sleep problems with alcohol and cannabis use across six annual waves of data from adolescence to emerging adulthood.

Journal Article

Trends In Home Care Versus Nursing Home Workforce Sizes: Are States Converging Or Diverging Over Time?

Since 2009, most states have increased the size of their home care workforces and decreased the size of their nursing home workforces, but there is substantial variation across states. More targeted efforts may be needed to ensure that people with disabling conditions can have their needs met in their desired setting across the nation.

Journal Article

The Foreclosure Crisis, Community Change, and the Cognitive Health of Older Adults

Community-level foreclosures are associated with a faster decline in individual cognition at older ages, with implications for the cognitive health of older adults.

Journal Article

Promises and Pitfalls of Health Information Technology for Home and Community-Based Services

Structural reforms required by the Medicaid Balancing Incentive Program gave states an opportunity to modernize their HCBS systems through health information technology. Barriers to technology adoption persist, underscoring the need for continued support in future rebalancing efforts.

Tool

Getting To Outcomes® Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams: Content Area Module for Air Force Sleep Health Promotion

This content area module for Air Force sleep health promotion is a companion volume to the Getting To Outcomes Operations Guide for U.S. Air Force Community Action Teams.

Journal Article

Factors Explaining State Differences in Applying for a Recent Long-Term Care Program That Promotes Aging in Place: Perspectives of Medicaid Administrators

This article examines the reasons underlying states' decisions regarding their applications to the Balancing Incentive Program.

Journal Article

Do Recent Experiences of Sexual Violence and Co-Occurring Depression and Anxiety Symptoms Predict Poorer Functioning One Year Later During the Transition to Young Adulthood?

This study suggests that past year experiences of sexual violence, along with concurrent depression and anxiety symptoms, can affect functioning across a variety of health domains one year later during early young adulthood.

Journal Article

Types of Cannabis and Tobacco/Nicotine Co-Use and Associated Outcomes in Young Adulthood

This study examined different types of co-use as a first step in understanding more detailed patterns of cannabis and tobacco/nicotine use among young adults, an age group that has the highest rates of both cannabis and tobacco/nicotine use, as well as co-use of these products.

Journal Article

Locating Medical and Recreational Cannabis Outlets for Research Purposes: Online Methods and Observational Study

This paper describes the methods that build on previous efforts by providing a detailed methodology that can be replicated in large metropolitan areas that have legalized the sale of cannabis.

Journal Article

Engagement of Providers and Advocates in a Rebalancing Initiative to Increase HCBS Access for Medicaid Beneficiaries

Rebalancing long-term services and supports toward increased home- and community-based services will engage and affect multiple stakeholder groups, including governmental and nongovernmental stakeholders. This study describes stakeholder engagement in a LTSS rebalancing initiative.

Journal Article

Long-term Associations Between Substance Use-Related Media Exposure, Descriptive Norms, and Alcohol Use from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

This study uses advances in longitudinal modeling to extend our understanding of how exposure to substance-related media content, quantity of alcohol use, and perceived descriptive norms about alcohol use are reciprocally related over time.

Journal Article

Rural-Urban Disparities in Access to Home- and Community-Based Services and Supports: Stakeholder Perspectives From 14 States

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study examining the impact of the Medicaid Balancing Incentive Program. The analysis in this paper examines factors associated with rural disparities in access to home and community-based services.

Journal Article

Associations Between Young Adult Marijuana Outcomes and Availability of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries and Storefront Signage

Among young adults in Los Angeles County, living near more MMDs is positively associated with more frequent use of marijuana within the past month and greater expectations of marijuana's positive benefits.

Journal Article

Associations of Longitudinal Sleep Trajectories with Risky Sexual Behavior During Late Adolescence

Insufficient sleep in adolescents may increase risk for sexual risk-taking and may set the stage for accelerated health risk trajectories into adulthood.

Journal Article

Air Pollution-Associated Changes in Biomarkers of Diabetes Risk

The study expands upon existing literature by focusing on a longitudinal population exposed to air pollution concentrations typically experienced in the United States and other countries with lower average air pollution exposure.

Journal Article

Fugitive Chemicals and Environmental Justice: A Model for Environmental Monitoring Following Climate-Related Disasters

Waterfront communities can use this six-step framework to proactively develop an environmental monitoring program to prepare for, recover from, and respond to chemical leaks after weather disasters.

Journal Article

Planting the Seed for Marijuana Use: Changes in Exposure to Medical Marijuana Advertising and Subsequent Adolescent Marijuana Use, Cognitions, and Consequences Over Seven Years

Regulations on medical marijuana (MM) advertising—similar to those for tobacco and alcohol—may mitigate negative consequences of MM on adolescents. 

Journal Article

Development and Maintenance of Standardized Cross Setting Patient Assessment Data for Post-Acute Care: Summary Report of Findings from Alpha 2 Pilot Testing

Results of the Alpha 2 feasibility test, used to help develop standardized assessment-based data elements to meet the requirements of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation(IMPACT) Act of 2014.

Research Brief

Boosting Disaster Resilience Among Older Adults

Older adults are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Collaborations between public health departments and organizations that promote aging in place could improve disaster resilience among older populations.

Tool

Building Older Adults' Resilience by Bridging Public Health and Aging-in-Place Efforts: Toolkit

This toolkit contains information and activities that can bring together those involved in aging-in-place support and those involved in disaster resilience efforts to improve the resilience of older adults to natural and human-caused disasters.

Report

Improving Disaster Resilience Among Older Adults: Insights from Public Health Departments and Aging-in-Place Efforts

This report uses interview data from public health departments and aging-in-place efforts to explore how alignment between these entities can strengthen the disaster resilience of older adults and identify promising programs or new collaborations.

Journal Article

Secular Trends in Dementia and Cognitive Impairment of U.S. Rural and Urban Older Adults

The higher risk of dementia among U.S. rural adults compared with their urban peers highlight the importance of public health planning for more rapidly aging rural communities.

Journal Article

Understanding Rates of Marijuana Use and Consequences Among Adolescents in a Changing Legal Landscape

Evidence suggests some health benefits for medical marijuana; however, initiation of marijuana use during adolescence is a risk factor for problem marijuana use later in life. 

Journal Article

Individual, Peer, and Family Factor Modification of Neighborhood-Level Effects on Adolescent Alcohol, Cigarette, E-Cigarette, and Marijuana Use

Supporting more social connections between neighbors and monitoring of adolescent deviant behaviors by neighbors may be effective in reducing cigarette, e-cigarette, and marijuana use.

Journal Article

Neighborhood Age Structure and Cognitive Function in a Nationally-Representative Sample of Older Adults in the U.S.

In this nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults aged 51 and over, living in a neighborhood in the highest tertile of the percent of adults 65 and older was associated with significantly better cognitive function.

Journal Article

The Hispanic Paradox: Race/Ethnicity and Nativity, Immigrant Enclave Residence and Cognitive Impairment Among Older US Adults

Foreign-born Mexican Americans are significantly less likely to experience cognitive impairment as they age than are their US-born socioeconomic peers.

Journal Article

Examination of Neighborhood Disadvantage and Sleep in a Multi-Ethnic Cohort of Adolescents

Greater perceived neighborhood-level social cohesion and lower neighborhood-level poverty were associated with better sleep outcomes in adolescents.

Report

Development and Maintenance of Standardized Cross Setting Patient Assessment Data for Post-Acute Care: Summary Report of Findings from Alpha 1 Pilot Testing

This report presents results of the first Alpha 1 feasibility test of proposed items to include in the post-acute care patient assessment instruments for measuring seven areas of health status for Medicare beneficiaries.

Journal Article

Frequency of E-cigarette Use, Health Status, and Risk and Protective Health Behaviors in Adolescents

Adolescents who use electronic cigarettes may engage in fewer risky behaviors than their tobacco smoking peers, but their physical health and engagement in protective health behaviors is not necessarily any better. 

Journal Article

The Role of Perceived Injunctive Alcohol Norms in Adolescent Drinking Behavior

Perceived injunctive norms (i.e., what behaviors peers find acceptable) should be targeted in prevention programs with youth because these perceptions are associated with multiple drinking outcomes, such as heavy drinking.

Report

Demographic, Social, Economic, and Housing Characteristics: Development of a U.S. Contextual Database of 1990–2010 Measures

This report describes a contextual database of demographic, social, economic, housing, cultural, and urbanization measures for U.S. census tracts, counties, and metropolitan statistical areas for use in research.

Journal Article

Individual and Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and the Association Between Air Pollution and Cardiovascular Disease

Women living in disadvantaged neighborhoods may be more susceptible to air pollution-related health effects, but individual and neighborhood SES did not affect the positive association between long-term fine particulate matter and cardiovascular disease.

Journal Article

Opioid Analgesic and Benzodiazepine Prescribing Among Medicaid-enrollees with Opioid Use Disorders: The Influence of Provider Communities

A substantial number of Medicaid enrollees were able to fill prescriptions for opioid analgesics, benzodiazepines, or both in the year following diagnosis for an opioid use disorder.

Journal Article

Neighborhood, Family and Peer-Level Predictors of Obesity-Related Health Behaviors Among Young Adolescents

High scores on measures of peer social functioning and family connectedness predicted healthy behaviors among adolescents.

Testimony

Dementia Long-Term Care Policy Options for Family Caregivers and Medicare

Testimony submitted to the Senate Finance Committee, Subcommittee on Health Care on July 13, 2016.

Journal Article

Alcohol and Marijuana Use Trajectories in a Diverse Longitudinal Sample of Adolescents: Examining Use Patterns from Age 11 to 17 Years

Greater use of alcohol and marijuana is associated with worse functioning in high school for all youth, but non-white youth report worse outcomes.

Journal Article

Prevalence and Consequences of Sleep Problems in Military Wives

Sleep problems among spouses of military service members were reported at rates higher than the general population and were associated with more symptoms of depression.

Journal Article

Aging Well Among Women Veterans Compared with Non-Veterans in the Women's Health Initiative

To examine whether Veteran status influences (a) women's survival to age 80 years without disease and disability and (b) indicators of successful, effective, and optimal aging at ages 80 years and older.

Report

The Urban Child Institute CANDLE Study: Methodological Overview and Baseline Sample Description

This report describes the study design and summary data from the first year of data collection for the Urban Child Institute Conditions Affecting Neurocognitive Development and Learning in Early Childhood Study.

Journal Article

Functioning, Forgetting, or Failing Health: Which Factors Are Associated with a Community-Based Move Among Older Adults?

This study examines whether the health and functioning of middle-aged and older adults are associated with an increased likelihood of community-based moves (changing their place of residence, but not to an institutional setting).

Journal Article

Early Substance Use and Subsequent DUI in Adolescents

This study longitudinally explores the influence of alcohol and marijuana (AM) use, AM beliefs, and peer and family factors (including familism) on DUI/RWDD in high school.

Journal Article

Associations Between Neighborhood Alcohol Availability and Young Adolescent Alcohol Use

An investigation into the association between alcohol outlet density and adolescent alcohol use, including whether this association differed by sociodemographic characteristics.

Journal Article

Predictors and Consequences of Prescription Drug Misuse During Middle School

This is the first study to examine the correlates of early NMPDU initiation during middle school, and how early initiation is associated with four domains of functioning in high school (mental health, social, academic, and delinquency).

Journal Article

US Prevalence and Predictors of Informal Caregiving for Dementia

This study looks at the prevalence and predicators in informal care for cognitive impairment or probable dementia in the U.S.

Report

Environmental Fitness and Resilience: A Review of Relevant Constructs, Measures, and Links to Well-Being

This report identifies key environmental stressors experienced by Airmen and examines key resilience factors in the domain of environmental fitness, focusing specifically on prevention and protective measures.

Journal Article

Relationship Between Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Cognitive Change in a Multiethnic Elderly Cohort

Examines the association between diabetes mellitus and cognitive functioning at baseline and cognitive change over time in a large, ethnically diverse sample of older adults.

Journal Article

Moderated Mediation Analysis: An Illustration Using the Association of Gender with Delinquency and Mental Health

The goal of this study was to investigate parental respect as a potential mediator of the relationship between gender and delinquency and mental health, and to determine whether observed mediation is moderated by gender.

Journal Article

Association of Vascular Risk Factors with Cognition in a Multiethnic Sample

The authors examine the relationship between cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and cognitive performance in a multiethnic sample of older adults.

Journal Article

The Role of Early-Life Educational Quality and Literacy in Explaining Racial Disparities in Cognition in Late Life

Racial disparities in late-life cognition persist even after accounting for educational attainment. We examined whether early-life educational quality and literacy in later life help explain these disparities.

Journal Article

Neighbourhood Racial/Ethnic Composition and Segregation and Trajectories of Cognitive Decline Among U.S. Older Adults

This study demonstrates disparities in the progression of cognitive ageing according to racial/ethnic characteristics of the neighbourhood environment.

Research Brief

Improving Sleep Health for U.S. Servicemembers: Policies, Programs, Barriers to Implementation, and Recommendations

Sleep problems can have consequences for servicemembers' health and for force readiness and resiliency. This first-ever comprehensive review of sleep-related policies and programs led to recommendations for improving sleep across the force.

Report

Sleep in the Military: Promoting Healthy Sleep Among U.S. Servicemembers

Sleep problems can have long-term consequences for servicemembers' health and for force readiness and resiliency. This first-ever comprehensive review of sleep-related policies and programs led to recommendations for improving sleep across the force.

Research Brief

Sleep Problems and Their Impact on U.S. Servicemembers: Results of a Cross-Service Survey

Sleep problems can have consequences for servicemembers' health and for force readiness and resiliency. Findings from a large-scale survey of servicemembers offer guidance for policies and programs to identify, treat, and prevent sleep problems.

Journal Article

Differences in Substance Use and Substance Use Risk Factors by Asian Subgroups

This study examined differences in lifetime use and initiation of substance use and associated risk factors for alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana among 7 subgroups of Asian American (AA) adolescents.

Journal Article

Increasing Resilience Through Promotion of Healthy Sleep Among Service Members

Sleep health research, development of sleep health policies, and evaluation of sleep health programs should focus on promoting sleep health throughout the deployment cycle and in training environments to aid in prevention efforts.

Journal Article

Evaluating Linearly Interpolated Intercensal Estimates of Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics of U.S. Counties and Census Tracts 2001-2009

The American Community Survey (ACS) multiyear estimation program has greatly advanced opportunities for studying change in the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of U.S. communities.

Report

Nutritional Fitness and Resilience: A Review of Relevant Constructs, Measures, and Links to Well-Being

This report examines the relationship between nutritional fitness and resilience, using key constructs found in the scientific literature that address self-regulation, positive affect, perceived control, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and optimism.

Report

Improving Dementia Long-Term Care: A Policy Blueprint

As baby boomers age, many will require long-term services and supports (LTSS) for dementia care. This blueprint outlines policy options and research directions to help decisionmakers improve the LTSS delivery system, workforce, and financing.

Research Brief

What to Do About Dementia? Policy Options for Crucial Long-Term Care

Policy options to improve dementia long-term care include those that increase public awareness and promote earlier detection, improve access to and quality of services, increase support to family caregivers, and reduce the cost burden.

Journal Article

Depressive Symptoms and Longitudinal Changes in Cognition: Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging

Elevated depressive symptoms (DS) are associated with incident mild cognitive impairment and probable dementia in postmenopausal women.

Journal Article

Does Diversity Matter? The Need for Longitudinal Research on Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Use Trajectories

The existing research aimed at understanding alcohol and drug (AOD) use patterns from early to late adolescence typically does not examine samples with substantial racial and ethnic diversity.

Journal Article

Constructing a Time-Invariant Measure of the Socio-Economic Status of U.S. Census Tracts

Contextual research on time and place requires a consistent measurement instrument for neighborhood conditions in order to make unbiased inferences about neighborhood change.

Journal Article

Alcohol and Marijuana Use in Middle School: Comparing Solitary and Social-Only Users

Students who are solitary drug users are more likely to believe that alcohol and marijuana will help them relax, get away from their problems, and have more fun.

Journal Article

Gender Disparity in Late-Life Cognitive Functioning in India: Findings from the Longitudinal Aging Study in India

The authors examine gender disparities in cognitive functioning in India and the extent to which education explains this disparity in later life.

Report

Medical Fitness and Resilience: A Review of Relevant Constructs, Measures, and Links to Well-Being

This report examines the relationship between medical fitness and resilience, using key constructs found in the scientific literature that address preventive care, presence and management of injuries and chronic conditions, and health care access.

Journal Article

The Relationship Between Urban Sprawl and Coronary Heart Disease in Women

Studies have reported relationships between urban sprawl, physical activity, and obesity, but – to date – no studies have considered the relationship between sprawl and coronary heart disease (CHD) endpoints.

Journal Article

Temporal Associations of Popularity and Alcohol Use Among Middle School Students

The goal of this study is to better understand the longitudinal cross-lagged associations between popularity, assessed through self-rating and peer nominations, and alcohol use among middle school students.

Journal Article

A Longitudinal Examination of Alcohol, Marijuana, and Cigarette Perceived Norms Among Middle School Adolescents

We examined changes in perceived norms of alcohol, marijuana, and cigarettes over a two-year period among a large and diverse sample of 6th and 7th grade youth.

Journal Article

Assessing Measurement Invariance of Familism and Parental Respect Across Race/Ethnicity in Adolescents

Familism and parental respect are culturally derived constructs rooted in Hispanic and Asian cultures, respectively.

Journal Article

Racial/ethnic Differences in the Influence of Cultural Values, Alcohol Resistance Self-Efficacy, and Alcohol Expectancies on Risk for Alcohol Initiation

Cultural values affect the likelihood that adolescents will begin to use alcohol.

Journal Article

Preventing Alcohol Use with a Voluntary After-School Program for Middle School Students: Results from a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial of CHOICE

A voluntary after-school program focused specifically on alcohol and drug use may be effective in deterring alcohol use among early adolescents.

Journal Article

The Women's Health Initiative: The Food Environment, Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, BMI, and Blood Pressure

Post menopausal women living in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status and more supermarkets have lower body mass and lower blood pressure.

Draft

Harmonization of Cross-National Studies of Aging to the Health and Retirement Study: Cognition

Summarizes and compares measures of cognitive health and decline in the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and its sister surveys from other countries.

Journal Article

Use of Alternative Time Scales in Cox Proportional Hazard Models: Implications for Time-Varying Environmental Exposures

Issues surrounding choice of time scales in Cox proportional hazard regression models.

Journal Article

Voluntary After-School Alcohol and Drug Programs for Middle School Youth: If You Build It Right, They Will Come

This study describes CHOICE, a voluntary after-school program which targeted AOD use among middle school students.

Draft

Cognitive Health of Older Indians: Individual and Geographic Determinants of Female Disadvantage

Examines cognitive function of older Indians, using cross-sectional data from the 2010 pilot round of the Longitudinal Aging Study in India, fielded across Punjab and Rajasthan in the north and Kerala and Karnataka in the south.

Journal Article

Substance Use Among Middle School Students: Associations with Self-Rated and Peer-Nominated Popularity

More-popular middle school students are more likely to be cigarette smokers, drinkers, and marijuana users, as well as past-month drinkers, suggesting that popularity is a risk factor for substance abuse.

Journal Article

Ambient Particulate Matter Air Pollution and Venous Thromboembolism in the Women's Health Initiative Hormone Therapy Trials

There is little evidence of an association between short- or long-term exposure to particulate matter air pollution and venous thromboembolism; and no evidence that hormone therapy is modifing such a link.

Journal Article

Lapse-induced Surges in Craving Influence Relapse in Adult Smokers: An Experimental Investigation

Previously abstinent smokers who lapse are at risk for increased cigarette cravings and full-blown relapse. The findings have implications for cognitive–behavioral treatments to prevent relapse and medications to help smokers manage cravings.

Journal Article

Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status and Cognitive Function in Women

Neighborhood socioeconomic status (NSES) is associated with cognitive functioning in older US women. Future research is needed on the longitudinal relationships between NSES, cognitive impairment, and cognitive decline.

Research Brief

The Influence of Personal, Family, and School Factors on Early Adolescent Substance Use

This study of middle school students in Southern California found that racial and ethnic variations in substance use among young adolescents are influenced by individual, family and school factors.

Journal Article

Racial/ethnic Differences in Adolescent Substance Use: Mediation by Individual, Family, and School Factors

Assessment of alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use in a diverse sample of 5,500 seventh and eighth graders highlights the need to target individual, family, and school factors in efforts to reduce substance use among young minority adolescents.

Journal Article

The Application of Biomarker Data to the Study of Social Determinants of Health

The authors adress the possibilities of including biomarkers in sociological research to map physiological pathways over the life course.

Journal Article

Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Major Depression After Trauma Center Hospitalization

Key demographic and injury characteristics could help to identify trauma survivors who are at increased risk of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression and would benefit from targeted screening, patient education, and early intervention efforts.

Journal Article

Prioritizing Environmental Health Risks in the UAE

A five-stage process that includes quantitative risk assessment by experts and deliberations by groups of stakeholders appears to provide an effective basis for developing a strategic plan that addresses environmental risks.

Report

Assessing Health and Health Care in Prince George's County

Assesses the health care needs of the residents of Prince George's County, Maryland, and the capacity of the county's health care system to meet those needs.