How can body weight affect the mortality risk of excessive drinkers?
Jan 25, 2022
While research has long shown a higher risk of death linked to alcoholism for people with overweight, a new study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence has found that people with underweight who drink excessively may be at an even higher risk of dying from heart disease, cancer and…
Hydration can impact pregnancy and birth outcomes
Jul 12, 2021
Water needs increase during pregnancy to support fetal development and maternal health, however little is known about the relationship between hydration status and outcomes on both mother and child. A Penn State study recently examined the hydration status of pregnant women, the impact of a…
Eliminating Smoking and Obesity Could Shrink U.S. Health Disparities, But Where People Live Matters Too
Dec 18, 2019
Smoking and obesity are the two leading causes of preventable death, disability, and chronic disease in the United States. New research shows that eliminating them could go a long way in reducing racial health gaps. But location also plays a key role in health disparities, with neighborhood setting…
How husbands perceive their wives’ weight may affect later marriage satisfaction
Nov 22, 2019
Husbands may want to pay careful attention to the messages they send about their wives' weight, according to new research that suggests a husband’s perception of his wife being overweight may predict a decrease in her marital satisfaction. In a study, Penn State researchers examined the…
Why Social Science? - Because It Provides Empirical Answers to Critical Public Health Questions
Oct 22, 2019
By Jeni L. Burnette, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology & Sarah L. Desmarais, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, North Carolina State University What do the opioid and obesity epidemics have in common? For starters, they are both public health crises in which the disease model is used to…
Community-Engaged Research Day fosters collaborative partnerships
Jul 2, 2019
Community leaders and scientists shared breakfast and sought solutions to problems like opioids, obesity and depression June 6 at the Community-Engaged Research Day. The Community-Engaged Research Core of Penn State Clinical and Translational Science Institute hosted the event at Dixon University…
Eliminating smoking and obesity could affect racial health disparities
Mar 12, 2019
Obesity and smoking are the two leading causes of preventable deaths in the U.S., yet their full impact on health disparities is still being uncovered. Michelle Frisco, associate professor of sociology and demography and Social Science Research Institute co-funded faculty member at Penn State, is…
Regular bedtimes and sufficient sleep for children may lead to healthier teens
Dec 6, 2018
Having a regular, age-appropriate bedtime and getting sufficient sleep from early childhood may be important for healthy body weight in adolescence, according to researchers at Penn State. The researchers identified groups of children by bedtime and sleep routines and tested longitudinal…
High childhood BMI linked to obesity at age 24 in women
Dec 3, 2018
Girls who gain weight more rapidly between the ages of 5 and 15 are more likely to be obese at age 24, according to researchers. "This highlights the importance of prevention efforts in childhood and adolescence," said Emily Hohman, assistant research professor of the Center for Childhood Obesity…News Topics: Child HealthObesity
Responsive parenting intervention results in lower BMIs through age three
Aug 8, 2018
An intervention designed to promote healthy growth, which taught first-time moms how to respond with age-appropriate responses to their babies’ needs, resulted in children having lower body mass indexes (BMIs) when they were three years old. The intervention, which began shortly after the babies’…
Intervention program targets gestational weight gain
Jun 26, 2018
Being overweight or obese during pregnancy can have major health impacts for both mother and baby. Penn State researchers are evaluating an intervention program for women who need help managing their weight during pregnancy. Danielle Symons Downs, professor of kinesiology, and obstetrics and…