January 3, 2023 – Major weather events such as last month’s 6.4 magnitude California earthquake, tornados in Louisiana, and a “once-in-a-generation” multi-state winter storm caused major damage to homes across the US and disrupted daily lives. As climate experts predict these natural disasters will continue to increase in severity and frequency, a new study led by a School […]
Boston University School of Public Health
Lottery-Based Incentives Do Not Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Rates
Would you be more willing to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus if you could participate in a lottery for cash and prizes? The answer was surprisingly no, according to BUSM researchers who found that Ohio’s “Vax-a-Million” lottery-based incentive system, intended to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates, was not associated with an increase in COVD-19 vaccinations. […]
COVID unemployment assistance puts food on the table: BU study
January 29, 2021 – Another wave of COVID-19 is putting millions out of work, while tens of millions more remain unemployed, and Congress debates aid. Now, a new Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study shows that unemployment help directly translates to people being able to put food on the table. The CARES Act–passed […]
COVID has likely tripled depression rate: BU study
September 3, 2020 – A first-of-its-kind study from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) finds 27.8% of U.S. adults had depression symptoms as of mid-April, compared to 8.5% before the COVID-19 pandemic. Published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the study also found that income and savings are the most dramatic predictors of depression symptoms […]
Research suggests combating a pandemic is 500 times more expensive than preventing one
July 28, 2020 – According to new research, the failure to protect tropical rain forests has cost trillions of dollars stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, which has wreaked economic havoc and caused historic levels of unemployment in the United States and around the world. For decades, scientists and environmental activists have been trying to draw […]
Heat may kill more people in US than previously reported: BU and UBC study
June 19, 2020 – Death records point to hundreds of U.S. deaths from heat each year, but even moderately hot weather may actually be killing thousands. This summer, COVID-19 may make it harder to stay cool. As temperatures rise this summer, a new study by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and the University […]
More teens coming out as LGBQ, but suicide attempts still high: BU study
February 10, 2020 – A new Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study finds that the proportion of high school students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning (LGBQ) doubled from 2009 to 2017, while the LGBQ teen rate of attempted suicide went from five times the rate for their straight peers to nearly […]
Guns used in cross-border crimes originate from states with more lax laws
April 23, 2018 – Opponents of gun control have frequently pointed to high rates of gun violence in cities such as Chicago to argue that strong state gun control laws are not effective. But guns used in states with stricter gun laws typically flow from states with weaker laws, according to a new study from […]
Nearly Every American Will Know a Victim of Gun Violence
Nov. 2, 2016 – Nearly all Americans are likely to know a victim of gun violence within their social networks during their lifetime, indicating that citizens are “closer to gun violence than they perceive,” according to a new study by researchers from the Schools of Public Health and Medicine. In a study in the journal […]