Blogs - This Week In Public Health

Research

The Casino in Your Pocket: Why Gambling Is Becoming a Public Health Crisis

Football season is upon us, and with it, non-stop ads for sportsbooks. For much of modern history, gambling required friction. You had to go somewhere. A casino. A racetrack. A convenience store. A bingo hall. Maybe a bookmaker. Even when gambling was legal, it was often bounded by geography, opening hours, social context, and the […]

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Commentary

Can Public Health Become Precise?

In 2003, scientists completed one of the most ambitious research projects in human history: the Human Genome Project. After more than a decade of work and billions of dollars in investment, researchers had produced the first complete map of the human genetic code. The achievement promised nothing less than a revolution in medicine. The vision […]

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AI

Balancing Ethics and Innovation in AI-Powered Public Health Surveillance

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes public health surveillance, it offers unprecedented capabilities to detect and respond to emerging health threats. However, the shift from predicting disease outbreaks to observing individual behaviors introduces significant ethical challenges that public health professionals must navigate with care. From Population to Individual: A Changing Paradigm AI’s promise in public health […]

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Health tips

Kids Are Getting Hurt on E-Bikes. Are Communities Ready?

Imagine a 10-year-old riding an electric scooter through a neighborhood. Maybe they’re heading to a friend’s house. Maybe they’re riding in a park. Maybe they’re using a device that was purchased for an older sibling. For the child, it’s freedom. For a parent, it might seem like an ordinary afternoon. But for emergency departments, electric […]

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Mental health

Tackling Mental Health in Mexican Immigrant Communities: The Overlooked Intersection of Violence and Substance Use

Migration is fraught with challenges, and for many Mexican immigrants in the United States, it’s not just about finding a new place to call home. A recent study explores a critical yet overlooked issue: the intersection of interpersonal violence, substance use, and mental health among this community. Mental Health Under Siege The study, encompassing 896 […]

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Research

Public Health Roundup: Connecting Care, Preventing Harm, and Building Healthier Communities

Good health depends on more than what happens in a doctor’s office. Where people live, the services they can access, and the policies that shape their communities all influence their health. This week’s public health research explores these connections. New studies examine how hepatitis C overlaps with mental health and substance use, how alcohol policies […]

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Climate

Southern California Floods Are More Than a Travel Headache: Why Even Shallow Flooding Becomes a Public Health Problem

It does not take a towering wall of water to create a public health emergency. In Southern California, recent flooding included ankle- to knee-deep water in parts of Newport Beach during morning high tide, alongside broader storm-related impacts tied to Tropical Storm Rachel. That kind of flooding can look minor at first glance. It is […]

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Mental health

How Peer Support Helps Us Navigate Life Transitions, Parenthood, and Grief

Major life changes can reshape our identities, relationships, and mental health. Research on parenting support, bereavement, and peer communities offers insights into how people adapt and how communities can help. Life can change in an instant. A baby is born. A loved one dies. A marriage ends. Someone retires after decades of work. A family […]

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Society

Stimulant Exposure and Substance Use in Youth Esports: A Growing Concern

As youth esports gain traction, they are not only becoming a thriving community; they also pose new public health challenges. From school clubs to online multiplayer systems, mass participation in these competitive video-gaming environments exposes adolescents to substances like energy drinks. In these settings, the lines between recreational enjoyment and performance enhancement blur, posing new […]

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Epi

Cancer Deaths Are Falling in the U.S. While Cases Keep Rising. Here’s the Public Health Story Behind the Split

Cancer remains one of the world’s biggest health challenges. It caused nearly 10 million deaths globally in 2024, and an estimated 20.6 million new cases were diagnosed that same year. Yet inside those enormous numbers is a striking public health story: in the United States, cancer death rates have continued to fall even as new […]

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Global

After the Water Recedes: Why Flooding Becomes a Public Health Emergency

When a flood hits, the first images are usually dramatic: streets turned into rivers, homes underwater, rescues by boat. But some of the most important health dangers begin after the water starts to drain away. Flooding is not just a weather or infrastructure problem. It is a public health emergency that can trigger injury, infectious […]

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Latest Insights & Analysis

The Casino in Your Pocket: Why Gambling Is Becoming a Public Health Crisis

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every Thursday morning.