Category: Journal Articles

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Study Highlights Access to Information and the Impact on Behaviors During COVID-19

Workers shift protective gear.

A recent study published in the Journal of Emergency Management and Disaster Communication studied the impact of access to information regarding emergency behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study examined disease knowledge, dynamic news, government measures, and media in the context of how guidelines and information were communicated to the general public. The researchers analyzed preventative behaviors and their correlation with perceived risk among the general public, highlighting the profound effects media, misinformation, and public perception have on adhering to guidelines. The study notes that past research excluded the effects of information access during large-scale health crises, instead focusing on common infectious diseases.

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E-Cigarette Marketing Gimmicks Increase Rates of Adolescent Smokers

Smoke.
Photo courtesy of Alfi Mahini.

Tobacco usage among children and adolescents has increased tremendously alongside the use of e-cigarettes. According to a 2024 report from the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 37 million children worldwide reported using tobacco. As of 2023, e-cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product in the United States, with approximately 7.7% of middle- and high-school students reporting usage.

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Drowning in NYC Basements, Leading Cause of Death for Hurricane Ida

Hurricane Ida, NYC

Hurricane Ida made landfall in New York City on September 1st, 2021. The extratropical storm brought a historic 3.5 inches of rainfall per hour in some areas, overwhelming the city’s sewer and stormwater drainage system, and causing the first flash-flood emergency to be issued in the city. Excess water quickly flowed into underground spaces such as basement apartments, drowning vulnerable residents.

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Improving Consistency in Health System Resilience Research

Covid-19 patient taken to covid hospital isolation by medical staff and care taker (family member)

The concept of health system resilience is one that evokes images of communities and healthcare infrastructures and systems weathering a devastating event and working together to rebuild and emerge stronger. This idea is beginning to gain attention, as the subject of empirical studies more recently but has mostly been explored only conceptually in the past.

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Measuring Healthcare Utilization and Mortality Rates After Weather Disasters

Damage following Hurricane Sandy.

Due to climate change, billion-dollar disasters are becoming increasingly common. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), from 2011 to 2016, a total of 42 disasters caused at least one billion U.S. dollars (USD) in damage. In reviewing these events, researchers found a knowledge gap regarding the impact experienced by elderly Americans, specifically those receiving Medicare.

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An Analysis of Information Booklets’ Effectiveness in Post-Disaster Situations

Building destroyed from earthquake
Destroyed building from the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake.

In this study, a team of researchers are assessing whether booklets should be more widely considered in informing the public on disaster preparedness and response, especially their appropriateness in addressing the mental health toll of the recent Turkey-Syria earthquake. The team gathered data on the use of booklets, and found that they have been used in disaster response in several countries, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the United States, and Bosnia Herzegovina.

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Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic for the 2024 Presidential Election

Busy street with people wearing masks

A recent article published by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reviews inadequacies and successes from the U.S. government’s management of the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights health policy areas in which improvements must be made to promote better health outcomes in the future. The article is a part of BMJ’s collection titled “US covid-19 lessons for future health protection and preparedness.”

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Glacial Lake Outburst Floods Pose A Major Threat to the Earth’s “Third Pole”

Mountain Peak in the Himalayas

“The Third Pole” is a geographical region of mountainous terrain encompassing the Tibetan Plateau, Hindu Kush and Tianshan mountains, and the Himalayas. It is a picturesque region of the planet where, unfortunately, an often ignored danger lurks: Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs). 

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