October 2020 – Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies

How stressors are perceived may contribute to differences in mental health between Black and white older adults

October 30, 2020

Despite higher levels of exposure to common chronic stressors across five life domains (health, financial, residential, relationship, and caregiving), Black study participants were found to suffer less from symptoms of anxiety and depression than white…

Dashboard makes available to the public key COVID-19 metrics by U.S. congressional district

October 23, 2020

Having access to COVID-19 data for U.S. congressional districts can substantially enhance the ability of elected officials and their constituents to develop and monitor testing and vaccine deployment strategies, as well as to implement other measures to…

Revised screenshot of COVID-19 Dashboard

Harvard Pop Center Working Paper cited in New York Times; contributes race and ethnicity data on years of potential life lost by younger American Black and Latinos due to COVID-19

October 23, 2020

A Harvard Pop Center Working Paper (now published in PLOS Medicine) is referenced in a piece in The New York Times that explores the potential years of life lost in the United States due to COVID-19. Photos (left): by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash;…

Working paper shows COVID-19 is spiking in Red counties, flat in Blue this fall

October 16, 2020

A Harvard Pop Center Working Paper, “The changing political geographies of COVID-19 in the US,” shows that this fall there is a reverse in the trend from the spring, when case counts and excess death rates were higher in counties that lean…

Graph showing surge in Covid-19 in Red States; Blue States flat

Does cognitive function in older population living in South Africa differ based on HIV status?

October 15, 2020

A team of researchers affiliated with the HAALSI study have published their findings in Nature indicating that cognitive function scores varied depending on whether participants were being assessed using conventional measurement instruments versus one…

Older men and women in South Africa part of the HAALSI study

Aisha Yousafzai honored for her work in early childhood development

October 15, 2020

Our faculty affiliate Aisha Yousafzai, associate professor of global health at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, is the recipient of this year’s Alice Hamilton Award for “her impact in public health and future promise.”…

1-2-3: Counting the missteps of the U.S. Federal Government's handling of COVID-19

October 05, 2020

A new Harvard Pop Center Working Paper assesses the impact of the U.S. Federal Government’s “missteps” regarding the entry, spread and inequities associated with COVID-19. Authors include: William P. Hanage, Christian Testa, Jarvis T.…

Behavioral scientists call for "common-sense" federal policy to help curb diet-related diseases

October 01, 2020

In this JAMA Viewpoint, Harvard Bell Fellow Anna Grummon, PhD, along with her colleague Marissa G. Hall, PhD, make a strong case for the implementation of a federal policy mandating that products containing high levels of unhealthy nutrients (e.g. sugar,…

Call for applications: Interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard Population Center