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Pandemic-era child tax credit lowered anxiety and increased food security, stable housing among young children, but excluded many low-income, immigrant families

A new study found that the expanded child tax credit reduced anxiety and improved food security and housing stability among young children. However, it excluded many eligible low-income and immigrant families due to minimum income requirements.

SourceBoston University School of Public Health·JournalJAMA Network Open·TypeObservational study·DateJul 2, 2025

New study calls for rethink on alcohol policy

A new study by psychologists, linguists, and policy experts reveals that policymakers and drinkers have different ways of framing alcohol consumption. The findings suggest that policies must reflect real-life behaviours and motivations to make a meaningful difference.

SourceStaffordshire University·JournalDrug and Alcohol Review·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJun 25, 2025

Collaboration can unlock Australia’s energy transition without sacrificing natural capital

New research led by Princeton University demonstrates that Australia can fully decarbonize its domestic and energy export economies by 2060 while avoiding harm to important areas for biodiversity outcomes. The study proposes a 'traffic-light' approach for siting renewable infrastructure, identifying suitable lands for development and t...

SourcePrinceton University, Engineering School·JournalNature Sustainability·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateJun 3, 2025

Save twice the ice by limiting global warming

A new study finds that limiting global warming to 1.5°C could save twice as much glacier ice as current policies, which project an average of +2.7°C. This would mitigate 10cm of sea-level rise and preserve up to 39% of global glacier mass.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalScience·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMay 29, 2025

Understanding the divide: a deep dive into healthcare in Mongolia

The Mongolian healthcare system is shaped by its geographical and cultural context, with strengths in traditional medicine and universal coverage. However, remote areas struggle with inadequate healthcare providers, limited workforce capacity, and inadequate disease prevention strategies., Despite these challenges, the researchers outl...

SourceSophia University·JournalJournal of Global Health·TypeCommentary/editorial·DateMay 22, 2025

With evolutionary AI, scientists find hidden keys for better land use

The AI system uses evolutionary computing to find optimal policy solutions that balance trade-offs between carbon storage, economic disruptions, and environmental benefits. It recommends nuanced approaches to land-use strategies, such as replacing crop land with forest, rather than simply converting all land into forests.

SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin·JournalEnvironmental Data Science·TypeComputational simulation/modeling·DateMay 19, 2025

Researchers from Incheon National University unpack audience costs in us allies’ foreign policy choices

A study by Incheon National University researchers reveals how audience costs impact US allies' foreign policy decisions, with prevailing pro-US sentiment enhancing credibility of alignment commitments. The study found that citizens who lean towards China tolerate or even reward alignment reversals.

SourceIncheon National University·JournalContemporary Security Policy·TypeSurvey·DateMay 13, 2025

Estimates of illicit opioid use in the U.S.

A national survey found that 11.0% of adults reported using illicit opioids within the past year, with even higher rates of fentanyl use, indicating a pressing need for improved data collection efforts to inform policy and intervention strategies.

SourceJAMA Network·JournalJAMA Health Forum·DateMay 9, 2025

Health care workers, firefighters have increased PFAS levels, study finds

A study found moderate elevations of certain PFAS in health care workers' blood, with notably higher odds of detecting Sb-PFOA and PFDoA compared to other professions. Firefighters had the highest concentrations of PFAS, specifically concentrations of PFHxS, Sm-PFOS, n-PFOS and PFHpS.

SourceUniversity of Arizona Health Sciences·JournalJournal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateMay 8, 2025

Medicaid unwinding linked to disruptions in opioid addiction treatment

A new University of Michigan study suggests that Medicaid unwinding may have disrupted the care of people receiving treatment for opioid addiction. Patients were less likely to continue filling buprenorphine prescriptions and more likely to pay with cash or private insurance in states with large versus small Medicaid enrollment drops.

SourceMichigan Medicine - University of Michigan·JournalJAMA Network Open·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateMay 2, 2025

Medicaid unwinding disrupted kids’ and young adults’ access to chronic disease medicine

A new study finds that Medicaid unwinding disrupted kids' and young adults' access to chronic disease medication, particularly for those living in states with the largest drops in Medicaid enrollment. The disruptions led to increased use of private insurance or cash for prescriptions, exacerbating health issues.

SourceMichigan Medicine - University of Michigan·JournalPEDIATRICS·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateMay 2, 2025

New research analysis predicts that reductions in Medicaid access could result in poorer health outcomes, including increased deaths

A new analysis predicts that reducing Medicaid access could lead to thousands of additional deaths among working-age Americans and disastrous financial burdens. The study found that eliminating the ACA provision expanding Medicaid access could drive millions to delay needed care.

SourceKeck School of Medicine of USC·JournalThe Lancet·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateMay 1, 2025

Higher wealth taxes equal less philanthropy

Higher wealth taxes significantly reduce charitable donations in Norway, according to new research from the University of Texas at Austin. The study finds that allowing larger income tax deductions can increase giving by 4.4%. This suggests a possible solution to soften the impact of wealth taxes on philanthropy.

SourceUniversity of Texas at Austin·JournalThe Review of Economics and Statistics·DateApr 24, 2025

Cognitively impaired older drivers are less likely to cause a crash when accompanied by a passenger

A recent study by researchers from the University of Tsukuba found that cognitively impaired older drivers are less likely to be involved in car-to-car crashes when accompanied by a passenger. The analysis revealed that second-party drivers were more likely to have been accompanied by a passenger than first-party drivers, regardless of...

SourceUniversity of Tsukuba·JournalJournal of Safety Research·DateApr 18, 2025

Colder temperatures increase gastroenteritis risk in Rohingya refugee camps

A new study by Hokkaido University found that colder temperatures significantly increase the risk of gastroenteritis among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh's Kutupalong and Nayapara camps. The study reveals a link between temperature changes and gastroenteritis risk, with both extreme cold and heat contributing to higher numbers of cases.

SourceHokkaido University·JournalJAMA Network Open·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateApr 18, 2025

Do “harm reduction” interventions for substance use lower or raise trust in government?

Research finds that comprehensive drug policies, including harm reduction measures, are positively associated with perceptions of governmental support and trust in local government. In rural US communities, residents' trust in their local government increases when they perceive the government as supportive of these policies.

SourceAnnenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania·JournalHarm Reduction Journal·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 15, 2025

Novel cigarette pricing policy linked to decrease in sales in California city

A new study found that an Oakland law requiring cigarette prices to increase to a minimum of $8 per pack led to a 15-percent decrease in cigarette sales and a 25-percent decrease in lower-priced cigarettes. The policy may be particularly effective at curbing tobacco initiation among low-income individuals and youth.

SourceBoston University School of Public Health·JournalTobacco Control·TypeObservational study·DateFeb 24, 2025

Long before the L.A. fires, America’s housing crisis displaced millions

A new USC study reveals that the US is facing a shortage of 4.5 million homes due to policy missteps in the early 2000s, which led to a historic housing bubble and subsequent Great Recession. The crisis has disproportionately affected millennials and people of color, with racial and ethnic disparities in homeownership widening over time.

SourceUniversity of Southern California·JournalRSF The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateJan 14, 2025