Press Releases
2002 Releases
Men Can Reduce Stroke Risk by Eating Fish
For immediate release: December 24, 2002 Boston, MA– Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health studying the role of fish consumption and risk of stroke among men, have...
Public Willingness to Be Vaccinated Against Smallpox Depends on Whether Physicians Choose to Get Vaccinated and Whether Deaths Result from Early Waves of Vaccination
For immediate release: December 19, 2002 BOSTON, MA – A new study by Harvard School of Public Health researchers suggests that if the threat of a bioterrorist attack using smallpox...
4 in 10 of Public, More Than One-Third of Physicians Say They Have Personally Experienced Medical Errors
For immediate release: December 11, 2002 Some 42% of the public and more than one-third of U.S. doctors say they or their family members have experienced medical errors in the course of...
Preliminary Study of Phthalate Exposure in Humans Finds Association with Sperm DNA Damage
For immediate release: December 10, 2002 Boston, MA—In a study of the possible association between phthalate exposure and human semen quality, researchers at Harvard School of Public...
Women Who Eat Nuts or Peanut Butter Regularly Significantly Reduce Their Risk for Type 2 Diabetes
For immediate release: November 26, 2002 Boston, MA– Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have found that women who consume nuts or peanut butter five times per week...
New Alternative to USDA Dietary Guidelines Nearly Twice as Effective in Reducing Risk for Major Chronic Disease
For immediate release: November 21, 2002 Boston, MA- Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have developed healthy eating guidelines and an alternative to the US food pyramid...
Boston Bike Messengers Experience Very High Injury Rate and Most Do Not Carry Health Insurance
For immediate release: November 20, 2002 Boston, MA- In the first known study to examine on-the-job injuries among bicycle messengers in Boston, Jack Tigh Dennerlein, an assistant professor...
Key Gene Discovered for Obesity and Diabetes
For immediate release: November 20, 2002 Boston, MA- A team of researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, led by Gökhan S. Hotamisligil of the Department of Nutrition and collaborators...
Study Finds Strict Enforcement of Lead Abatement Policies Saves Communities Money
For immediate release: November 19, 2002 Boston, MA— In the first study to quantify both the benefits and the costs of preventing lead exposure through strict enforcement of existing...
Early Onset of Perimenopause Linked to Economic Hardship
For immediate release: October 24, 2002 Women who have lived through economic hardship as a child or adult are likely to start the perimenopause (the period leading up to the menopause)...
Specific Types of Exercise and Intensity Level Can Significantly Reduce Risk of Heart Disease Among Men
For immediate release: October 22, 2002 Boston, MA - In a study assessing the impact of specific type and intensity of exercise and the risk of coronary heart disease among men,...
Ban On Coal Burning in Dublin Cleans the Air and Reduces Death Rates
For immediate release: October 17, 2002 Boston, MA--Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Trinity College and the Dublin Institute of Technology in Dublin, Ireland, examined...
Completed Genomic Sequence of Deadly Malaria Parasite Reveals Potential New Anti-Malarial Drug Targets
For immediate release: October 02, 2002 Boston, MA- The complete genomic sequence for Plasmodium Falciparum, the major parasite behind the most lethal form of human malaria, has been mapped....
Study Reveals Racial Disparity in Flu Vaccinations
For immediate release: September 25, 2002 Boston MA -- Influenza vaccination rates for a study group of Medicare recipients were much lower among African Americans, 46.1 percent, than...
HIV-1 positive mothers taking vitamin A increase risk of transmitting HIV to newborns
For immediate release: September 13, 2002 Boston, MA— In a randomized trial of maternal vitamin supplements in relation to HIV-1 transmission and child health, researchers...
Maternal Bone Lead Levels Pose Toxic Prenatal Risk
For immediate release: July 01, 2002 Boston, MA- In the first study to assess how stores of lead in the bones of pregnant women might be associated with the later brain development...
After 'ER' Smallpox Episode, Fewer 'ER' Viewers Report They Would Go to Emergency Room If They Had Symptoms of the Disease
For immediate release: June 13, 2002 BOSTON, MA – Regular "ER" viewers who saw or knew about that television show's May 16, 2002, smallpox episode were less likely...
As Experts Debate the Need for Voluntary Smallpox Vaccination, Three in Five Americans Say They Would Get Vaccinated, Even Though No Smallpox Cases Have Been Reported
For immediate release: June 05, 2002 BOSTON, MA — Although not a single case of smallpox has been reported in the United States, three in five Americans (59%) surveyed by the...
Nurse Staffing Levels Directly Impact Patient Health and Survival
Boston MA — The size and mix of nurse staffing in US hospitals has a direct impact on the outcome of patient health. The finding comes from the most comprehensive study to date on the topic and...
New Approach to Cervical Cancer Screening Could Save Lives, Billions in Health Care Costs
Boston, MA--For the more than 2.5 million American women a year who get indeterminate or equivocal results from a Pap test, an automatic follow-up DNA test for the strains of human papillomavirus (HPV)...
Physicians Who Are Experts On Managed Care Avoid Enrolling In HMOs When Selecting A Personal Health Insurance Plan
For immediate release: April 29, 2002 Boston, MA — In the first study to examine the personal health insurance choices made by scholars who study managed care, researchers from...
New Book Highlights Overkill of Germs as a Major Public Health Crisis and Focuses on Empowering the Public to Better Manage Risks
For immediate release: April 24, 2002 Boston, MA. - In spite of growing scientific evidence that our medical arsenal is failing against germs, most Americans remain unaware of how...
Your Community May be Harmful to Your Health:Harvard Report Recommends Policy Approaches to Cancer Prevention
For immediate release: April 22, 2002 Boston, MA--Your community may be harmful to your health according to a report published by the Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention. Environmental...
American Females at Highest Risk for Murder
For immediate release: April 17, 2002 70% Of All Women Killed in Industrialized Nations Are American Link between household firearm ownership levels and female homicide...
Study Finds Significant Racial Disparities in Quality of Care for Participants in Medicare Managed Care Plans
For immediate release: March 12, 2002 Boston, MA – Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and the Harvard Medical School analyzing national Medicare data on the...
Family Health Problems a Major Factor in Whether Single Women Who Leave Welfare Can Retain Jobs
For immediate release: March 04, 2002 BOSTON, MA- The health status of women and their children is a key factor influencing whether single mothers moving off welfare can remain employed,...
Violent Death Among Children Linked to Household Firearms
For immediate release: February 19, 2002 Boston, MA-- A new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found that in states and regions with higher levels of household...
Direct-To-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Drugs Grows Rapidly but Remains a Small Share of Promotional Efforts
For immediate release: February 13, 2002 BOSTON, MA- With spending on prescription drugs the fastest growing component of the health care budget, physicians and policy makers are...
State of US Public Health Drinking Water Reliable but Billions in Repairs Needed to Maintain System Through This Century
BOSTON, MA- In a “state of the state” review of the nation’s public drinking water systems, researchers from the Water and Health Program at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)...
Study Links Western Dietary Pattern with a Greater Risk for Type 2 Diabetes in Men
For immediate release: February 04, 2002 Boston, MA – Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health have linked a diet high in consumption of red meat, processed meat, high-fat...
Harvard School of Public Health Faculty Votes Not to Accept Funds from Tobacco Companies and Subsidiaries
For immediate release: January 25, 2002 Boston, MA–Faculty members at the Harvard School of Public Health voted last night not to accept research funding from tobacco manufacturers...
Study Finds Massachusetts Drinking Water Contains Higher Levels of Chemical By-Products from Disinfection than Previous U.S. Reports
For immediate release: January 22, 2002 Boston, MA - Environmental epidemiologists from the Harvard School of Public Health analyzing tap water samples from 36 surface water systems throughout...