It is easier to spread the influenza virus (flu) than previously thought, according to a new University of Maryland-led study released today. People commonly believe that they can catch the flu by exposure to droplets from an infected person’s coughs or sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces. But, new information about flu transmission reveals that we may pass the flu to others just by breathing.

More than half of preventable hospitalizations in Maryland are for people with co-existing mental health and chronic physical conditions. A new study by School of Public Health researchers suggests that low-cost mental health programs provided by local health departments can play a critical role in preventing these costly and unnecessary hospitalizations.

Research has found that educational media can positively impact young children, but few studies have been conducted in developing countries. Newly published research led by University of Maryland School of Public Health Research Professor Dina Borzekowski (Department of Behavioral and Community Health) in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology helps to address this with a study involving a locally-produced Tanzanian children’s show called Akili and Me.

While much kinesiology research is conducted in labs, on treadmills, in highly controlled settings, the opportunity to study an extraordinary athlete on the playing field can yield some novel results. The School of Public Health’s Dr. James Hagberg and colleagues had the good fortune of studying a two-season winner of the MAC Hermann Trophy—the top player in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I soccer. The player (referred to as “Player A”) now plays professionally with the D.C.

Kecia Ellick and Joanne D’Silva, doctoral students in the School of Public Health were two of 28 students selected nationwide to present research at the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health poster session, which was held at the American Public Health Association annual meeting and exposition held in Atlanta from Nov. 4-8, 2017.

Deirdre Quinn, who has successfully defended her PhD dissertation, has been awarded the Outstanding Paper Award for a student paper from the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) in the category of Religion, Spirituality and Family. The paper, “Family Religiosity, Parent Monitoring, and College Students’ Sexual Risk,” is based on her dissertation research examining family-level and individual-level influences on college students’ sexual risk and protective behaviors.

Dr. Carson Smith, associate professor in the School of Public Health’s Department of Kinesiology, has been awarded an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to serve as Principal Investigator on his project titled "Exercise for Brain Health with Increased Genetic Risk for Alzheimer's Disease." Dr. Smith and his co-researchers will conduct a clinical trial to determine the influence and possible benefits of exercise on the brain and cognitive function in healthy older adults at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease.

Food insecurity – the lack of reliable access to sufficient quantities of affordable, safe, nutritious food – is a serious problem for many Americans, including young adults at college campuses across the country. The potential negative impact on educational success may be significant, yet the scope of the problem has not been well documented or understood.

Dr. Jie Chen, an associate professor in the School of Public Health’s Department of Health Services Administration, has received a $2.25 million National Institutes of Health RO1 grant to examine system-level care coordination and estimate how it impacts African American and Latino patients with mental illness.

The project, called "Effects of Hospital-Community-Public Health Integration on Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mental Health," will run between July 2017 and February 2022. 

Could the initiation of a simple walking exercise program help older adults to reverse declines in key brain regions? A new study led by the University of Maryland School of Public Health researchers adds more information about how physical activity impacts brain physiology and offers hope that it may be possible to reestablish some protective neuronal connections.