Population Health Research Brief Series

A New Tool for Handling Multiracial and Multi-Identity Data in Health Research

Gabriel J. Merrin
This brief introduces CATAcode, a free software tool that helps researchers handle check-all-that-apply demographic data more thoughtfully. The tool reveals how coding decisions dramatically affect who is represented in research—decisions that inform health policy and resource allocation. 
February 3, 2026

See related: United States

Pandemic Mask Mandates and Closures Were Linked to Increased Gun Violence

Douglas A. Wolf, Emily W. Wiemers, Iliya Gutin, Jennifer Karas Montez, and Shannon M. Monnat
This brief examines how masking requirements and activity restrictions were associated with gun violence across U.S. counties. The authors find that counties’ indoor masking requirements were linked to a 28% increase in gun violence, while business closures and restrictions were associated with a 4.2% increase. 
January 27, 2026

See related: United States

Latin American Refugees to the U.S. Experience More Discrimination than Refugees from other Regions

Sobia Mushtaq and Janet M. Wilmoth
Discrimination poses serious challenges for refugees rebuilding their lives in the U.S., but not all refugee groups face the same risks. A new survey reveals stark differences by region of origin, with Latin American refugees experiencing substantially higher rates of discrimination than refugees from other regions.
January 6, 2026

See related: United States

Is AI Replacing Human Mental Health Professionals?

Michiko Ueda
An increasing number of Americans are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for mental health support. A new survey of U.S. adults found that nearly 35% use AI tools more than once a week to manage mental health concerns. The findings raise important questions about whether AI is supplementing or replacing traditional mental health care.
December 16, 2025

See related: United States

How Does County Educational Composition Affect Mortality?

Heeyoung Lee and Tse-Chuanang
This brief examines how a county's educational makeup affects mortality rates for both BA holders and non-BA holders. The authors find a troubling pattern: as the share of BA holders in a county increases, mortality declines for BA holders but increases for non-BA holders. 
December 9, 2025

More Girls in the Classroom Improves Adolescent Mental Health

Monica Deza and Maria Zhu
What role does the school environment play in shaping adolescent mental health? This brief examines how the mix of boys and girls in a classroom affects student mental health and wellbeing. The authors find that classrooms with more girls have better mental health outcomes for both boys and girls. 
December 2, 2025

See related: United States

Adult ADHD is Linked to Higher Illicit Drug Use and Prescription Drug Misuse

Andrew S. London, Kevin M. Antshel, Joshua Grove, Iliya Gutin, and Shannon M. Monnat
This brief summarizes findings from a study that describes differences in lifetime and past-year use of 7 illicit drugs (marijuana, cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin, fentanyl, and hallucinogens) and misuse of 4 categories of prescription medications (opioids, tranquilizers, sedatives, and stimulants) between U.S. adults ages 18-64 with and without ADHD in 2023. The authors find that adults with ADHD are 1.6 to 3.3 times more likely to report past-year illicit drug use or prescription drug misuse than those without ADHD.
October 14, 2025

See related: United States

Community-Based Food Program Limits in Reducing Older Adult Food Insecurity

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin
Older adults who are grappling with food insecurity may enhance their food supply through community-based programs that provide free and subsidized food. But these programs can be complex, expensive, and may be difficult for older adults to use. This final brief in our older adult food insecurity series describes the limits of community-based food programs for older adults, including access, food quality, and transportation barriers. 
October 7, 2025

See related: United States

The Limits of SNAP in Addressing Older Adult Food Insecurity

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer
This brief describes how SNAP is currently not well designed for older adults in three respects: (1) the high levels of administrative burden associated with eligibility, certification, and benefit-determination processes, (2) the low value of SNAP benefits compared with the high costs associated with redeeming them, and (3) the high levels of state variation in SNAP policies that produce substantially different conditions for SNAP depending on where one lives.
September 30, 2025

See related: Aging, Food Security, Nutrition, U.S. Health Policy, United States

Nonfinancial Factors Shape Food Insecurity Among U.S. Older Adults

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin
Nonfinancial factors such as poor physical and mental health, lack of access to healthy food, and transportation challenges make it more difficult for older adults to obtain, prepare, and consume healthy food. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes how nonfinancial factors function as both causes and consequences of food insecurity in old age. 
September 23, 2025

Budget Tradeoffs Shape Food Insecurity Among U.S. Older Adults

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin
For low-income older adults, it may be difficult to meet basic needs on a fixed monthly income.  This brief summarizes how budget tradeoffs between food and other essential expenses—housing, utilities, medical care, transportation, and personal and cleaning supplies—shape food insecurity among older adults. 
September 16, 2025

See related: United States

How is Food Insecurity Measured in the US and What Share of Older Adults are Food Insecure?

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer
Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes the limitations of food insecurity measurements, noting that existing measures do not account for barriers that are common among older adults, such as mobility, physical distance, and transportation barriers.
September 9, 2025

See related: United States

Is Health Insurance Related to Breastfeeding Duration?

Anna De La Paz
This data slice describes differences in breastfeeding duration by insurance type among females ages 15-49 in the U.S. from 2022-2023. Findings show that mothers with private insurance breastfeed longer than mothers with public insurance, such as Medicaid. 
August 19, 2025

See related: United States

Heart Attacks are on the Rise among Young and Middle-Aged Adults in the United States

Vicente Cuevas
Heart attacks are on the rise among young and middle-aged adults in the United States. This brief describes these increases, summarizes the role of behavioral, lifestyle, and societal factors, and provides recommendations for organizations, healthcare providers, and policymakers to combat the increase in early-onset heart disease.
April 22, 2025

See related: United States

Breast Cancer Diagnoses are Increasing among Racial and Ethnic Minority Women in the U.S.

Esther Oshaji
This data slice examines trends in breast cancer incidence rates among women by race and ethnicity in the U.S. from 2000 to 2021. The author finds that, while incidence rates remain highest among non-Hispanic White women, the largest increases in diagnoses have been among American Indian/Alaska Native Asian/Pacific Islander women.
March 25, 2025

See related: United States

Older Women in the U.S. Were Lonelier Than Men During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Qiyu Deng
This data slice uses data from the 2020 Health and Retirement Study to examine gender and age differences in loneliness among older adults (50+) in the U.S. during the first year of the pandemic. 
March 18, 2025

See related: United States

How Does the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Impact Time Spent Assisting Adults?

Anna Wiersma Strauss
This brief summarizes findings from a study that examines the effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) on unpaid caregiving for adults. The author finds that in response to more generous EITC benefits, younger recipients increase their time spent on paid work and maintain their time spent assisting adults, while older recipients maintain their time spent on paid work and increase their time spent assisting their parents.
March 11, 2025

See related: United States

Younger Grandparents Provide Less Support to their Grandchildren Now than in the Past

Hyeonji Cho
This data slice uses data from the 2002-2022 Health and Retirement Study to examine the changes in grandparent support to grandchildren by age group in the U.S.
March 4, 2025

See related: United States

Disability Measures Used in U.S. Federal Surveys Significantly Underreport Disability Status

Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Scott D. Landes, Jean P. Hall, and Bonnielin K. Swenor
U.S. federal surveys commonly use two question sets to measure disability: the American Community Survey (ACS-6) and the Washington Group Short Set (WG-SS). This data slice examines the percentage of disabled people captured by these two different survey sets. 
February 25, 2025

How Do Gender and Marital Status Impact High-Risk Polysubstance Use

Kira England and Alexander Chapman
This brief summarizes findings from a study that examined gender and marital status differences in high-risk polysubstance use among U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The authors find that polysubstance use is higher among men and marriage was more protective against polysubstance use for men than women. 
February 18, 2025

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