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Shift in HIV prevention priorities needed - reducing multiple sexual partnerships and providing male circumcision services should be emphasized

According to a new policy analysis led by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of California, Berkeley, the most common HIV prevention strategies-condom promotion, HIV testing, treatment of other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), vaccine and microbicide research, and abstinence-are having a limited impact on the predominantly heterosexual epidemics found in Africa.

8 May 2008

A stable post-divorce family environment helps minimize long-term harm to children

For children of divorce, what happens after their parents split up may be just as important to their long-term well-being as the divorce itself.

7 May 2008

Report slates service provision for children with autism

A hard-hitting report on the lack of statutory services for children with autism and their parents and carers will be published this week.

26 Apr 2008

Siblings may be to blame for low grades, bad behavior

We all know the story of a man named Brady and the group that somehow formed a family. But if the iconic '70s sitcom about a "blended" family reflected reality, the Brady Bunch likely would have been dealing with much more than silly sibling squabbles.

22 Apr 2008

Early family choices may be a productive option for many young adults

Young people are always encouraged to complete their education and postpone marriage and children to achieve more rewarding lifestyles.

31 Mar 2008

The brain can sense the calories in food, independent of taste

Their finding that the brain's reward system is switched on by this “sixth sense” machinery could have implications for understanding the causes of obesity. For example, the findings suggest why high-fructose corn syrup, widely used as a sweetener in foods, might contribute to obesity.

28 Mar 2008

How wealth affects children's cognitive achievement

A new study published in the March/April 2008 issue of the journal Child Development finds that family wealth might partly explain differences in test scores in school-age children.

26 Mar 2008

Neighborhoods play role in how much people exercise

The neighborhoods people live in can help inspire – or discourage – their residents to exercise and keep physically active, new research suggests.

18 Mar 2008

Girls catch up with boys in high school maths - study looks at why

Girls in high school take as many math courses as boys, influenced by close friends and peers who are doing well in school.

8 Feb 2008

Divorce may hinder father-child closeness

The typical distancing from parents by adolescents is exacerbated by divorce for fathers, but not for mothers, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Marriage and Family.

10 Jan 2008

Creative and challenging work helps people stay healthy

Employees who have more control over their daily activities and do challenging work they enjoy are likely to be in better health, according to a new study from The University of Texas at Austin published in this month's Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

20 Dec 2007

How doctors deal with the risk embedded in the medical system

Risk is an inherent element of the hospital system and the resulting dangers are often normalised by medical staff to allow them to do their job, according to research by a University of Nottingham academic.

18 Dec 2007

New scheme to revolutionise system of prescribing medicines

Patients could be saved millions of trips to their GP under a new scheme that has the potential to revolutionise the system of prescribing medicines.

18 Dec 2007

Deference or respect? status management practices among prison inmates

In community settings, there's always at least one person or perhaps a group of individuals who are most highly respected. Prison systems are no different; one's social status results from interpersonal dynamics.

17 Dec 2007

Experts call for a change in Australian law to aid people with schizophrenia

A group of Sydney researchers has shown that mental health law which focuses on "dangerousness" rather than the right to treatment can delay proper care for up to six months.

14 Dec 2007

Study finds divorce does not change parenting behavior

New research is challenging the notion that parents who divorce necessarily exhibit a diminished capacity to parent in the period following divorce.

10 Dec 2007

Living longer with obesity means heavier burden for hospitals

Living longer with obesity can lead to both longer hospital stays and more avoidable trips to the hospital, according to two new studies from Purdue University.

10 Dec 2007

Labor market work and home care's unpaid caregivers

People who provide intensive and time-consuming care to others at home - such as assisting with feeding, bathing and toileting - are the caregivers who are most vulnerable to dropping out of the labor force, according to a new systematic review of studies on unpaid caregivers.

10 Dec 2007

York academics to help shape access to medical database

Social scientists at the University of York are to investigate public attitudes to the way medical information relating to hundreds of thousands of people is managed, particularly the rules governing third-party access to the data.

5 Dec 2007

Gap in health rates between socioeconomic classes unchanged

Over the past century, the United States has witnessed historic advances in public health and medicine that have contributed to improved health and a significant increase in life expectancy for all socioeconomic groups.

5 Dec 2007