Public Health | Penn Today

Tuesday could be the beginning of the end of Philadelphia’s soda tax

Christina Roberto of the Perelman School of Medicine commented on Philadelphia’s soda tax: “It’s not surprising that, if you raise the price of something, people will buy less of it.”

soda can with straw surrounded by a pile of sugar cubes

Philadelphia’s sweetened drink sales drop 38 percent after beverage tax

Findings from a Penn study support beverage taxes as a promising policy tool to help improve public health.

These pediatricians ‘prescribe’ kids books, to boost your baby’s brain

James Guevara of the Perelman School of Medicine spoke about the Reach Out and Read program, which provides families with books to promote literacy and parent-child bonding. He also discussed his research, which suggests that reminding parents via text message to interact with their children can lead to a “richer home reading environment.”

Baby steps toward guaranteed incomes and racial justice

Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice said, of the effects of poverty on mental and physical health, that “science shows us that financial stress shows up in the body over time.”

Person covering their face with their hands beneath a blossoming cherry tree.

Is climate change making the allergy season worse?

The timeline for seasonal hay fever has expanded in recent years. With the warmer temperatures, and a longer frost-free season, we may be exposed to more allergenic plants, leading to longer and more severe allergy seasons.

New intervention increases healthy behavior among South African adolescents

A new study from the Annenberg School for Communication led by John B. Jemmott found that a specially designed health intervention given to South African youth improved healthy eating and amount of exercise, with effects lasting at least 4.5 years.

Breastfeeding mums are finally getting spaces to pump at some U.S. institutions

Diane Spatz of the School of Nursing discussed her research about on-campus lactation spaces. “The research is indisputable that breastfeeding improves the lives of individual mothers and infants and results in overall better societal outcomes,” said Spatz.

Sen. Casey pushes to end ‘boyfriend loophole’ in domestic abuse bill over NRA objections

Susan B. Sorenson of the School of Social Policy & Practice and U.S. Sen. Robert Casey and joined a panel of advocates at Penn on Friday to discuss the Violence Against Women Act and the need to close the “boyfriend loophole,” which fails to protect non-married victims of domestic violence.

Two men sitting cross-legged on a wooden bench.

For Kennett Square’s mushroom farmworkers, healthy interventions come directly to the workplace

With the President’s Engagement Prize, seniors José Maciel and Antonio Renteria plan to bring subjects like nutrition and sleep to the workers, reinforcing preventive screenings already provided by a local, federally qualified health center.

Brotherly love: Teens power snack success

The Netter Center for Community Partnerships partnered with high school students to form Rebel Ventures, a nonprofit test kitchen developing healthy snacks made for and by young Philadelphians.

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