How to prevent obesity? Look to anti-smoking efforts

May 25th, 2017

Almost half of deaths in the U.S. are caused by our decisions to engage in unhealthy behaviors like poor food choices and alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug use. So it should be easy to improve health, right? Not really, as it turns out. People continue to make self-destructive choices, despite knowing that their behaviors will likely cause them problems in the long run. That means policymakers need to understand why people make those choices, and then give them good

An ounce of prevention for depression and anxiety

April 20th, 2017

A shocking third of Americans have been affected by clinical depression or anxiety in their lifetimes. That high number suggests that mood disorders, which were once thought of as personal problems, may be more accurately thought of as societal problems. Indeed, social and economic trends like the recession of 2008 are correlated with the prevalence of depression. And the implications are societal as well; depression cost the American economy over $200 billion in a

Should Non-Standard English Be Taught in Schools?

March 15th, 2017

The 2016 presidential election brought into sharp focus the divisions among Americans about how to handle diversity. While race and country of origin came to the forefront of public and private debates, language is another issue that sparks passionate arguments. Oral language – the words we say and the way we speak them – is a strong marker of cultural background, not just across countries, but within them.

Americans have long debated educational policies for

Getting kids to eat more vegetables, easy-peasy

“Eat your vegetables” is a frequent refrain at many a family dinner table. Children are not known for their love of vegetables, and parents often find themselves prompting, cajoling, or bribing their kids to get their vitamins and minerals. But parents aren’t present at every mealtime. Even many young children eat one or more meals a day at school. How can schools get students to consume more fruits and vegetables so that their brains and bodies will get the nutrients they need to