April 13th, 2011

Research casts sober light on Russia's mortality crisis

While many have blamed Russia's economic and political transition for the increase in deaths following the Soviet Union's collapse, Stanford's Grant Miller and Jay Bhattacharya pin new blame on the demise of an effective anti-alcohol campaign. Most of the deaths during Russia's mortality crisis were from alcohol poisoning, drunken violence or slower killers like heart attacks and strokes, said Miller.
Read more »

November 20th, 2009

Demography & Aging Center Receives Renewed NIA Funding to Support Series of Workshops on Demography Research

Stanford Health Policy has received five years of renewed support for its Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. The National Institute on Aging funding will help expand the center's initiative to inform the academic community about demography and economic research in the area of health and aging. Read more »

August 1st, 2008

Severe Disability Rates Increase in Working-Age Populations

In an August 2008 interview with the Population Reference Bureau (PRB), CHP/PCOR faculty member Jay Bhattacharya discusses the constraints that vulnerable populations face when making decisions that affect their health status. Although the United States has seen a decline in rates of severe disability among its' elderly population, continued improvements in elderly health should not be taken for granted. Recent work has shown that rates of severe disability, measured by the inability to perform basic activities of daily living, have been rising in working age populations. The rise of chronic diseases such diabetes, strokes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may play a substantial role in fueling the disability rate among the working age population. In a recent study, Bhattacharya and colleagues examine the extent to which chronic disease trends explain the disability trends among younger populations.

• » Chronic Disease and Severe Disability Among Working-Age Populations

Read more »

April 3rd, 2008

Eggleston and colleagues receive award for research on China's dramatic pre-1980 health improvements

Official growth in Chinese life expectancy between 1950 and 1980 ranks among the most rapid in documented global history, yet virtually no study has quantitatively assessed the determinants of those longevity gains. Recently Karen Eggleston received notice of an award from Stanford's Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging--supported by the National Institutes of Health / National Institute of Aging--for a study entitled "Health Improvement under Mao and Its Implications for Contemporary Aging in China." Eggleston will undertake this study jointly with colleagues Grant Miller (Stanford) and Hongbin Li (Tsinghua, PRC). Read more »

March 27th, 2007

CDEHA-funded project presentation wins award

CHP/PCOR senior research scholar Dena Bravata and colleague Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler presented "Increasing Physical Activity: Do Pedometers Work?" at the Northern California regional Society of General Internal Medicine meeting this past week. The study looks at the use pedometers to increase physical activity in adults in the outpatient setting. A meta-analysis was conducted of studies that reported assessments of pedometer use. Authors of the study included CHP/PCOR research assistant Allison Gienger, assistant director of research Vandana Sundaram, trainee Nancy Lin, and fellow Ingram Olkin, among others. The project -- fund by the CHP/PCOR's Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging program -- won the award for best presentation. The project was also presented on the 28th at the Center for Disease Prevention Research Conference, and will also be presented in late April in Toronto at the International SGIM meeting.

• » Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging (CDEHA)

January 27th, 2006

Internet use can help patients with stigmatized illness, study finds

A study by CHP/PCOR fellows finds that the Internet can be a valuable tool to help break through the stigma of conditions such as mental illness, by enabling patients to anonymously seek information and treatment.
Read more »

January 18th, 2006

Center on Demography and Economics of Health and Aging seeks '06 research proposals

The Stanford Center on the Demography and Economics of Health and Aging, a research effort based at CHP/PCOR, seeks proposals from Stanford-affiliated investigators for pilot projects focused on themes including medical technology, medical decision-making, healthcare costs and outcomes relating to the elderly. Proposals are due by March 3. Read more »