The 15% expansion of food stamp payments under the supplemental nutrition assistance program, or SNAP for short, during the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced the odds of needy children going hungry, especially in Hispanic-American and large households, finds research to be published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Large-scale, government-led cash transfer programs drove significant improvements in health outcomes across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), according to a major new study in The Lancet from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. More women received health care early in their pregnancies, more babies were born in health facilities, and more births were attended by trained health workers when governments gave money through cash transfer programs. 

A new study published in Molecular Psychiatry reveals that the biological underpinnings of autism and ADHD may transcend traditional diagnostic boundaries. Researchers from the Child Mind Institute and collaborating institutions discovered that autism symptom severity, rather than diagnostic classification, corresponds to distinct patterns of brain connectivity and related gene expression in children diagnosed with either autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This finding supports an evolving clinical and research landscape that aims to better define the roots of neurodevelopmental co-occurrences.

After 24 months, 34% of veterans who have heart and blood vessel disease and high cholesterol in a quality improvement program that included health care coaches and other resources had improved cholesterol levels to below 70 mg/dL.

A grocery support program based on the low-sodium DASH eating plan that included home-delivered groceries and dietary counseling reduced blood pressure levels in Black adults living in areas where grocery stores were inaccessible or scarce, known as food deserts.

New research co-led by The Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer's and Neurodegenerative Diseases at UT Health San Antonio shows that a simple blood test for platelet activity at middle age could one day help identify early risk for Alzheimer's disease.