EurekAlert! News by Subject: Policy & Ethics - News by Subject: Policy & Ethics

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 20-Nov-2025 18:11 ET (20-Nov-2025 23:11 GMT/UTC)

13-Aug-2025

Most low carbon taxes are not designed to lower carbon emissions

Carbon taxes are widely seen as one of the most effective policy options for reducing emissions. However, the main rationale behind initially low carbon taxes is often not to reduce emissions but to generate tax revenues or meet international expectations, according to a study published in the Cell Press journal One Earth on August 13. As noted by the authors, the observations cast doubt on whether carbon taxes should always be viewed as climate policies.

Journal: One Earth

13-Aug-2025

Study: As temperatures and humidity rise, so do emergency room visits for heart conditions

Tulane University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

High humidity, when combined with extreme heat, was associated with a six times higher risk of a heart-related emergency room visit.

Journal: Science of The Total Environment
Funder: National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Academies of Sciences of Gulf Research Program

13-Aug-2025

Rise in gun violence in top U.S. movies parallels growth in gun homicides among young people

Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The growth in firearm use for violent purposes in the most popular U.S. movies over more than two decades closely paralleled the increase in firearm use in real-world homicide rates among young people 15 to 24 years old, according to a new analysis by the Annenberg Public Policy Center.

Journal: Journal of Adolescent Health
Funder: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

13-Aug-2025

How social factors influence patients’ fitness before surgery

Lancaster University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Social and environmental factors may influence fitness ahead of surgery reveals research led by Lancaster University.

The study was led by PhD researcher Dr Donna Shrestha from Lancaster Medical School, where her research focuses on health inequalities in the surgical patient pathway. She is also a senior resident doctor with a specialist interest in colorectal surgery.

The research published in PLOS ONE suggests that patients from more socioeconomically deprived areas may have lower cardiorespiratory fitness at the time of preoperative assessment.

Journal: PLOS One

13-Aug-2025

Most women feel underinformed following prenatal screening for Down syndrome

University of Warwick
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from University of Warwick has revealed mixed experiences for expectant mothers undergoing prenatal screening for Down syndrome, with many reporting a lack of sufficient information and impartiality.

Journal: American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A
Funder: ESRC Midlands Graduate School DTP

12-Aug-2025

Historically redlined areas face disparities in emergency medical access and serious consequences for patients, new study finds

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study reveals that the legacy of redlining—a discriminatory housing policy from the 1930s—is associated with inequities in rapid access to emergency medical services (EMS) today. These disparities in prehospital care can have serious consequences for patients experiencing life-threatening conditions such as major trauma, stroke, cardiac arrest, or septic shock.

Journal: JAMA Network Open
Funder: NIH/National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

12-Aug-2025

New core competency framework enhances support for SNAP-ED policy and environmental change implementers

Elsevier
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A recent study in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, published by Elsevier, outlines a set of core competencies designed to support professionals implementing policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change initiatives in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). Developed through a participatory process with experienced practitioners, the framework addresses the unique demands of systems-level public health work.

Journal: Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Funder: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education Program Development Team, South Dakota State University