In a new paper published in the journal Psychological Review, Cory Cobb, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, and colleagues from the University of Texas at Austin, proposed a cultural continuity hypothesis stating that humans are universally motivated to retain and preserve key parts of their cultures across time and space.

For the study, published in Safety and Health at Work, researchers explored how earned sick leave laws impact rates of reportable nonfatal illness or injury across major industry categories. They obtained annual state rates of occupational nonfatal illness or injury reports and earned sick leave policy data. They found that states that implemented earned sick leave prior to 2019 saw a marginally significant increase in the rates of illness and injury reporting across industries after these policies were introduced.

A common narrative in the U.S. links a city’s political leanings with the level of racial bias in that city. But these assumptions are often too simple, suggests a new study in NPJ Complexity. Instead of neatly divided party lines, the study paints a patchwork picture, revealing 58 cities — nearly 40% of the cities analyzed — where political affiliation and racial attitudes do not conform to partisan expectations.

Based on individual interviews with adolescents and focus group discussions, researchers from São Paulo State University have created a classification of the coping strategies used by young people in situations of school bullying. The study also provides recommendations for educational institutions.

Parents, it is not just your imagination – you are spending more time, money and resources on your kids’ sports activities than moms and dads from previous generations. A new nationwide study found that these trends are particularly pronounced for those parents who are highly educated, those immersed in sports cultures and those whose kids are highly committed to sports activities.

Improved understanding of social determinants of health 

— 

EULAR – The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology – acknowledges the impact of socioeconomic factors on the persistence of rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMD), and the society’s manifesto includes tackling lifestyle determinants, promoting active ageing, and developing RMD education and communication programmes.¹ Health literacy has also been flagged as central to the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases – including RMD – by the World Health Organization.²