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Editor:
Tonya Allen
allen@pop.psu.edu
PRInformation Fall 2000 - Focus on Population Health
Contents
- Note from the Director
- Faculty Focus
- Staff News
- Student News
- Alumni News
- Articles of Interest
- New External Research Funding at PRI
- Selected Publications
The concept of population health is a central topic in demographic research. Recognition of population aging has focused the attention of policy makers and of the public on the ties between declining mortality at older ages and changes in the quality of life lived. Long-standing social problems such as adolescent pregnancy, poverty, and economic inequality have drawn attention to the vast socioeconomic and race/ethnic differences in infant mortality, child development, adolescent health, and chronic health problems at older ages. Demonstrating the significance of this area for demographic research, two of the four current research themes identified in PRI's recent R24 proposal address population health topics. These are: the interrelationships among health, socioeconomic attainment processes, and demographic processes over the life course; and the economic, social, and health consequences in immigration and barriers to assimilation.
Infant mortality is a key public health problem in the United States, and shows clear differentiation by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. The Puerto Rican Maternal and Infant Health Study (PRMIHS), led by Dr. Nancy Landale and Dr. R. Salvador Oropesa (sociology), is a multi-year data collection and analysis project focusing on the determinants of poor infant health among Puerto Ricans. Dr. Jana Pressler (nursing), brings a clinical focus to this research area, investigating increased risk factors for morbidity in neonates, and the behavior of infants at increased risk for morbidity.
Women's health, especially the health of aging women, is another topic which has received much recent attention in the United States, and is the focus of the Tremin Trust Research Program on Women's Health, directed by Dr. Phyllis Mansfield (women's studies and health education). This intergenerational study, now in its 67th year, was originally founded to document the normal menstrual cycle, but has given rise to important investigations in associated topics, such as menopause. Dr. Mansfield's own research centers on the intersection of various factors, including biological, sociological, and demographic, influencing the health status of midlife and aging women.
Numerous other PRI projects investigate equally pressing population health concerns. Dr. Clancy Blair (human development and family studies) integrates developmental psychology with biological and epidemiological perspectives to investigate the problem of poor school readiness. Dr. Terry Hartman (nutrition) currently focuses on the relationships between diet, nutrition, and cancer incidence and control, as well as nutrition's impact on fertility and pregnancy outcome. Dr. Gary King (biobehavioral health) is known for his examination of the smoking behavior of African Americans, and of the race concept in health. Dr. George Vogler (biobehavioral health) explores several areas relevant to health and chronic disease over the lifespan, including biological and behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular disease; and genetic and social influences on substance abuse. Dr. Mark D. Hayward is examining the race gap in chronic health conditions, and assessing how socioeconomic resources over the life cycle contribute to these disparities in health. The research interests of Dr. Mark Hill (sociology) include inequalities in socioeconomic status and mortality, the demography of population health, and the influence of early-life conditions throughout the life course. Dr. Joseph Terza (economics) focuses on the economic causes and consequences of smoking and substance abuse, and also on the problem of health care financing, particularly among elderly Americans.
Access to and affordability of health care have been increasingly serious concerns in the United States for more than a decade, with 44 million Americans currently uninsured and millions more inadequately served. Dr. Dennis Shea (health policy and administration and economics) investigates the economic determinants of health service use and health insurance among older Americans, focusing particularly on long-term care and mental health care. Dr. Pamela Short (health policy and administration) examines limitations of public and private insurance, studying both disparities in insurance and the effects of those disparities on access to and use of health services, quality of care, and health itself. Bringing a spatial analysis component to the subject, Dr. Stephen Matthews (geography) studies health service utilization and availability based on geographic access to these services.
Many more of PRI's researchers also investigate questions related to population health. Some of their recent work is highlighted in this edition of PRInformation. Further details can be found on our web site.
Mark D. Hayward
Director
New Faculty Associates
Dr. George Farkas (Ph.D., 1973, sociology, Cornell), professor of sociology. Research interests: poverty and inequality, sociology of education, and social policy.
Dr. Michael Foster (Ph.D., 1990, economics, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill), associate professor of health policy and administration. Research interests: children's mental health policy and the demography of disadvantage.
Dr. Mark Hill (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania), assistant professor of sociology and demography. Research interests: race/ethnicity, African American mortality, and the influence of skin color on socioeconomic achievement.
Dr. Jouni Kuha (Ph.D., 1996, social statistics, University of Southampton), assistant professor of statistics. Research interests: statistical models for handling mismeasured data, and methods for comparison and selection of statistical models.
New Faculty Affiliates
Dr. Roger Finke (Ph.D., University of Washington), professor of sociology. Research interests: the consequences of changing church-state relations, organizational innovation and strategic management in religious organizations, professional networks and the formation of new movements.
Dr. Ibrahim Ibrahim (Ph.D., 1997, health services research and organization, Virginia Commonwealth University), assistant professor of health policy and administration. Research interests: health promotion, disease prevention, and disease management models.
Dr. Andrea Piccinin (Ph.D., 1994, psychology, University of Southern California), Coordinator for Statistical Consulting, and Director, Statistical Consulting Center, Penn State Statistics Department.
Promotions
Dr. Douglas A. Granger, to associate professor
Dr. Leif I. Jensen, to professor
Dr. Stephen A. Matthews, to associate professor
Dr. Michael J. Shanahan, to associate professor
Dr. Dennis G. Shea, to professor
Dr. Keith E. Whitfield, to associate professor
Invited Speakers
Dr. Gordon F. De Jong, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Demography and director, Graduate Program in Demography, presented an invited address to the Office of General Council University, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Mark D. Hayward, Director of the Population Research Institute and professor of sociology and demography, gave an address at the Institute on Aging at the University of Florida. His presentation focused on the consequences of childhood socioeconomic disadvantage in heightening men's mortality risks at older ages.
Dr. Bruce G. Lindsay, Distinguished Professor of Statistics and director, Statistics Core, was the 2000 Ida Beam Lecturer at the University of Iowa.
Dr. Stephen A. Matthews, associate professor of demography and sociology (adjunct geography), gave a series of invited presentations at the Population Reference Bureau on the topic of "Demographic Research and Geographic Information Science" in October, 2000. The presentations focused on new directions and challenges in the field of GIS and how geographic information systems are being used in both domestic and international demographic research.
Awards and Recognition
Dr. Alan Booth was named Distinguished Professor of Sociology in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the University.
Dr. Constance Flanagan, associate professor of agricultural and extension education, was named a Fellow of the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), Division 9 of the APA.
Dr. Mark D. Hayward, Director of the Population Research Institute and professor of sociology and demography, began a two-year term as Council Member, National Archive of Computerized Data on Aging, University of Michigan. He also recently jointed the advisory board of the Brookdale Fellowship program, and he was appointed to the National Longitudinal Surveys Technical Review Committee, Bureau of Labor Statistics (2000-2003).
Dr. Daniel T. Lichter, faculty affiliate, was elected council member, Sociology of Children Section of the American Sociological Association.
Dr. Stephen A. Matthews, associate professor of demography and sociology (adjunct geography), has been appointed a member of the NIH Social Sciences, Nursing, Epidemiology and Methods (SNEM) Integrated Review Group study section on community-based interventions (SNEM-1); and of the Small Business Innovation Research Review (SBIR).
Dr. R. Barry Ruback, professor of crime, law and justice and director, Center for Research on Crime and Justice, has been appointed to the editorial board of Crime and Justice Research.
Dr. Elizabeth Susman, Shibley Professor of Biobehavorial Health and professor of human development and nursing, was named consulting editor of the Journal of Research on Adolescence.
Dr. Marylee Taylor, associate professor of sociology, was named deputy editor of Social Psychology Quarterly.
Dr. Kenneth M. Weiss has been named Evan Pugh Professor of Anthropology. Named after the first president of Penn State University, this award is the highest distinction that the university can bestow upon a faculty member, and has been awarded to only 53 professors since 1960, the year of its inception.
Dr. Wilbur Zelinsky, professor emeritus of geography, was awarded the Cullum Geographical Medal by the American Geographical Society. The award, conferred on 65 recipients since its establishment in 1896, honors those "who distinguish themselves by geographical discoveries, or in the advancement of geographical science."
New Staff
Stephanie Koons, Library Staff Assistant
Jennifer Darragh, Data Archivist
Stephen Graham, GIA Analyst/Programmer
Michael Stout, GIA Analyst/Programmer
Other News
Stephen Graham, GIA Analyst/Programmer, successfully defended his dissertation entitled "Continental River Routing for Fully Coupled Climate System Models" in October, 2000.
Jeanne Spicer, manager, programming services, and Cynthia Mitchell and Leslie Benson, research analysts/programmers, presented their paper "SAS ON-LINE DATA ARCHIVE at a Population Center (S.O.D.A. POP)" at the North East SAS User's Group (NESUG) conference in Philadelphia in September, 2000. The paper's other co-authors were David Barro and Steve Maczuga, research analysts/programmers.
Recent Appointments
Deborah Graefe accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at Penn State University in the NIMH Family Research Consortium.
Constance Mugalla accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Disease Control.
Lisa Pearce accepted a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan.
New Students in the Graduate Program in Demography
Paola Aritomi, B.A., Catholic University (Peru), human development & family studies and demography
Juhee Baek, Korea, human development & family studies and demography
Prem Bandari, Nepal, rural sociology and demography
Cristina Bradatan, M.A., University of Bucharest, sociology and demography
Jacob Cheadle, M.A., Western Washington University, sociology and demography
Josefine de Roepstorff, Denmark, anthropology and demography
Stacy E. Klein, B.A., Wake Forest University, human development & family studies and demography
Bob D. Lee, M.A., Clemson University, leisure studies (demography minor)
Brian E. Lego, M.S., West Virginia University, agricultural economics and demography
Danielle May, B.A., Western Washington University, sociology and demography
Juliana McGene, M.A., Arizona State University, sociology and demography
Flora Nankhuni, M.A., Pennsylvania State University, forest resources (demography minor)
Denise Wallin, B.A., Washington and Lee University, sociology and demography
Kimberly Workman, B.A., Presbyterian College, sociology and demography
Michelle Inkley is Grant Program Officer for the Thrasher Foundation.
Anastasia Snyder is assistant professor of rural sociology at Penn State University.
2000 Family Issues Symposium
The Fall 2000 Family Symposium, Just Living Together: Implications of Cohabitation for Children, Families, and Social Policy, was held October 30-31 at the Nittany Lion Inn, Penn State. Organized by Dr. Alan Booth, professor of sociology and human development, and Ann C. Crouter, the symposium examined the origins of informal unions and how they are linked to the economy and prevailing attitudes and values, as well as the consequences of cohabitation for family relationships and for the well-being of children who live with adults in such unions. The symposium concluded with a focus on policy issues and legal rights and obligations. Lead speakers were Kathleen E. Kiernan, London School of Economics & Political Science; Pamela J. Smock, University of Michigan; Wendy Manning, Bowling Green State University; and Wendell Primus, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities.
New Discussion Groups
Three discussion groups have been initiated at PRI in the past year. The first to be established was a working group on children and families, followed by a discussion group on inequality. The third is a working group focusing on the general area of population health, including psychological well-being, infant and child health and development, chronic disease and functioning, health risk behaviors, and mortality.
NEW EXTERNAL RESEARCH FUNDING AT PRI
American Religion Data Archive
Dr. Roger Finke, professor of sociology, has received a 30-month award from the Lilly Foundation to support the continued operation of the American Religion Data Archive. This is the largest data archive in the United States to focus on religious topics.
Family Structure and Child Outcomes: The Impact of Diversity and Dynamics
Dr. Rukmalie Jayakody, assistant professor of human development & family studies and demography, has received funding from the W.T. Grant Foundation for five years to study the impact of family structure on child outcomes by correcting the conceptual and methodological problems inherent in prior work. One goal of the project is to go beyond a comparison of one- and two-parent families, and examine the complete household context of single-mother families. A second goal is to avoid focusing on family structure at a single point in time in favor of relying on a dynamic measure. The final goal of the project is to investigate potential differences in the effects of family structure and family structure changes according to the age and sex of the child. Data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and its 1997 Child Development Supplement will be used to examine these issues.
The Relationship between Victimization and Offending Juveniles
Dr. R. Barry Ruback, professor of crime, law & justice, and Jennifer Shaffer, graduate student in crime, law & justice, received funding from the National Center for Juvenile Justice and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency to investigate the links between criminal offending and criminal victimization among juveniles. The researchers will use data from the first two waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health Study) to determine the relation between victimization and offending over time, factors that might explain the relation between victimization and offending, and whether contextual factors have an impact on this relation.
Profiles of Uninsured Families
Dr. Linda M. Burton, professor of human development & family studies and sociology, received an award from The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation to examine low-income and welfare families and their experiences related to health coverage, enrollment in public programs, health access, and outcomes. The families to be included in the project will be obtained from the four-year, three-city longitudinal study entitled "Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study."
Abler, D.G. and J.S. Shortle (2000). "Climate Change and Agriculture in the Mid-Atlantic Region." Climate Research 14(3):185-194.
Albanes, D., N. Malila, P.R. Taylor, J.K. Huttunen, J. Virtamo, B.K. Edwards, M. Rautalahti, A.M. Hartman, M.J. Barrett, P. Pietinen, T.J. Hartman, et al. (2000). "Effects of Supplemental Alpha-Tocopherol and Beta-Carotene on Colorectal Cancer: Results from a Controlled Trial." Cancer Causes and Control 11(3):197-205.
Astone, N.M., R. Schoen, M. Ensminger, and K. Rothert (2000). "School Reentry in Early Adulthood: The Case of Inner-City African Americans." Sociology of Education 73(3):133-154.
Baker, D.P. and G. LeTendre (2000). "Comparative Sociology of Classroom Processes, School Organization, and Achievement." In Hallinan, M.T. (Ed.), Handbook of the Sociology of Education. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Cornwell, G.T., F. Nyangara, D. Shoop, and S. Copella (2000). Pennsylvania's Rural Women: A Demographic Profile. Report to the Center for Rural Pennsylvania.
Corsi, A. and J.L. Findeis (2000). "True State Dependence and Heterogeneity in Off-Farm Labour Participation." European Review of Agricultural Economics 27(2):127-151.
Delaronde, S., G. King, R. Bendel, et al. (2000). "Opinions among Mandated Reporters toward Child Maltreatment Reporting Policies." Child Abuse & Neglect 24(7):901-910.
Elder, G.H., Jr., and R.D. Conger, in collaboration with V. King, L.S. Matthews, D. Mekos, S.T. Russell, and M.J. Shanahan (2000). Children of the Land: Adversity and Success in Rural America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Eloundou-Enyegue, P.M., C.S. Stokes, and G.T. Cornwell (2000). "Are There Crisis-Led Fertility Declines? Evidence from Central Cameroon." Population Research and Policy Review 19(1):47-72.
Farkas, G. (2000). "Tutoring for Low-Income Children via Vouchers to Their Parents." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19(1):143-145.
Farkas, G. (2000). "Teaching Low-Income Children to Read at Grade Level." Contemporary Sociology 29(1):53-62.
Farkas, G. and S. Hall (2000). "Can Title I Attain Its Goal?" In Ravitch, D. (Ed.), Brookings Papers on Education Policy. Washington, D.C., Brookings Institution Press.
Finke, R. and P. Wittberg (2000. "Organizational Revival from Within: Explaining Revivalism and Reform in the Roman Catholic Church." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 39(2):154-170.
Firebaugh, G. (2000). "Trends in Between-Nation Income Inequality." Annual Review of Sociology 26.
Firebaugh, G. (2000). "Observed Trends in Between-Nation Income Inequality, and Two Conjectures." American Journal of Sociology.
Flanagan, C.A. and M. Pancer (2000). "Adolescents' Views of Legal Constraints on Health Risk Behaviors." Journal of Adolescent Research.
Granger, D.A., A. Booth and D.R. Johnson (2000). "Human Aggression and Enumerative Measures of Immunity." Psychosomatic Medicine 62(4):583-590.
Handcock, M.S., S.M. Huovilainen, and M.S. Rendall (2000). "Combining Registration-System and Survey Data to Estimate Birth Probabilities." Demography 37(2):187-192.
Hauan, S.M., N.S. Landale, and K.T. Leicht (2000). "Poverty and Work Effort among Urban Latino Men." Work and Occupations 27(2):188-222.
Hill, M.E. (2000). "Color Differences in the Socioeconomic Status of African American Men: Results of a Longitudinal Study." Social Forces 78(4):1437-1460.
Hill, M.E., S.H. Preston, and I. Rosenwaike (2000). "Age Reporting and Mortality among White Americans Aged 85+: Results of a Record Linkage Study." Demography 37(2):175-186.
Jayakody, R., S. Danziger, and H. Pollack (2000). "Welfare Reform, Substance Use, and Mental Health." Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law 25(4):623-651.
Jonsson, B. and C.A. Flanagan (2000). "Young People's Views of Distributive Justice, Rights, and Obligations: A Cross-Cultural Study." International Social Science Journal 164:195-208.
King, V., G.H. Elder, Jr., and R.D. Conger (2000). "Wisdom of the Ages." In Elder, G.H. and R.D. Conger (Eds.), Children of the Land: Adversity and Success in Rural America. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Kittell, L. and P.K. Mansfield (2000). "What Perimenopausal Women Think about Using Hormones during Menopause." Women and Health 30(4).
Laditka, S.B. and M.D. Hayward (2000). "The Evolution of Demographic Methods to Calculate Active Life Expectancy." In Robine, J.M., C. Jagger, E.M. Crimmins, and C.D. Mathers (Eds.), Health Expectancies at the Dawn of the Third Millenium.
Lindsay, B.G., R.S. Pilla, and P. Basak (2000). "Moment-Based Approximations of Distributions Using Mixtures: Theory and Applications." Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics 52(2):215-230.
Mansfield, P.K., P. Koch, and A. Voda (2000). "Midlife Women's Attributions for their Sexual Response Changes." Health Care for Women International 21.
Mattevi, V.S., M. Fiegenbaum, F.M. Salzano, K.M. Weiss, et al. (2000). "Beta-Globin Gene Cluster Haplotypes in Two North American Indigenous Populations." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 112(3):311-317.
McKeigue, P.M., J.R. Carpenter, E.J. Parra, and M.D. Shriver (2000). "Estimation of Admixture and Detection of Linkage in Admixed Populations by a Bayesian Approach: Application to African-American Populations." Annals of Human Genetics 64:171-186.
Miech, R.A. and M.J. Shanahan (2000). "Socioeconomic Status and Depression over the Life Course." Journal of Health and Social Behavior 41:162-176.
Morris, M., M.J. Wawer, F. Makumbi, et al. (2000). "Condom Acceptance Is Higher Among Travelers in Uganda." AIDS 14(6):733-741.
Morris, M., M.S. Handcock, and A. Bernhardt (2000). "Comparing Earnings Inequality Using Two Major Surveys." Monthly Labor Review 123(3):48-61.
Nelson, T.L., G.P. Vogler, et al. (2000). "Genetic and Environmental Influences on Body Fat Distribution, Fasting Insulin Levels and CVD: Are the Influences Shared?" Twin Research 3(1):43-50.
Oropesa, R.S. and B.K. Gorman (2000). "Ethnicity, Immigration, and Beliefs about Marriage as a 'Tie that Binds'." In Waite, L., C. Bachrach, M. Hindin, E. Thomson, and A. Thornton (Eds.), Ties that Bind: Perspectives on Marriage and Cohabitation. Hawthorne, CA: Aldine de Gruyter.
Oropesa, R.S. and N.S. Landale (2000). "From Austerity to Prosperity? Migration and Child Poverty among Mainland and Island Puerto Ricans." Demography 37(3):323-338.
Pardo, P.J., M.A. Knesevich, G.P. Vogler, et al. (2000). "Genetic and State Variables of Neurocognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia: A Twin Study." Schizophrenia Bulletin 26(2):459-477.
Pienta, A., M.D. Hayward, and K.R. Jenkins (2000). "Patterns of Health and Marriage in Later Life." Journal of Family Issues 21:559-586.
Post, D. (2000). "Student Movements, User Fees, and Access to Mexican Higher Education: Trends in the Effect of Social Background and Family Income, 1984-1996." Mexican Studies/Estudios Mexicanos 16:141-163.
Post, D. and S.L. Pong (2000). "International Policies on Early Adolescent Employment: An Evaluation from the U.S. and TIMSS Participant Nations." International Journal of Educational Policy, Research, and Practice 2:153-170.
Pressler, J.L. and J.T. Hepworth (2000). "The Conceptualization, Measurement, and Validation of Transient Mechanical Birth Trauma." Clinical Nursing Research 9:317-338.
Reardon, S.F., J.T. Yun, and T. M. Eitle (2000). "The Changing Structure of School Segregation: Measurement and Evidence of Multi-Racial Metropolitan Area School Segregation, 1989-1995." Demography 37:351-364.
Shanahan, M.J. (2000). "Pathways to Adulthood in Changing Societies: Variability and Mechanisms in Life Course Perspective." Annual Review of Sociology 26:667-692.
Short, P.F. (2000). "Hitting a Moving Target: Income-Related Health Insurance Subsidies for the Uninsured." Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19(3):383-405.
Shriver, M.D. and E.J. Parra (2000). "Comparison of Narrow-Band Reflectance Spectroscopy and Tristimulus Colorimetry for Measurements of Skin and Hair Color in Persons of Different Biological Ancestry." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 112(1):17-27.
Silver, E. (2000). "Race, Neighborhood Disadvantage, and Violence among Persons with Mental Disorders: The Importance of Contextual Measurement." Law and Human Behavior 24(4):449-456.
Stark, R. and R. Finke (2000). Acts Of Faith: Explaining the Human Side of Religion. Berkeley : University of California Press.
Steadman, H.J., E. Silver, et al. (2000). "Classification Tree Approach to the Development of Actuarial Violence Risk Assessment Tools." Law and Human Behavior 24(1):83-100.
Steyer, R., I. Partchev, and M.J. Shanahan (2000). "Modeling True Intraindividual Change in Structural Equation Models: The Case of Poverty and Children's Psychosocial Adjustment." In Little, T.D. (Ed.) et al., Modeling Longitudinal and Multilevel Data: Practical Issues, Applied Approaches and Specific Examples. Lawrence Erlbaum.
Taylor, M.C. (2000). "Social Contextual Strategies for Reducing Racial Discrimination." In Oskamp, S. (Ed.), Reducing Prejudice and Discrimination. Mahwah, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum
Wang, H. and P. Amato (2000). "Predictors of Divorce Adjustment: Stressors, Resources, and Definitions." Journal of Marriage and the Family 62:655-668.
Weiss, K. (2000). "Revisiting Phenotypes in an Age of Genotypes." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 111:295-299.
Weiss, K.M. and S.M. Fullerton (2000). "Phenogenetic Drift and the Evolution of Genotype-Phenotype Relationships." Theoretical Population Biology 57(3):187-195.
Zhao, Z.Y., D.W. Stock, A.V. Buchanan, and K.M. Weiss (2000). "Expression of Dlx Genes during the Development of the Murine Dentition." Development Genes and Evolution 210(5):270-275.
PRInformation is published twice yearly by the Population Research Institute, Penn State. Please address correspondence to the editor, Tonya Allen, 601 Oswald Tower, Penn State, University Park, PA 16802-4900.
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