EurekAlert! News by Subject: Social & Behavior - News by Subject: Social & Behavior

Social & Behavior

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 10-May-2025 10:09 ET (10-May-2025 14:09 GMT/UTC)

Study finds most Americans oppose detaining sick undocumented immigrants but support post-treatment detention

Texas A&M University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers with the Texas A&M University School of Public Health surveyed more than 6,100 respondents. Their study is thought to be the first to assess the public’s perceptions of the role of the nation’s interior border checkpoints as gatekeepers to health care access.

Journal: Health Economics Policy and Law

Long COVID prevalence and associated activity limitation in US children

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In 2023, post–COVID condition (PCC) continued to affect U.S. children at similar levels as 2022 and to have similar sociodemographic patterns. The large proportion of children experiencing PCC with any activity limitation highlights the need to examine the severity of activity limitation, functional outcomes, and days lost from school.

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics

Intersection of race and rurality with health care–associated infections and subsequent outcomes

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: This cohort study of hospitalized adults identified inequities related to race and rurality in health care–associated infections (HAIs) and adverse outcomes from HAIs. These findings suggest that factors such as structural racism and disinvestment in rural communities may be associated with individual HAI risk and post-HAI outcomes. Future work to further understand the reasons underpinning these disparities and methods to address structural factors through policy and process changes are critical to eliminate health inequities.

Journal: JAMA Network Open

Adolescent smartphone use during school hours

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: Using passive sensing on a sample of U.S. adolescents, this study found half of adolescents use their smartphones during school for at least 66 minutes daily, primarily using messaging and social media. These findings extend a prior study limited to Android devices that found adolescents spent a median of 43 minutes on their phones during school.

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics

Bipartisan state of the nation report reveals where US is excelling — and falling behind

Tulane University
Reports and Proceedings

The State of the Nation Project, a bipartisan collaboration of former appointees and advisors from the past five presidential administrations, released its first comprehensive "State of the Nation" report to shed light on how the United States is doing in key areas — the economy, education, health, the environment, civic engagement, trust in major institutions — compared to historical trends and peer countries.

Funder: Tulane University

Most complex model of molecular 'wear-and-tear' to date shines light on how proteins age

King's College London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The work could help produce more effective future anti-aging treatments.

Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society

Understanding the increase in stillbirth rates in Germany amid European declines

Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The stillbirth rate in Europe has been steadily improving over the last few decades, but there are some exceptions. In Germany and Belgium, rates have significantly increased since 2010, while other European countries have seen declines or stability. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) have investigated how factors like increasing maternal age and multiple births may have influenced these trends and differences across Europe. The analyses indicate that these factors explain only a small portion of the variations.

Journal: European Journal of Public Health