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

Policy & Ethics

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 19-Nov-2025 00:11 ET (19-Nov-2025 05:11 GMT/UTC)

The Lancet: Experts warn global rise in ultra-processed foods poses major public health threat; call for worldwide policy reform

The Lancet
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The increase of UPFs in diets worldwide presents an urgent challenge to health that demands coordinated policies and advocacy action to address, says a new three paper Series authored by 43 global experts and published in The Lancet. The Series exposes the tactics UPF companies use to drive consumption and prevent effective policy. It outlines a roadmap for change towards impactful government regulation, community mobilisation, and accessible and affordable healthier diets.

Journal: The Lancet
Funder: Bloomberg Philanthropies

Scientists develop new model to help Malaysia set a fair and effective price on carbon

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University

A new study has introduced the first Malaysia specific model for estimating the social cost of carbon, offering policymakers a clearer path toward meeting the country’s climate and biodiversity goals while protecting economic growth. The research, published in Carbon Research, highlights how Malaysia can leverage its extensive forest resources to reduce climate damages, lower mitigation costs, and accelerate progress toward net zero emissions.

Journal: Carbon Research

New study reveals blueprint of how super users’ leverage best practices to deliver virtual health care

JMIR Publications

New research highlights how “super users” are shaping the future of virtual care through best practices that streamline workflows and improve patient adoption.

Journal: Journal of Medical Internet Research

Noncredit training at community colleges linked to earnings gains

American Educational Research Association
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Students who enroll in short-term, job-focused training through community college noncredit programs experience modest but meaningful earnings gains and a greater likelihood of being employed after training, according to a new study published today in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

Journal: Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis

Child gun injury risk spikes when children leave school for the day

Boston University School of Public Health
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study published in AJPM Focus found that the risk of child firearm injuries was 45 percent higher during the 2-6 pm afterschool period on school days, compared to non-school days, among students at public schools in New York City. This risk nearly tripled in the immediate period at the end of the school day, typically about 2 pm. A second study, published in Prevention Science, examined the benefits of summer youth employment programs and found that these programs not only reduce youth involvement in crime and violence, but also improve youth educational outcomes, social connections, and community engagement.

Journal: AJPM Focus
Funder: NIH/National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities

Clinical trials affected by research grant terminations at the National Institutes of Health

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: Approximately 1 in 30 trials and more than 74,000 trial participants were affected by grant funding disruptions. Affected trials disproportionately studied infectious diseases, prevention, and behavioral interventions, and were based in the Northeastern U.S. or in other countries. Because trials require sustained financial support to ensure operations and participant safety, unanticipated funding disruptions raise concerns about avoidable waste, data quality, and compromised ethical obligations to participants.

Journal: JAMA Internal Medicine

Reducing arsenic in drinking water cuts risk of death, even after years of chronic exposure

Columbia Climate School
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study provides the first long-term, individual-level evidence that reducing arsenic exposure may lower mortality, even among people exposed to the toxic contaminant for years.

The landmark analysis, led by researchers at Columbia University and New York University, is important for public health because groundwater contamination from naturally occurring arsenic remains a serious issue worldwide. In the United States, more than 100 million people rely on potentially contaminated groundwater sources, especially private wells, for their drinking water. Arsenic is among the most common chemical pollutants.

Journal: JAMA

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