A Curtin University-led study has found that where Australians live has a measurable influence on their body weight, with local food environments and neighbourhood design playing a big part in shaping health outcomes.

New research from Rice University and the University of Alberta shows that residents who believe their neighborhoods were exposed to toxic contamination during flooding report significantly higher concerns about future storms and their long-term well-being. The study analyzed survey responses from Houston residents following Hurricane Harvey, focusing on worries related to home, health and neighborhood safety. Researchers found that the combination of flooding and suspected contamination—not flooding alone—was strongly associated with elevated climate concerns, particularly in coastal industrial communities and communities of color. The authors argue that industrial pollution and climate-related flood risks are increasingly interconnected challenges that require coordinated planning and policy responses. The study, published in Natural Hazards Review, highlights the need for improved strategies to protect vulnerable neighborhoods as severe weather events intensify.

In this cross-sectional study of U.S. children, immigrant compared with U.S.-born children had disparities in health care access, which were attenuated in states with the most inclusive state insurance policies, suggesting that inclusive state insurance eligibility policies for immigrant children may improve health care access outcomes for this population. 

According to national estimates, nearly 2.2 million U.S. adolescents aged 12–17 met the criteria for at least one substance use disorder (SUD) in 2023. Drug and alcohol- related concerns are the second leading cause of death and disability within this age group and the third leading cause of death for children nationally. For opioid, alcohol and nicotine use disorders, national experts recommend a comprehensive treatment approach that includes both medication-based and behavioral interventions. For opioid use disorder, medication is the recommended first-line treatment. Nonetheless, access to medication among adolescents with SUD remains extremely limited.

 

In a new review in the Journal of Addiction Medicine, researchers from Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine found that very little research has been done to investigate and inform the use of medications for SUD in people under the age of 18, particularly those identifying as racial, gender and sexual minorities. These findings underscore the urgent need for additional research into medication treatments for diverse youth with SUD and for additional policy and funding initiatives to support its realization.

The first major study into public attitudes toward degrowth – the notion that high-income economies should prioritise wellbeing over growing production – reveals significant public support for its key ideas across both the UK (74-84%) and US (67-73%).

 

For decades, lung cancer has been associated with stigma, anxiety, and loss. Advances in screening, therapeutics, and survivorship have created a new reality; lung cancer is treatable, survivable, and increasingly understood as a chronic disease for many. A special issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, published by Elsevier and in collaboration with the American Cancer Society National Lung Cancer Roundtable (ACS NLCRT), details this transformation, outlining how radiology is moving beyond disease detection to providing equitable care and becoming a champion of patient dignity.