24th annual survey of Indiana children and teens shows 21-year decline in alcohol use

Fewer Hoosier students depressed than national average, finds survey by the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington's Indiana Prevention Resource Center

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• In 1993, more than 80 percent of high school seniors had tried alcohol at least once in their lifetime. By 2014, fewer than 60 percent of seniors had done so.

• In 1993, more than 50 percent of high school seniors were drinking alcohol at least once a month. By 2014, only about 30 percent of seniors were drinking alcohol every month.

The 24th Annual Survey of Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Use by Indiana Children and Adolescents, conducted by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University's School of Public Health-Bloomington, highlights a 21-year decline in the lifetime and monthly use of alcohol across all grade levels (6-12).

Indiana students reported in 2014 that their most common means of acquiring alcohol was not through stores or restaurants (0.2 percent and 0.5 percent for 12th-graders) but from having another person purchase it for them or give it to them, or from a family member. Store and restaurant sales are regulated, and stricter enforcement of sales and server laws reduce the chances of youth making purchases or being served.

The 2014 survey results are based on responses from 119,147 students in Grades 6 through 12 at 429 public and private schools in Indiana. 

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World Heart Day walk: September 29

Indiana University will celebrate World Heart Day on September 29 and the the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington is dedicating to supporting such efforts to promote heart-healthy populations. 

A part of the celebration will include a one-mile campus walk that will begin at noon on Monday, September 29 at Showalter Fountain in front of the IU Auditorium.  

Everyone is encouraged to participate and to “walk the talk” to bring about better health for people in Indiana and beyond.

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Study: Short walking breaks found to reverse negative effects of prolonged sitting

Saurabh Thosar

An Indiana University study has found that three easy -- one could even say slow -- five-minute walks can reverse harm caused to leg arteries during three hours of prolonged sitting.

Sitting for long periods of time, like many people do daily at their jobs, is associated with risk factors such as higher cholesterol levels and greater waist circumference that can lead to cardiovascular and metabolic disease. When people sit, slack muscles do not contract to effectively pump blood to the heart. Blood can pool in the legs and affect the endothelial function of arteries, or the ability of blood vessels to expand from increased blood flow.

This study is the first experimental evidence of these effects, said Saurabh Thosar, a postdoctoral researcher at Oregon Health & Science University, who led the study as a doctoral candidate at IU’s School of Public Health-Bloomington.

"There is plenty of epidemiological evidence linking sitting time to various chronic diseases and linking breaking sitting time to beneficial cardiovascular effects, but there is very little experimental evidence," Thosar said. "We have shown that prolonged sitting impairs endothelial function, which is an early marker of cardiovascular disease, and that breaking sitting time prevents the decline in that function." 

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Stop Sexual Violence Prevent – Respond – Educate

Indiana University has recently announced a student welfare initiative aimed at coordinating and intensifying efforts by IU to prevent and respond to sexual assault and all forms of sexual violence. 

As part of the initiative, a new web site, called Stop Sexual Violence has been created to serve as a resource. In addition, a dedicated guide, "Responding to Sexual Misconduct- An Employee Guide," has been created to inform staff and faculty about the importance of being informed with regard to student welfare. 

Brilliant Minds focus: IU School of Public Health-Bloomington

Ka He

Brilliant Minds, an ongoing series of short videos created by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research at Indiana University Bloomington, features some of the fascinating research and creative activities that our faculty pursue. 

Dr. Ka He, Chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the IUSchool of Public Health-Bloomington was recently highlighted for his research in nutritional epidemiology.

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Sexual health, HIV on a global scale: 5 questions with Brian Dodge and Jessamyn Bowling

Faculty and students with the Center for Sexual Health and Promotion in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington are involved with a wide range of community-based sexual health research and practice activities in domestic and international settings.

In Puerto Rico, for example, the center maintains an active academic and research partnership with colleagues at the Latin American Center for Sexual Health Promotion at the University of Puerto Rico Health Sciences Center in San Juan. The research team has also worked on projects in other areas of Latin America, Africa, Europe and Asia.

Recently the School of Public Health announced The U.S.-India Partnership for Sexual Health Promotion, a new initiative that involves formalizing public health collaborations between the school and The Humsafar Trust, India’s oldest and largest health service organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender populations. Brian Dodge, co-director of the Center for Sexual Health Promotion and an associate professor in the school’s Department of Applied Health Science, and Jessamyn Bowling, a project coordinator at the center and a doctoral student, take five questions about the new initiative and their work in general.

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Klaunig named “Highly Cited Researcher” in 2014

James Klaunig

In an effort to spotlight standout researchers of the last decade, Thomson Reuters has launched Highly CitedResearchers, a list which represents some of the world’s leading scientific minds. 

These individuals have earned the distinction by writing the greatest number of reports officially designated by Essential Science Indicators as Highly Cited Papers--ranking among the top 1% most cited for their subject field and year of publication. Thus, those listed include authors whose published work in their areas of expertise has consistently been judged by peers to be of particular significance and utility.

James Klaunig, professor and interim chair at the Department of Environmental Health at the IU School ofPublic Health-Bloomington recently received this distinction for his outstanding contributions to the field.  Klaunig's research interests are dedicated to understanding the mechanisms of chemically induced toxicology and carcinogenesis with emphasis on human health and genetic and environmental factors affection human risk. His research has been supported by the NIH, USEPA, DOD, ACS, and non-federal sources.