In a 2013 NPR interview, Kim Updegrove, president of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, says: “The practice of internet sharing of human milk is not safe. Sharing a body fluid with all of its potential bacteria and viruses is danger…

For many people in the United States, retirement represents a major life-course transition. Although many life transitions are empirically linked to changes in health—and many iterations of life course theory suggest that retirement should be related…

Nearly every biological system, from genetics to neurology, is susceptible to influence and modification by gender. Men and women are stratified into distinct environments and often have qualitatively different experiences and social or physiological…

Research on health behavior and health policy is focusing increasingly on cultural influences. For example, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s 2015 annual theme was building a culture of health. At the heart of attempts to change cultures of health…

Mobility limitation (i.e., difficulty walking, climbing, or standing) is one of the most common forms of functional impairment among older adults. Mobility limitation is associated with higher rates of death and nursing home admissions as well as inc…

Imagine a city. Is it a thriving metropolis with clean and occupied residential areas? Are people leisurely strolling through the neighborhood park? Or is it a concrete jungle with abandoned houses, boarded up businesses, and a flourishing drug trade…

Gangs evoke clear images of certain people, places, and activities—racial and ethnic minority boys, prisons and inner cities, and health risk behaviors, such as violence, drug dealing, and weapon carrying. It is also thought the gang membership is a…

Matilda White Riley, Ph.D. (1911-2004), was an academic and human force of nature whose legacy endures in the fields of communication, human development, interpersonal and intergenerational relationships, gerontology, and sociology. Current researche…

Peer relationships are important for children’s mental health. Yet, little is known about the factors that shape them. Children tend to organize into networks, which represent how they are connected to each other along dimensions such as friendship,…

Future-oriented behaviors, including planning for the future and seeking long-term rewards, are associated with higher levels of health and well-being. Such behaviors are also associated with less impulsivity, addictive behavior, and risky sexual beh…