Brown School

The childhood obesity rate in the United States may increase by 2.4% if school closures continue into December, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

Trish Kohl and Lora Iannotti, associate professors at Washington University’s Brown School, have received a five-year $3.2 million grant from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health to study stunted growth and development in children in Haiti.

The Navajo Nation now has the highest rates of coronavirus infection per capita in the U.S. The people need assistance, says Wynette Whitegoat, assistant director of the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at Washington University’s Brown School and a member of the Navajo Nation.

Vetta Sanders Thompson, the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial and Ethnic Diversity at the Brown School, been appointed to the St. Louis County Health and Hospital Advisory Board.

Rural areas are likely to see somewhat lower rates of infection overall due to lower population density; however, high participation in social distancing will further decrease the impact of the virus on these areas, finds a new analysis from Washington University’s Center for Health Economics and Policy.

Moving through a global pandemic has severely impacted every American, but maybe none more than older people. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed a spotlight on the deleterious effects of deep-seated ageism, sexism and racism on older Americans, suggests a new paper from the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at Washington University in St. Louis.

A new report from the Brown School’s Clark-Fox Policy Institute focuses on the impact that high-quality early childhood care and education can have on children, families and communities. The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically brought home the issue’s importance.

Child abuse and neglect hotlines around the country are reporting declines in calls over the last few weeks. While normally this would be welcome news, it does not bode well during stay-at-home orders, says an expert on child abuse and neglect at Washington University in St. Louis.

The Brown School’s Jason Purnell will lead a response team of over 40 St. Louis area nonprofits, social service agencies and governments to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. The COVID-19 Regional Response team aims to help people navigate resources and get help with needs including employment, food, housing, child care and legal aid.

A $2 trillion, bipartisan relief package was signed into law on March 27 to address economic downfall fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic. Will it help? Research examining how households use similar payouts, like the tax refund, can help shed light on what households might do next, says an expert on asset building at Washington University’s Brown School.