Category Archives: Mad About Public Health

Your Brain’s Built-in Biases Insulate Your Beliefs from Contradictory Facts

by Jay Maddock, PhD  This article originally appeared in The Conversation and is shared here with permission from the author. A rumor started circulating back in 2008 that Barack Obama was not born in the United States. At the time, I was serving as chair of the Hawaii Board of Health. The director and deputy director of health, both appointed by a

Read more

Sick of COVID-19? Here’s Why You Might Have Pandemic Fatigue

by Jay Maddock, PhD This article originally appeared in The Conversation and is shared here with permission from the author. As the pandemic drags on, following COVID-19 prevention guidelines can feel like more and more of a challenge. This kind of fatigue is not unique to pandemic precautions like sticking with social distancing, masking up and keeping your hands washed.

Read more

Our Need for the Outdoors: The Role of Nature During COVID-19

by Jay Maddock, PhD; Bita Kash, PhD; and Taylor Keys As the coronavirus continues to spread, large parts of the United States and the world have been placed under stay-at-home orders. For most everybody, staying at home and physically, not socially, distancing yourself from other people, is the best way to avoid getting infected. However, this can take a huge

Read more

Health Behaviors: Not Just for Chronic Diseases Anymore

by Jay Maddock, PhD For many of us trained in health promotion and health behavior change, our focus tends to focus on the prevention of chronic disease. Much of the funded research and the educational component of health promotion focuses on behaviors like increasing physical activity, improving diet, and reducing or eliminating substance use including tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.

Read more

Snacks After Youth Sports Add More Calories than Kids Burn While Playing, Study Says

Youth Sports Snacks

by Jay Maddock, PhD, and Lori Andersen Spruance, Phd, MEd This post originally appeared on The Conversation and is reposted here with permission. Typical soft drink consumed by kids after sporting events and practice. LuckyLife11/Pixabay Youth sports leagues are a great way for children to get physical activity, develop teamwork and create friendships. Research has shown that youth who participate

Read more

Working with Industry to Promote Public Health

by Jay Maddock, PhD Mad About Public Health is a series that looks at the health of populations from varying creative and innovative perspectives. This post looks at worksite well-being. You might also enjoy Dr. Maddock’s previous series, From the Dean’s Perspective.  I recently had the opportunity to attend and speak at Texan by Nature’s Conservation Wrangler Summit in Dallas, Texas.

Read more

Thinking Like Bill Gates

Thinking Like Bill Gates

by Jay Maddock, PhD Mad About Public Health is a series that looks at the health of populations from varying creative and innovative perspectives. You might also enjoy Dr. Maddock’s previous series, From the Dean’s Perspective.  Netflix recently released a three-part docuseries entitled, Inside Bill’s Brian: Decoding Bill Gates. While anybody working in public health will be familiar with the

Read more

Are Health Professional Worksites Promoting Well-being?

by Jay Maddock, PhD Mad About Public Health is a series that looks at the health of populations from varying creative and innovative perspectives. This post looks at worksite well-being. You might also enjoy Dr. Maddock’s previous series, From the Dean’s Perspective.  As public health professionals, many of us spend our time trying to get people to be healthier, move

Read more

Why Some Doctors Are Prescribing a Day in the Park or a Walk on the Beach for Good Health

by Jay Maddock, PhD Mad About Public Health is a series that looks at the health of populations from varying creative and innovative perspectives. This article originally appeared on The Conversation and is posted here with permission from the author. Taking a walk on a wooded path, spending an afternoon in a public park, harvesting your backyard garden and even

Read more
« Older Entries