Feature Channels: In the Home

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

One year into a smoking ban in buildings run by the nation’s largest public housing authority, tenant exposure to secondhand smoke in hallways, stairwells, and apartments has not declined, a new study shows.

• share
• favorite_border

As families weigh options for celebrating the holidays amid COVID-19 health restrictions, people who have always been together during these happy times are struggling with the idea of being apart this year. A Penn State Health physician has suggestions on how to cope.

• share
• favorite_border

New study of older adults (aged 70 or over) in Stockholm, Sweden, suggests older people living in care homes had higher COVID-19 mortality risk than those living in single houses or apartment buildings.

• share
• favorite_border

Life during COVID-19 has not been a uniform experience. There have been distinct differences in how people have contended with lockdown, depending on whether they have access to safe, secure and decent accommodation.

• share
• favorite_border

To address health concerns of inactivity and social isolation in older adults during the pandemic, the HSS Education Institute utilized various online approaches to deliver high quality musculoskeletal health education, exercise and support programs. Claudia Zurlini, senior coordinator, Public & Patient Education at HSS, presents best practices for a successful transition to online programming at the virtual American Public Health Association meeting.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Using a variety of public records—including assessed market value, sales, foreclosure and tax history, code violations, building permits and rental registry data—the researchers examined every rental property in Cleveland from 2016-18 on factors related to the likelihood that the property could have lead-safety problems.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Much attention is paid to the work early childhood teachers do in the classroom, but their tasks away from their students can be just as essential to children’s learning and development.

• share
• favorite_border

In our series, The ECS Community Adapts and Advances, Janine Mauzeroll reflects on balancing professorship and motherhood while home schooling and dealing with loss. Janine is Associate Professor of Chemistry at McGill University, Canada. She received her PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, US, and did her postdoc at the Université de Paris, France.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Almost 40% of Australian tenant households can’t afford essentials such as bills, clothing, transport and food, after paying rent, because their incomes have reduced significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, new research from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute has found.

• share
• favorite_border

A survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) finds that 32% of Americans are more tired than usual the day after election night. Poor sleep on election night is fueled by later bedtimes, blue light exposure and the physical and mental tolls of election uncertainty amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

• share
• favorite_border

The COVID-19 pandemic is taking a toll on couples with young children and on mothers’ wellbeing, according to preliminary findings of two new studies by Indiana University researchers.

• share
• favorite_border

Pods. Bubbles. Quaran-teams. Many Americans have joined small groups to support online learning, childcare or socialize in the time of COVID-19. But how can pods protect against coronavirus?

• share
• favorite_border

A new study shows that the vast majority of patients who visited the Ruth and Harry Roman Emergency Department at Cedars-Sinai with suspected COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) symptoms, and who were treated and sent home to recuperate, recovered within a week.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study details how three Michigan nursing homes limited the spread of the coronavirus within their walls after the first cases were diagnosed in that early peak state. The findings could inform the ongoing effort to protect nursing home residents regionally and nationwide.

• share
• favorite_border

Both old wives’ tales and psychological literature posit that spouses’ faces become more similar over time. Scholars have argued that partners tend to occupy the same environments, engage in the same activities, eat the same food, and mimic each other’s emotions—and as these factors can also influence facial appearance—their faces should converge with time. For example, if the partners smile a lot—and make each other smile—they should co-develop similar smile lines.

• share
• favorite_border

A King County, Washington, initiative to relocate people from homeless shelters to hotel rooms during the pandemic not only limited the spread of COVID-19, but also improved people's mental health and well-being, and allowed them to focus on long-term goals.

• share
• favorite_border

Media invited to live Q&A on Oct 7th, 2pm EDT

• share
• favorite_border

Through the newly named Brad and Alys Smith Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative, the $25 million donation – one of the largest in WVU’s history – will provide initial funding for a remote worker program, a groundbreaking initiative designed to help individuals and young families prosper amid the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

A Rutgers University survey reveals that working parents are happier with their job, and they are getting more done, than people without children. Researchers attribute the surprising results to a sharp increase in the number of men helping with childcare and housework during the pandemic.

• share
• favorite_border

A rapid response grant from the National Science Foundation will allow an Iowa State University research team to study how landlord decision-making has contributed to rental housing instability during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• share
• favorite_border

A new study from the University of Georgia suggests there is a painless way to reduce energy costs: Turn up the thermostat. Even a degree or two makes a difference.

• share
• favorite_border

COVID-19 has left many victims of domestic violence facing difficulties feeding their children and accessing services for safe housing, transportation and childcare once they leave shelters, according to a Rutgers study published in the journal Violence Against Women.

• share
• favorite_border

According to the Global Hygiene Council's (GHC) public health experts, following a risk-based approach to home hygiene is essential to help curb the growing threat of antibiotic resistance.

• share
• favorite_border

To boost efficiency in typical households – where people forget to take wet clothes out of washing machines, retrieve hot food from microwaves and turn off dripping faucets – Cornell University researchers have developed a single device that can track 17 types of appliances using vibrations.

• share
• favorite_border

Continued school closures and distance learning have drawn more than the ire of parents and teachers concerned about the impacts to education. Child advocates are worried about the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on youth stuck at home with their abusers. For months, researchers tracking data from across Nevada and the nation have been logging significant dips in child abuse reports — a phenomenon attributed to the lack of face time children are getting with teachers, who are trained to spot potential signs of maltreatment and required by law to report it to authorities.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

While the U.S. has become more diverse, it has largely remained segregated. Good intentions and conversations about diversity may lead to what Professor Greg Fairchild terms the “illusion of inclusion”; even if we do not hold bias, physical and social separation may exacerbate existing income, wealth, job and achievement gaps.

• share
• favorite_border

Media: Please join us for an expert panel discussing Jacob Blake, BLM, and Political Conventions

• share
• favorite_border

Data shows that coronavirus infection rates were lower in counties where cell phone activity declined at workplaces and increased at home

• share
• favorite_border

Lower-income households that received mortgages through state affordable mortgage programs were less likely to default or foreclose than similar households that received conventional financing, a national study found.

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

A new University of Washington study of Seattle-area rental ads shows how certain words and phrases are common to different neighborhoods, helping to reinforce residential segregation.

• share
• favorite_border

Almost all Americans want to change their work life when the COVID-19 pandemic ends, with large percentages ready to shift to a permanent home office, according to a study by the USC Center for the Digital Future.

• share
• favorite_border

About a month into the COVID-19 quarantine, Kelley and Thomas McCord and their one-year-old son, Thomas, had their first telemedicine visit with John E. Herzenberg, M.D., FRCSC, FAAOS, director of pediatric orthopedics at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore.

• share
• favorite_border

The American Cleaning Institute launched a partnership with the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Eye Institute (NEI) as part of the Packets Up! campaign to help educate families on the simple steps to prevent accidental eye exposures among children in the laundry room.

• share
• favorite_border

The COVID-19 pandemic turned our society on its head. One of the changes was a strange new reality where parents became school teachers overnight.

• share
• favorite_border

Researchers will study areas that include counties in south and central Florida and the Panhandle, which are still recovering from Hurricanes Michael and Irma, and which saw an influx of displaced individuals from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. They will examine resilience of individuals and households, including their coping and adaptive capacities during a busy hurricane season in the midst of pandemic. The research will advance knowledge on several topics related to housing, health and hazards.

• share
• favorite_border

Published recently in the journal Sensors, a new study by Berkeley Lab air quality scientists tested four models of low-cost air quality monitors during actual wildfire pollution events and found that their readings of PM2.5 – or particulate matter under 2.5 microns, which has been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular issues – were consistently higher than the reference monitor used by the regulatory agencies; however, since each monitor had a relatively consistent response to the smoke, it is possible to use the readings to estimate true PM2.5 levels. Overall, the researchers concluded that the monitors can provide actionable information.

• share
• favorite_border

Nearly half of parents describe disagreements with one or more grandparent about parenting choices, with one in seven going so far as to limit the amount of time their child sees certain grandparents.

• share
• favorite_border

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and stay-at-home orders have been enacted throughout the world to stop disease transmission and keep people safe.

• share
• favorite_border

Across the globe, COVID-19 has infected more than 18 million people to date and has killed hundreds of thousands -- and the United States has been hit especially hard.

• share
• favorite_border

Millions of American homes could become unsellable - or could be sold at significant losses to their senior-citizen owners - between now and 2040, according to new research from the University of Arizona.

• share
• favorite_border

COVID-19 stay-at-home guidelines have created many lifestyle changes, including new home workout routines and do-it-yourself home improvement projects. Doctors warn, however, that increased activity for those not used to certain exertion levels can lead to strains and pains, including one of the most common nerve conditions, sciatica (sy-at’-ick-uh).

• share
• favorite_border

• share
• favorite_border

Heat waves are becoming a more regular occurrence across the country. Iain Walker, Leader of the Residential Building Systems Group at Berkeley Lab, has suggestions for how to weather them. Walker has more than 20 years’ experience as a building scientist and consultant on energy use and ventilation in residential buildings.