UC Research and Innovation

UC researchers and administrators in research policy

Health + Behavior

Nearly 400,000 Californians May Lack Access to Safe Drinking Water, Study Finds

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By: Brad Smith | UC Los Angeles | January 11, 2022 An estimated 370,000 Californians rely on drinking water that may contain high levels of the chemical contaminants arsenic, nitrate or hexavalent chromium, and contaminated drinking water disproportionately impacts communities of color in the state, finds a new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, ... Continue Reading »

Too many firefighters are dying of cancer. UCLA’s Derek Urwin aims to change that

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By: Stuart Wolpert | UC Los Angeles | November 22, 2021 They’re our modern-day superheroes — charging into burning buildings without hesitation, rescuing those in peril, staving off destruction. But in risking their lives for us, firefighters pay a heavy price, with cancer rates that far outpace the public at large. Derek Urwin, a longtime firefighter who ... Continue Reading »

UC San Diego Study: E-cigarettes Don’t Help Smokers Stay Off Cigarettes

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By: Yadira Galindo | UC San Diego | October 19, 2021 The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have suggested that smokers who are unable to quit smoking may benefit by switching from smoking cigarettes to vaping e-cigarettes if they switch completely and are able to avoid relapsing to cigarette smoking. However, there have been few studies on whether ... Continue Reading »

How to Double Voter Turnout and Increase Representation during Local Elections

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Shifting off-cycle elections to on-cycle races has dramatic effects on the turnout and demographics of voters making their voices heard, new UC San Diego research shows By: Christine Clark | UC San Diego | August 20, 2021 Low and uneven turnout is a serious problem for local democracy. However, simply moving off-cycle, local elections to be held on the same day as ... Continue Reading »

How Adolescents Used Drugs During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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Alcohol use declined, but use of nicotine and misuse of prescription drugs rose By: Scott LaFee | UC San Diego | August 24, 2021 The advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, which began in earnest in the United States in early 2020, affected different demographic groups in different ways. According to a new study, among adolescents ages 10 to 14 in the U.S., the overall rate of ... Continue Reading »

Obesity and Cardiovascular Factors Combine to Cause Cognitive Decline in Latinos

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Obesity is a widespread health issue, but conditions like hypertension and cholesterol are stronger predictors of worsening brain function By: Dan Bennett and Scott LaFee | UC San Diego | July 28, 2021 Obesity is linked to several cardiometabolic abnormalities, such as high blood sugar and hypertension, which are considered to be risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease. ... Continue Reading »