Events

The present study seeks to build a new line of health disparities research that parallels the emerging structural racism literature by developing theory and measurement for the concept of structural sexism and examining its relationship to health. Consistent with contemporary theories of gender as a multilevel social system, I measure structural sexism at the macro-, meso-, and micro-levels using U.S. state-level administrative data coupled with restricted geo-coded data from the NLSY79. Results show that among women, exposure to more sexism at the macro- and meso-levels is predictive of worse self-rated health, worse physical functioning, more chronic conditions, and more depressive symptoms. Higher internalized sexism at the micro-level is also associated with more chronic conditions and depressive symptoms among women. Structural sexism at any level is largely unrelated to health outcomes among men. These results highlight the need for future research on gender discrimination and health using a structural sexism perspective.

James S. House is the Angus Campbell Distinguished University Professor of Survey Research, Public Policy and Sociology. His primary appointment is in the Survey Research Center, the Institute for Social Research, with a joint retention appointment in Sociology in addition to his primary academic appointment in Public Policy. His research has focused on the role of social and psychological factors in the etiology and course of health and illness, including the role of psychosocial factors in understanding and alleviating social disparities in health and the way health changes with age. He has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Academy of Sciences. At the Ford School he teaches courses in socioeconomic policy and health policy. In the last decade, Jim co-edited Making Americans Healthier: Social and Economic Policy as Health Policy (2008, with Bob Schoeni of the Ford School and others) and A Telescope on Society: Survey Research & Social Science at the University of Michigan and Beyond (2004, with others). He received his BA in History from Haverford College, his Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Michigan, and taught at Duke University before joining University of Michigan faculty in 1978 and the Ford School in January 2008.

The importance of early childhood (ages 0-8) is well established, but less is known about the educational, community, and social services interventions that can set children on successful long-term paths. The Early Childhood Initiative (ECI), established by the Center for Child and Family Policy, seeks to bring together scholars from across Duke to address these challenges and produce world-class scholarship that will help maximize the potential of all children during the early childhood years. ECI Seminar Series speakers will range across disciplines but will share an interest in bringing cutting-edge science to bear on policies affecting young children. This is the first talk in the series.

The Social Networks and Health Scholars Training Program, a NICHD funded (R25) program, covers network methods that are rarely included in the standard social-science methods sequences taught to health and health-policy scholars. “We’re really excited about the structure of the program, which is two phases,” said James Moody, founding director of DNAC and Robert O. Keohane Professor of Sociology. “First is the coursework and workshop that’s happening this week, but we also have nine Social Network and Health Fellows, who are people we selected from across the nation to work on a particular project.”

Dr. Daniel Schneider will be the inaugural speaker in the new Triangle RDC Sponsored Speaker Program, co-hosted by SSRI and DUPRI. This new speaker program invites researchers using confidential micro-data from the RDC network to present their research, in conjunction with a (short) workshop/Q&A session on access to these types of data here at Duke.  Dr. Gale Boyd, Director of the Triangle RDC will be available to answer questions from researchers interested in accessing confidential micro-data at Duke. Dr. Schneider will also be available after the talk to describe his experiences with using these data for research. 

Now is the time to examine the critical factors that contribute to healthy aging. Older Americans are a key part of our urban, rural and tribal communities as they have spent a lifetime contributing. Estimates of the U.S. population in 2010, revealed more than 40 million adults age 65 and older. By 2030, this figure is projected to increase to 72 million. Health care expenditures (both out-of-pocket costs and those covered by insurance) for Medicare beneficiaries over time are expected to rise for persons over 65 years of age. Encouraging healthy lifestyles, along with improving the delivery of preventive services, can help older Americans stay healthier longer and improve quality of life in later years.

Demography (“Days”) Daze is a collaboration between the Carolina Population Center (CPC) and the Duke Population Research Institute (DuPRI). This is the fourth annual afternoon workshop where we will share ideas across our centers and highlight collaborative research. 

This year, the Population Association of America’s annual meeting is taking place in San Diego, California. Expect to see a lot of familiar faces, as our presence at this year’s conference is greater than ever before. In addition to the remarkable DUPRI faculty who continue to represent Duke at PAA year after year, we are extremely proud of the large contingent of DuPRI students who will be making the trek to San Diego to actively participate at this year’s conference – many of them for the first time.

RAND is pleased to announce the 22nd annual RAND Summer Institute (RSI), which will take place in Santa Monica, CA, July 6-9, 2015. The RSI consists of two conferences addressing critical issues facing our aging population: a Mini-Medical School for Social Scientists (July 6-7) and a Workshop on the Demography, Economics, Psychology, and Epidemiology of Aging (July 8-9).