Press Clippings
GPB-TV, “Georgia Weighs In,” September 24, 2009
Rodney Lyn, assistant professor of public health, participated as an expert in the GPB’s special broadcast on the issue of childhood overweight and obesity. Lyn cited examples of why obesity has risen among children and noted that Hispanics and African-American children were at the greatest risk. He also stated the increased physical activity, which helps combat obesity, can also help with behavioral issues in children. To watch the entire program, visit http://www.gpb.org/childhood-obesity and click on “watch Georgia Weighs In” at the top of the page.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “City leaders fiddle as crime fears flare,” September 21, 2009
Robbie Friedmann, Distinguished Chair of Public Safety Partnerships and professor of criminal justice, comments on how to rate the effectiveness of a police department in combating crime in this article on the issues that face Atlanta’s mayoral candidates. Friedmann notes that community perception is important in rating police effectiveness. For the complete article, click here.
WABE-FM, “In Atlanta, violent crime is down while property crime is up,” September 14, 2009
Robbie Friedmann, Distinguished Chair of Public Safety Partnerships and professor of criminal justice, comments that the Atlanta's crime rate is still high despite a decline in violent crime statistics. For the complete article and the broadcast clip, click here.
Los Angeles Times, “For kidnap victims, recovery can come slowly, if at all,” August 30, 2009
John Lutzker, director of the Center for Healthy Development and professor of public health, comments on the difficult recovery ahead for Jayce Lee Dugard following her years of captivity. For the complete article, click here.
CTV, “Missing Girl Found: John R. Lutzker, Georgia State University,” August 29, 2009
John Lutzker, director of the Center for Healthy Development and professor of public health, spoke with a Canadian television network on the psychological challenges facing Jaycee Dugard after she was held captive for 18 years. For the complete video clip, click here.
Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Specific numbers on gangs sketchy,” August 23, 2009
Volkan Topalli, associate professor of criminal justice, discusses the rise in gang activity in the city of Atlanta. Topalli attributes this rise in part to the demolition of public housing projects and the influx of middle class homeowners moving into inner-city neighborhoods. He notes that Atlanta’s gangs are very territorial and because of the changes to their neighborhoods, more of them are in contact with new victims. For the complete article, click here.
The Fulton County Daily Report, “What outliers share,” August 17, 2009
Jan Ligon, associate professor of social work, comments on the misnomer of a self-made man or woman in this feature article on the common traits of high achievers. The article focuses on the common denominators of the individuals highlighted in the “On the Rise” section of the newspaper. For the complete article, click here.
Los Angeles Times, “Loose reins on nurses in drug abuse program,” July 25, 2009
Dean Dabney, associate professor of criminal justice, questions the rate of relapse among nurses participating in a California-based confidential recovery program for substance addicted healthcare professionals. For the complete article, click here.
Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Security vulnerable in a weak economy,” July 25, 2009
Robbie Friedmann, Distinguished Chair of Public Safety Partnerships and professor of criminal justice, commented on the effects of private sector security cuts as crime increases in a poor economy. For the complete article, click here.
Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Pros & Cons: Do anti-smoking programs work to reduce smoking?” July 21, 2009
Michael Eriksen, director and professor of public health, advocates anti-smoking programs in this editorial which debates the effectiveness of such programs in reducing tobacco use. Eriksen says that advertising the dirty, expensive side effects of smoking, not just health risks, reduces the appeal of tobacco to youth. Reducing appeal to teenagers may prevent them from beginning to smoke. For the complete editorial click here.
Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Georgia poorly prepared for public health emergencies,” July 5, 2009
Russ Toal, associate professor of public health, commented on the problems facing Georgia due to poor planning for public health. Toal says issues such as child welfare have overshadowed those responsible for public health policy. As a result, the state ranked 39th in spending on public health across the board and was deemed not ready to handle emergencies such as the recent salmonella outbreak in a south Georgia peanut plant. For the complete article, click here.
CNN, “The grill: safe sizzling,” July 3, 2009
Chris Rosenbloom, professor of nutrition, offered food safety tips for your Fourth of July cookout. For the complete article, click here.
The Shreveport Times, “Nutrition cannot be overlooked in athletics,” June 19, 2009
A survey conducted by Dan Benardot, professor of nutrition, on the correlation between nutrition and sports performance served as background for this article on the importance of a balanced diet and energy. Benardot was also quoted on the importance of hydration. For the complete article, click here.
PBS, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, “Senate Votes to Give Regulators New Powers Over Tobacco” June 11, 2009
Michael Eriksen, director and professor of public health, was interviewed about the impact of the U.S. Senate’s vote to place tighter restrictions on the tobacco industry. Eriksen stated that the changes in regulations on tobacco, which includes new package warnings and outlaws all flavoring except menthol, should make smoking less
tempting to youths. For the complete transcript, click here. For the mp3 link, click here.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “This family reunion is no picnic,” June 7, 2009
Jan Ligon, associate professor of social work, offers tips for families dealing with change when an unemployed adult child moves back in with his/her parents. For the complete article, click here.
The Hindu, “Tobacco and its deleterious effects,” June 6, 2009
Michael Eriksen, director and professor of public health, along with three colleagues from other universities, recently published a new edition of The Tobacco Atlas. The book was reviewed by an English-language Indian newspaper. To read the review, click here.
WSB 750 AM, “Weight, Teen Suicide Tries,” May 19, 2009
Monica Swahn, associate dean and associate professor of public health, has studied social factors that link increased risk of suicide in teens who perceived themselves to be overweight. Swahn notes that the risk increases whether or not the teens are actually overweight. For the complete article, click here.
Chattanooga Times Free Press, “Recession rekindles urge to smoke again,” May 17, 2009
Michael Eriksen, director and professor of public health, discusses the small increased use of tobacco during the recession. He says that relapses for smokers who have quit are more common in times of financial stress. For the complete article, click here.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Urban Atlanta colleges tackle safety risks,” May 17, 2009
Volkan Topalli, associate professor of criminal justice, comments on the reasons college students in urban areas have been recent targets for crime. He cites issues with nearby neighborhoods housing the potential criminals. For the complete article, click here.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Dads help out as ‘Mr. Mom’,” May 10, 2009
Jan Ligon, associate professor of social work, offers tips for families dealing with change when dad loses his job. For the complete article, click here.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Get out of rut: Try new fruits and vegetables,” April 14, 2009
Chris Rosenbloom, associate dean and professor of nutrition, writes about a fun exercise in trying new foods that GSU nutrition students put their classmates through. The students selected unfamiliar foods such as jackfruit and durian and made dishes such as baba ghanouj. The experiment’s subject students were surprised at the foods they did enjoy. For the complete article, click here.
WebMD, “E-Cigarettes Under Fire,” April 13, 2009
Michael Eriksen, director and professor of public health, comments on the growing use of e-cigarettes as a substitute for smoking. E-cigarettes, which are electronic devices that deliver nicotine to the user without emitting smoke, may soon be banned by the FDA. Despite the manufacturers’ claims to the contrary, Eriksen believes that e-cigarettes increase nicotine use and will worsen the users’ habits. For the complete article, click here.
Psychology Today, “Law and Order Marked for Mayhem,” April 13, 2009
Volkan Topalli, associate professor of criminal justice, describes how individuals can inadvertently set themselves up to be victims of crime in this article on victimology. Topalli states that criminals not only look for the elderly and women but for anyone who exhibits signs of weakness.
Courier-Journal, “Study tweaks city’s rate on murder,” April 6, 2009
Distinguished Chair of Public Safety Partnerships and Professor of Criminal Justice, Robbie Friedmann commented on the methodology used to rank cities in terms of number of homicides occurring annually. Friedmann, along with associates at two other universities, takes the traditional crime rates (which only factor the city’s size and number of crimes) and add additional factors such as median household income and male unemployment. Friedmann says that not including this influential information is an “injustice” to crime data collection. For the complete article, click here.
Detroit Free Press, "Analysts: Detroit not deadliest city if socioeconomic status weighed," March 19, 2009
Robbie Friedmann, distinguished chair of public safety partnerships and professor of criminal justice, recently released a study that challenges the standard crime ranking system that relies only on population size to compare cities. This study on homicide drops Detroit from its position as the deadliest city when Friedmann and his colleagues at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Carnegie Mellon University include socioeconomic factors in their rankings. These factors, which are generally beyond the control of city leaders, are conducive to generating crime and often explain why one city experiences more crime than another. For the complete article, click here.
El Paso Times, “El Paso homicide rate low in study,” March 20, 2009
Robbie Friedmann, distinguished chair of public safety partnerships and professor of criminal justice, recently released a study that challenges the standard crime ranking system that relies only on population size to compare cities on homicide. Friedmann, along with colleagues at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, take socioeconomic factors into account when ranking a city’s crime rate. For the complete article, click here.
WXIA-TV Channel 11, “More Mr. Moms,” March 18, 2009
Jan Ligon, associate professor of social work, commented on the difficulties men experience when they lose a job and their wife becomes the family’s primary wage earner. For the complete article, click here.
The Philadelphia Daily News, “They have empathy for octuplets' grandmother,” February 11, 2009
Deborah Whitley, director of the National Center on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and associate professor of social work, commented on the challenges and Medicaid expenses that grandparents raising grandchild often face. The article features interviews of a number of grandparents raising grandchildren on the issues surrounding the California-born Suleman octuplets and their mother. For the complete article, click here.
WGAU-AM, “Salmonella Outbreak,” February 4, 2009
Karen Gieseker, assistant professor of public health, discusses the depth and breadth of the peanut butter-related salmonella outbreak. Gieseker talked about possible changes in policies and corporate responsibility that would provide greater protection against future outbreaks and cited examples of how the food safety standards do work. To hear the complete interview, click here and select the 020409 Newsmaker file.
Pulse, “Grand project,” February 2009
Susan Kelley, dean and professor of nursing, talked with Pulse editor about Project Healthy Grandparents, a program designed to assist grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Kelley says the program helps grandparents identify their strengths and build on them. She says the program also provides grandparents with a myriad of services, including health screening, social services, and legal assistance. For more information on Project Healthy Grandparents, visit the website.
The Christian Science Monitor, “As property crimes increase, more neighbors are on patrol,” January 27, 2009
Robbie Friedmann, Distinguished Chair of Public Safety Partnership and professor of criminal justice, says there is a perception that crime is on the rise due to the recent murder of an Atlanta bartender. He states that there are no statistics pointing to a rise but admits people are feeling unsafe. Read the complete article on how neighborhoods are taking on crime watch patrols.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Cobb crime stable from year to year,” January 26, 2009
Robbie Friedmann, Distinguished Chair of Public Safety Partnerships and professor of criminal justice, says that citizens have a responsibility to assist the police in fighting crime in their communities. He says that crime is generated by factors beyond the control of law enforcement and people must do their part to combat it. For the complete article, click here.
Psychology Today, “Marked for Mayhem,” January/February, 2009
Volkan Topalli, associate professor of criminal justice, says that criminals frequently concentrate their efforts on potential victims who give off cues that they are an easy target. Topalli cites examples of crime victims who show weakness and show fear in order to illustrate the concept of victimology, the study of how and why people become victims. For complete article, click here.
Atlanta Journal Constitution, “U.S. lags in war against a mass killer -- smoking,” January 16, 2009
Michael Eriksen, director and professor of public health, states in an editorial that the U.S. needs to step up efforts to end smoking through tactics such as an increased tax on tobacco, increased product regulation, and assuming worldwide leadership in smoking cessation efforts. For complete article, click here.