Press Clippings
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.