Better Off
The latest from public health experts on how we can all lead healthier lives.
- Update frequency
- every 11 days
- Average duration
- 18 minutes
- Episodes
- 189
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2023
January 10, 2019: A virtual visit with your doctor
For many Americans, a visit with their doctor no longer requires an actual trip to the doctor’s office. More physicians are offering so-called “telemedicine” services, where they provide care to pati…
December 19, 2018: The simple solution that has saved millions of lives
Oral rehydration solution (ORS)—a mixture of water, sugar, and salt that is administered as part of oral rehydration therapy (ORT)—is credited with preventing tens of millions of deaths from cholera …
December 7, 2018: The power of a family meal
For busy families, gathering together for a meal—whether it’s breakfast or dinner—can be difficult. But a growing body of research shows that these meals together can have an important influence on t…
November 21, 2018: A conversation with a public health pioneer
In this week's episode we bring you an in-depth conversation with a public health pioneer. During her five-decade career, Marie McCormick, Sumner and Esther Feldberg Professor, emerita, at Harvard T.…
Nov. 02, 2018: How accurate are health headlines in your social media feed?
Every day we are bombarded with health news in our social media feeds: from studies touting the benefits—or harms—of a particular food to research on a new treatment for a disease. But how accurate a…
October 18, 2018: Your phone knows how you feel
Many of us spend hours each day on our smartphones, whether it's texting friends or using our GPS for directions. And each of those actions leaves behind a digital breadcrumb. In this week's episode …
Sept. 27, 2018: Can we solve the migration crisis?
Every minute 24 people around the world are forced to leave their homes—and it’s estimated that more than 65 million people are currently displaced. In this week’s episode, we explore the global refu…
September 6, 2018: A call for redesigning American streets
In this week’s podcast we’ll explore how America’s streets can be redesigned to benefit bicyclists and pedestrians—and we’ll explain why doing so may even help mitigate the effects of climate change.
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August 10, 2018: Designing for climate change
A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that students who lived in dormitories without air conditioning during a heat wave performed worse on a series of simple tests compare…
July 24, 2018: Food Insecurity as a public health issue
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) helps 40 million low-income Americans afford food each month. But the program's future is uncertain as Congress debates the Farm Bill, a multi-yea…
July 12, 2018: Every business has an impact on health
Every company has an impact on health—both positive and negative—whether they realize it or not. And in this episode we're taking an in-depth look at the links between businesses and health. Harvard …
June 21, 2018: Eliminating trans fats
In this episode we're marking a major public health milestone. As of Monday, June 18, U.S. food manufacturers are banned from creating products with artificial trans fats—found in partially hydrogena…
June 14, 2018: What's behind a resurgence of mumps in the United States?
In the early 21st century there was hope that the success of the mumps vaccine in the United States would pave the way for the eventual elimination of the highly contagious disease. But since 2006 th…
May 31, 2018: Gina McCarthy's mission to protect public health and defend science
This week the Harvard Chan School launched the new School-wide Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE). Under the leadership of Director Gina McCarthy, C-CHANGE will use sci…
May 22, 2018: Student stories
This week more than 650 students from dozens of countries graduated from the Harvard Chan School. Each graduate has their own amazing story—with powerful reasons for pursuing public health. We can’t …
May 10, 2018: What can we learn from a 'null' study result?
Between 2014-2016, Researchers from Ariadne Labs ran an ambitious trial to see if a simple checklist could improve childbirth care and prevent deaths in one of India’s poorest states. The randomized …
May 3, 2018: Achieving health equity in the Americas
In recent years countries across the Americas have made major improvements in health, but while life expectancy has increased and infant and maternal mortality rates have fallen, significant inequali…
April 19, 2018: Privacy as a human right
The recent scandal over Facebook's use of personal information has shone fresh light on one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century: How can we protect our privacy when we are willingly—or u…
April 12, 2018: Is global health aid distributed fairly?
Billions of dollars in global health aid are distributed around the world each year. But the process by which that funding is distributed—often by large multilateral agencies— is frequently opaque an…
March 29, 2018: The plasticity of the aging process
We often think of aging as an inevitable physical decline; as we get older our bodies break down and diseases begin to multiply. But what if that wasn't the case? What if we could change how we age a…