In The News

HSC researchers receive new NIH grant to study, impact young adults’ risks from alcohol, marijuana

A new study led by researchers at the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth (HSC) looks to uncover the perceptions that young adults have toward alcohol and marijuana and the personal safety, or protective, strategies they employ when using one or both substances together, to help reduce their risks for harm and negative consequences.

Research shows increase in alcohol consumption during pandemic

Researchers say alcohol consumption has increased during the pandemic because of psychological overload.

How Social Media Can Amplify Underage Drinking

Dana Litt, professor of Health Behavior and Health Systems at the University of North Texas Health Science Center, is one of the leaders of the team researching this new approach. She joined KERA’s Justin Martin to talk about their work.

North Texas: Researchers to Help Parents, Kids Talk About Social Media and Drinking

Parents can be one of the best deterrents to underage drinking by having knowledge of and talking to their kids about alcohol content presented on social networking sites, say two University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) public health researchers who are leading a new National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) study focused on teen and young adult alcohol interventions.

Why is Spring the most important time to talk with your teens?

National survey data shows that among high school students during the past 30 days, 30% reported drinking alcohol, 14% reported engaging in a heavy-episodic drinking (i.e. 4/5 drinks or more for women/men, respectively), 6% drove after drinking alcohol, and 17% rode with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. Although alcohol use in general is problematic in this age group, specific events such as spring break, prom, and graduation have been associated with excessive alcohol use among teens.

SPH students, alum recognized at 2019 Research Appreciation Day

UNTHSC School of Public Health (SPH) students Cassidy Loparco, Roslin Jose and Sarah Matthes, along with SPH alum and current TCOM student Brandon Hoff, were all honored for their winning poster presentations at this year’s UNTHSC Research Appreciation Day (RAD), held March 29.

Twitter posts offer insight into young adult drinking

Young adults’ social media chatter may reveal a lot about drinking behavior and intentions, say two UNTHSC public health researchers.

North Texas NIH study: First Semester of College Represents ‘Red Zone’ for Student Drinking

What happens in the first semester of college can profoundly impact students’ alcohol use and future drinking behaviors, especially during the first six weeks, says University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) School of Public Health associate professor Dr. Dana M. Litt, who is leading a new study on ways to reach freshmen when they are most impressionable.

North Texas Researchers to Study Thoughts, Social Influences Impacting Teen, Young Adult Drinking

Two University of North Texas Health Science Center (UNTHSC) School of Public Health researchers plan to get inside the minds of teens and young adults to learn what influences them to drink, and when they are most apt to use alcohol, through a new $2.6 million, five-year grant funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism through the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Three nationally-known alcohol and substance abuse researchers — Dr. Melissa A. Lewis, Dr. Dana M. Litt and Dr. Eun-Young Mun — have been appointed to the School of Public Health faculty at the University of North Texas Health Science Center(UNTHSC), underlining the school’s intent to become a national center of excellence in substance abuse education and research.