Category: faculty

Jenna Nobles on Women’s Healthcast Podcast

Posted on August 5, 2022

Lots of questions about menstrual tracking or cycle tracking apps popped up after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the constitutional right to an abortion in June 2022. Questions like: are these apps secure? Could data tracked in these apps be used to criminalize people who seek abortion care? Should people be concerned about using cycle tracking apps? Dr. Jenna Nobles joined the Women’s Healthcast to talk about why people may be interested in using cycle tracking apps, how they work, common concerns around data security and safety, and how to evaluate whether using a cycle tracking app is the right choice for you.

Rebecca Myerson et al, “Association of Funding Cuts to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Navigator Program With Privately Sponsored Television Advertising”

Posted on August 5, 2022

Key Points Question What is the association between the 80% cut in funding for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) navigator program between 2017 and 2019 and private sector advertising in the ACA individual health insurance marketplace? Findings This economic evaluation of 2435 counties in 33 US states using a difference-in-difference analysis found no significant change in the number of private sector advertisements aired targeting marketplace health insurance or other non-Medicare, non-Medicaid health insurance associated with the funding cuts. Meaning These findings suggest cuts to funding for the ACA navigator program were not associated with changes in the number of advertisements aired by health insurance companies or other private sector sponsors; the findings can inform policy debates about the extent to which the private sector adjusts in response to changes in government outreach.

Mosi Ifatunji et al., “Black Nativity and Health Disparities: A Research Paradigm for Understanding the Social Determinants of Health”

Posted on July 29, 2022

Abstract After more than a century of research and debate, the scientific community has yet to reach agreement on the principal causes of racialized disparities in population health. This debate currently centers on the degree to which “race residuals” are a result of unobserved differences in the social context or unobserved differences in population characteristics. …

Jenna Nobles featured in On Wisconsin article “A Bodily Barrier to Legal Abortion”

Posted on July 26, 2022

Jenna Nobles, CDE Director and Professor in Sociology, spoke with the University of Wisconsin-Madison's magazine, On Wisconsin, about her work with and the National Institutes of Health. Together, they analyzed anonymized data on 1.6 million menstrual cycles provided by more than 267,000 adults to a cycle-tracking app. Some women have irregular menstrual cycles that could keep them from learning they’re pregnant until it’s too late to access an abortion even in places where it's still available.

Alejandra Ros Pilarz et al, “Making Sense of Childcare Instability Among Families with Low Incomes: (Un)desired and (Un)planned Reasons for Changing Childcare Arrangements.”

Posted on July 5, 2022

Childcare instability can negatively affect family well-being. Yet not all childcare changes are bad for families. This qualitative study (N = 85) examines work, family, provider, and subsidy-related factors contributing to childcare changes among families with low incomes. We focus on the desirability—the extent to which parents wanted to leave their provider—and the planned nature of childcare changes—the extent to which parents anticipated the change and had time to plan.

Posted on May 11, 2020