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Carolina Population Center
@uncpopcenter.bsky.social
1K followers 330 following 210 posts
Our faculty, staff, and students conduct research on population, health, aging, and the environment, and share data and findings that push the field forward.

https://cpc.unc.edu
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uncpopcenter.bsky.social
In The Secrets of Silence, Carolina Population Center Fellow and Assistant Professor of Sociology Shannon Malone Gonzalez investigates how the policing of black women is tied to the policing of their stories.
press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...
December 5, 2025 at 2:55 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Commenting on a recent lawsuit brought against 10 food producers, CPC Fellow Barry Popkin says ultraprocessed foods are worsening diets, driving overeating, and exposing consumers to toxins. "The food is killing us."
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
San Francisco sues 10 companies that make ultraprocessed food
The lawsuit alleges that the companies marketed and sold foods that they knew were harmful to human health.
www.nbcnews.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:54 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
U.S. is far behind other countries in labeling ultraprocessed foods, CPC Fellow Barry Popkin says. “We’ve shown in a country like Chile, where they put a front-of-the-package warning label, that purchases of sugar went down 33%."
www.wral.com/lifestyles/h...
Why ultra-processed foods are hard to resist, and what the U.S. can learn from other countries
UNC research looks at why ultra-processed foods are so addictive and strategies other countries use to curb consumption, offering valuable insights for U.S. health initiatives.
www.wral.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:53 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
“People are making rational choices about how difficult it is to be a parent,” says CPC Director Karen Guzzo | Carolina Population Center
www.cpc.unc.edu/news/people-are-making-rational-choices-about-how-difficult-it-is-to-be-a-parent-says-cpc-director-karen-guzzo/
“People are making rational choices about how difficult it is to be a parent,” says CPC Director Karen Guzzo | Carolina Population Center
This article originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal on Dec. 2, 2025. By Rachel Wolfe Fertility rates in the U.S. have never been lower. Could $1,000 “Trump accounts” for newborns, plus Tuesday...
www.cpc.unc.edu
December 5, 2025 at 2:51 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Increasing the U.S. birth rate requires more than one-time payments to mothers, CPC Director Karen Guzzo says. "The things that matter most are childcare infrastructure that is affordable, accessible, high quality and paid leave."
www.deseret.com/magazine/202...
The cost of giving birth in America
The United States is the most expensive country to give birth in the world. Could an effort to make childbirth free help families afford to grow?
www.deseret.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:48 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Demographic shifts in Japan and the United States make it an urgent priority for both countries to partner to advance aging research, clinical practice and educational initiatives, says CPC Fellow John Batsis.
global.unc.edu/news-story/f...
Faculty symposium addresses care for aging populations in North Carolina, Japan - UNC Global Affairs
In October, UNC Global Affairs, the UNC Center for Aging and Health, and Nagoya University’s Graduate School of Medicine hosted a three-day, multi-disciplinary symposium on “Aging and the Family” in C...
global.unc.edu
November 26, 2025 at 6:12 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
A group of international experts, including CPC Fellow Barry Popkin, say addressing the challenge of ultraprocessed foods requires a unified global response that confronts corporate power and transforms food systems to promote healthier diets.
www.thelancet.com/series-do/ul...
Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health
This 3-paper Series reviews the evidence about the increase in ultra-processed foods in diets globally and highlights the association with many non-communicable diseases. This rise in ultra-processed ...
www.thelancet.com
November 26, 2025 at 6:10 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Fellow Ganga Bey says humans' conceptions about themselves are not merely abstract philosophies. They are measurable, powerful determinants of health and well-being.
greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item...
Can Loving Yourself and Others Protect Your Health?
Research suggests that seeing our spiritual connections to others could protect us from disease and promote public health.
greatergood.berkeley.edu
November 26, 2025 at 6:09 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Fellow Lindsey Smith Taillie says embracing her silly side makes her a better scientist. "Being authentic at work is not a weakness, but rather a strength," she says.
www.science.org/content/arti...
Embracing my silly side makes me a better scientist. I wish I’d done it sooner
Humor has helped this professor connect with students and colleagues—and remain resilient during hard times
www.science.org
November 26, 2025 at 6:07 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Director Karen Guzzo joins WABE's Health Wanted podcast to discuss Pronatalism and 'The Fertility Crisis' in the U.S. "For most people, they are choosing not to have kids throughout their 20s," she says.
www.wabe.org/podcasts/hea...
The Fertility Crisis
In 1968, biologist Paul Ehrlich cautioned that by the 1980s we’d see hundreds of millions of people starving to death due to overpopulation. Turns out… he was a bit off. […]
www.wabe.org
November 26, 2025 at 5:57 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Congratulations to CPC Fellow Stephanie Martin for receiving a Fall 2025 Rural Research, Engagement, and Advancement Fund award for her work to support healthier meals and improve health for migrant farmworkers.
uncrural.unc.edu/2025/11/rrea...
November 26, 2025 at 5:54 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Carolina Population Center 2025-2026 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Series:

Ross Boyce - Without an Ark: Baseline Demographics of Residents Living in a Flood-Prone Area of Rural Western Uganda
youtu.be/zedaLwYiZG4
Ross Boyce - Baseline Demographics of Residents Living in a Flood-Prone Area of Rural Western Uganda
YouTube video by Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 4:54 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Carolina Population Center 2025-2026 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Series:

Sarah Petry - The Years Before Medicare: Expected Health Insurance Transitions
youtu.be/G2-4WrbxFd8
Sara Petry - The Years Before Medicare: Expected Health Insurance Transitions
YouTube video by Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
youtu.be
November 21, 2025 at 4:53 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
The U.S. is behind other countries in requiring easy to understand nutrition and warning labels, said CPC Fellow Marissa Hall. “Warning labels are a surprisingly powerful tool for changing behavior when they are well-designed,” she said.
www.yahoo.com/news/article...
Food, tobacco and alcohol labels should be easy to find and memorable, UNC researcher says
A UNC researcher says the United States has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to informing consumers about the potential health risks of products they’re buying. Depictions of smoking-related h...
www.yahoo.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:08 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Congrats to CPC Fellow and Assistant Professor of Sociology Lauren Valentino, who was selected for a Russell Sage Foundation Visiting Scholar Fellowship for the 2026-27 academic year!
November 19, 2025 at 4:06 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
“More than half of the women in rural North Carolina live more than 30 minutes away from a birthing hospital," says CPC Fellow Kavita Arora. New OB/GYN fellowship she will lead is a step in the right direction to close that gap, she says.
www.healio.com/news/womens-...
www.healio.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:04 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
On Veterans Day, CPC Fellow Ross Boyce reflects on how his time in the military has influenced his service to UNC and the state of North Carolina.
www.instagram.com/reel/DQr5zAR...
The University of North Carolina on Instagram: "⚠️ Content Warning: Explosion + military medical scene (non-graphic) ⚠️ Before he led projects to fight malaria in Uganda, former U.S. Army captain Dr....
In this video, we sit down with Dr. Ross Boyce, a veteran, physician, and associate professor at UNC School of Medicine. He shares how his military experience has shaped his approach to medicine, high...
www.instagram.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:03 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Fellow Fenaba Addo says "stark racial disparities in student loan debt accumulation and repayment make it clear that race and racial inequality are central to understanding the student loan debt crisis in the United States."
badgerherald.com/news/campus/...
Experts discuss racial inequities in student debt at UW webinar
The University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty hosted a webinar Oct. 29. The webinar examined the effects of student loans and how they specifically target Black students and families, ...
badgerherald.com
November 5, 2025 at 3:53 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Director Karen Guzzo discusses the pronatalism movement on WBUR's Here and Now. "Low birth rates have been mainstreamed without being well understood and they're being used to foment a population panic."
www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...
The state of the pronatalist movement
The pronatalist movement, which claims to be rectifying what some of its members describe as the likely collapse of civilization due to population decline.
www.wbur.org
November 5, 2025 at 3:52 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
CPC Fellow Lindsey Smith Taillie will launch Lola, a personalized AI online grocery shopping technology that nudges users toward healthier choices as part of the new Kairos program at UNC’s Eshelman Innovation Institute.
sph.unc.edu/sph-news/tai...
October 29, 2025 at 3:34 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Congratulations to CPC Fellows Cassandra Davis and Stephanie Martin on being named to the 2025 class of Thorp Faculty Engaged Scholars, a Carolina Center for Public Service initiative that supports and accelerates community-engaged research and teaching!
ccps.unc.edu/ccps-opportu...
October 29, 2025 at 3:20 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Carolina Population Center fellows Audrey Pettifor, Marissa Hall, and Ilene Speizer will serve as departmental liaisons for the International Student Departmental Liaisons program at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.
sph.unc.edu/sph-news/gil...
October 29, 2025 at 3:12 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
American kids' daily intake of ultraprocessed foods and sugary snacks should be more of a concern than their eating candy on a once-a-year holiday like Halloween, says CPC Fellow Lindsey Smith Taillie.
www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/2025/10/28/f...
Food allergies can make Halloween tricky to navigate
While food dye and allergen concerns are valid at Halloween, a UNC researcher says sharper focus should be on improving kid's everyday diets.
www.northcarolinahealthnews.org
October 29, 2025 at 3:11 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Insecticide-treated baby wraps help provide a 'bridge' for babies until they are old enough to get the malaria vaccine. "You’re protecting the kid while they’re getting to that optimal vaccine-reduced protection," says CPC Fellow Ross Boyce.
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/25/h...
In Fight Against Malaria, an Unexpected — and Snuggly — Shield
www.nytimes.com
October 29, 2025 at 3:10 PM
uncpopcenter.bsky.social
Watch CPC Fellow Ted Mouw's UNC Research Week presentation "Using UNC's Research Data Center to Analyze Local Demographic Micro Data"
youtu.be/SKdFX2WsQEw
Ted Mouw - Using UNC's Research Data Center to Analyze Local Demographic Micro Data
YouTube video by Carolina Population Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
youtu.be
October 25, 2025 at 12:07 PM