College of Health and Human Services

What if people could lower their blood pressure simply by squeezing their hands? 

It may sound too good to be true, but a UNC Charlotte research team is producing some very promising results with isometric exercise – flexing muscles without moving a joint.

While the obesity rate for Charlotte-Mecklenburg K-5 students hovers around the national average, it falls well short of the target numbers for a healthy population, according to a multi-year study led by UNC Charlotte researchers.

The UNC Charlotte School of Social Work has received a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand integrated care practices across the Charlotte region.

UNC Charlotte faculty or staff members and graduate students who are between the ages of 21 and 65 and have high blood pressure may be eligible to participate in a study on the effects of isometric exercise training.

Jan Warren-Findlow, a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences, and Reuben Howden, an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology, are performing this study; isometric exercise is a form of strengthening exercise, in this case squeezing a handgrip device.

A new UNC Charlotte study is set to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention aimed at supporting grandparents raising their grandchildren.

UNC Charlotte clinical nursing professor Kathleen Jordan is leading grant-funded research to aid medical professionals and social workers who examine and care for children who have been sexually abused.

Jordan, who is an active nurse practitioner, created the study, titled “Pediatric Sexual Abuse: An Interprofessional Approach to Optimizing Emergency Care.” The goal of the research is to improve not only emergency providers’ ability to identify sexual abuse in their pediatric patients but also their ability to treat these children.

UNC Charlotte clinical nursing professor Kathleen Jordan is leading grant-funded research to aid medical professionals and social workers who examine and care for children who have been sexually abused.

Jordan, who is an active nurse practitioner, created the study, titled “Pediatric Sexual Abuse: An Interprofessional Approach to Optimizing Emergency Care.” The goal of the research is to improve not only emergency providers’ ability to identify sexual abuse in their pediatric patients but also their ability to treat these children.

As temperatures spike each spring, mosquitos start to swarm. They bring with them an increased risk of mosquito-borne diseases and a need to understand how to guard against these pesky – and at times –dangerous insects. Researchers at UNC Charlotte and the Mecklenburg County Health Department are collaborating on a study to determine which factors in the environment lead to hotspots of mosquito activity

One in four women report being assaulted during their time in college, impacting their emotional and physical health and academic success.

Federal and state governments have prioritized the implementation of campus safety surveys to get an accurate understanding of student experiences with violence and harassment.

UNC Charlotte is collaborating with the University of Kentucky for the second year to implement a campus safety survey to all undergraduate students aged 18-24.

Charlotte and Mecklenburg County will soon have a better understanding of the needs of older adults in the area following “Meck50+,” a study led by UNC Charlotte and funded by the Southminster continuing care retirement community.