Steve Downs

What Kids Told Us About How to Get Them Off Their Phones Children who were raised on screens need more freedom out in the real world.

Good piece on the complexities of what’s changing in childhood. And data from actual kids. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

Also very popular in our newsletter this weekend was this oldie but goodie, also from the Berkeley Media Studies Group, on how to make the case for addressing environmental drivers of health: www.bmsg.org/resources/pu...

Individualism threatens public health 1.Individualism is a wonderful thing. And individualism is a terrible thing.

The most popular story from our newsletter this weekend was this piece, from the Berkeley Media Studies Group, on the tension between American ideals of individualism and the essential roles of public health: medium.com/narrative-st...

Be sure to check out this essay, from co-founder @thgoetz.bsky.social, on individualism, the illusion of freedom of choice and how attaining health individually relies on working on our collective health, in our latest newsletter:
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For our latest newsletter, we look at the iconic American phrase "freedom of choice" and explore its implications for our health. Plus, a new report from @deloitteinsights.bsky.social on food as medicine, a new design envisions entertainment that's actually healthy & more

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Sen. Cassidy vs. Dr. Cassidy, continued …

Wild World Cassandra Jenkins · Single · 2015 · 1 songs

open.spotify.com/album/7HoizR...

not entirely — 5:15 from the Junction was canceled

Design for Good Celebration - 25th June (Virtual)

I'm excited to head to London this week to hear about innovation projects focused on UN SDG 4: Quality Education at the Design for Good Annual Event 2025. You can see the livestream on Thursday here: bit.ly/DfG_Celebrat...

The link between low-stress bicycle facilities and bicycle commuting - Nature Cities Bicycling offers a range of benefits for urban commuters, but the facilities that best facilitate bicycle lane use are still unclear. Using data from 28 US cities, this study found that bicycle lanes ...

Protected bike lane mileage installed was significantly associated with bike commuter increases that were 52.5% stronger than standard bicycle lane mileage and 281.2% stronger than shared-lane marking mileage. www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Great to see greater recognition of the environments (in this case food) that drive chronic illness. But it's not just the food products that are responsible -- there's also entertainment, housing, transportation ... www.buildingh.org/index/2024

It's Friday and time to send our gratitude to a long list of folks who've taken the time to contribute in various ways to our mission over the last several weeks. | Building H It's Friday and time to send our gratitude to a long list of folks who've taken the time to contribute in various ways to our mission over the last several weeks. Thank you to: David Rehkopf, ...

We're always grateful for people who take time to contribute to our mission in large ways and small. This Friday, thanks go out to @joannecheung.com, @kimkater.bsky.social, @suewoods.bsky.social, @susannahrfox.bsky.social and many more: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/...

Will it be easier or harder to be healthy in the future? Keynote address to the Society For Behavioral Medicine’s annual meeting 2025

The most popular piece in our newsletter last week was co-founder @stephenjdowns.bsky.social's remarks -- covering lessons from our first five years -- at the 2025 annual meeting of the @sbm.org: medium.com/building-h/w...

yes — trends seem similar

Interesting that the numbers (obesity, severe obesity) generally run a few points higher than NHANES data

Superb article. That constant data collection w/ regular data analysis is considered the future of health highlights 2 major failures: 1) not providing adequate health care for all; and 2) creating a modern world where it's so hard to stay healthy. The real challenge is to make this stuff rare.

Opinion | The New Science of Aging Can Predict Your Future A new era of medical care is upon us.

The most popular story from our newsletter was this NYT opinion piece from @erictopol.bsky.social on the real (and very old school) keys to longevity, which can be supplemented by advances in measurement: www.nytimes.com/2025/04/21/o...

We're out with our latest newsletter, ft. a collection of stories on the importance of spending time outdoors, in nature or in cities. Plus: the sneaky way that junk food hacks our brains; @erictopol.bsky.social on the boring but effective secrets to longevity & more

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Where’s the H in ESG Investing? Consumer products affect people’s health, but these impacts carry little weight in how socially responsible investing portfolios are…

In a new follow-up report, @buildingh.bsky.social researchers used the Index as a tool to evaluate socially responsible investment (SRI) portfolios, with a focus on the health impacts of a company’s products.

As @davidzipper.bsky.social has pointed out, it’s crazy that vehicle safety ratings only focus on occupant safety.

Why health should be a bigger component of socially responsible investing - Equities.com The health impacts of products produced by companies whose stock is held in top socially responsible and ESG impact funds are not being taken into account in

Great write up on our recent research from @equitiesdotcom.bsky.social: www.equities.com/impact-inves...

The wellness industry is killing animals, spreading disease, and fueling the next pandemic Cats and dogs are dying because of growth of raw pet food, which might also help create the next pandemic.

The most popular story from our newsletter last week was this opinion piece by @drandrealove.bsky.social in @statnews.com on the damage being done by the wellness industry: www.statnews.com/2025/04/10/r...

YouTube video by Public Health On Call 881 - The Building H Index: Ranking Consumer Products By Their Impacts On Our Health

Hear how @buildingh.bsky.social calculates health scores for consumer products and services across entertainment, food, housing, and transportation, and makes recommendations to companies about how to make their products healthier: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zD_...

I had great conversation about our work on the Building H Index and how consumer products and services affect our health with @drjoshs.bsky.social of @johnshopkinssph.bsky.social for their Public Health On Call podcast. It's a quick listen: johnshopkinssph.libsyn.com/881-the-buil...

Last day to vote! If this issue resonates with you, please take a minute and vote for the session. Thanks to all who’ve already done so.

I’m really excited about this work we released today. We have so many products and services that make it harder for people to be healthy — and we need ways to create accountability for these impacts. The report reveals a big opportunity to fold new measures of health impact into ESG investing.

I’m really excited about this work we released today. We have so many products and services that make it harder for people to be healthy — and we need ways to create accountability for these impacts. The report reveals a big opportunity to fold new measures of health impact into ESG investing.

Of course crafting the future through short-term consumer preferences creates its own set of problems (e.g. environmental harm, widespread chronic illness), but that’s a whole other conversation 😉

What a line: “Trading universal health insurance for a shot at one day renovating your own big, beautiful American kitchen with all the bells and whistles isn’t a deal that everyone born into the US economic system is glad their forebears made, but you can plausibly call it a trade.”

@apha.org A4: PHI’s @buildingh.bsky.social aims to reverse the course of chronic disease in the U.S., rooted in the belief that the infrastructure of our daily life—our food, transportation, housing, and entertainment—can be reimagined with health and well-being as explicit design goals. #NPHWChat