School Notes: School of Public Health
January/February 2011

Exercise associated with reduced risk of endometrial cancer

Women who routinely perform moderate- to vigorous-intensity exercise for 2.5 hours or more weekly have a significantly reduced risk of endometrial cancer, new research by the Yale School of Public Health has discovered. The study examined hundreds of women and found that those who exercised at least 150 minutes weekly—which could be something as simple as moderate-paced walking—had a 34 percent reduced risk of endometrial cancer compared with their sedentary peers. This association was particularly pronounced among active women with a body mass index (BMI) less than 25, where the reduction in risk was 73 percent, compared with inactive women with a BMI greater than 25. “Public health programs should encourage physical activity for those who have the highest risk of endometrial cancer,” said Hannah Arem, a doctoral student and one of the paper’s authors.

Downs Fellows discuss international research projects

A dozen Downs Fellows from the School of Public Health joined colleagues from the schools of medicine and nursing to present the results of their international research at an annual symposium and poster session that drew a capacity crowd. Dean Paul D. Cleary noted that the fellowship’s endowment continues to grow through donations and that the number of fellowships has risen by about a third over the last decade. The Downs International Health Student Travel Fellowship, more commonly known as the Downs Fellowship, honors Wilbur Downs (1913–1991), a professor of epidemiology and public health at Yale. Founded in 1966, the fellowship has sponsored more than 400 international research projects by Yale students in low- and middle-income countries.

Study will focus on liver cancer

While liver cancer remains relatively uncommon in the United States, its incidence has been steadily increasing; and for those afflicted with the disease the prospects for survival are very grim. In what is believed to be the first population-based study of its type in the United States, a Yale School of Public Health research team will examine the genetic and environmental factors associated with the deadly disease. The multiyear study is funded with a $6.98 million grant from the National Cancer Institute.

The incidence of liver cancer in the United States has nearly doubled since 1980 and there is evidence that factors such as infection with hepatitis viruses, especially hepatitis C virus, obesity, and alcohol consumption are contributing to the increase, said Herbert Yu, an associate professor at the School of Public Health and the study’s principal investigator. “If the link between lifestyle and liver cancer risk is true, then more people will face this devastating disease in the future if we do not change our lifestyle in diet and physical exercise,” he said.