School Notes: School of Public Health
January/February 2010

Childhood ADHD, adult crime linked

Schoolchildren with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are substantially more likely to engage in many types of criminal activity, such as burglary, theft, and drug dealing, as they grow older, a study conducted by the Yale School of Public Health has found. The findings are published in the Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics.

The study of more than 10,000 adolescents who were later surveyed as young adults found that children with ADHD were, for example, nearly twice as likely to commit theft later in life and 50 percent more likely to eventually sell drugs. The findings suggest that intervention programs for children with ADHD might be an appropriate response, according to assistant professor Jason M. Fletcher, the study’s lead author. The research results are believed to be the first drawn from a national sample of individuals, which provide evidence of a link between the childhood condition commonly known as ADHD and illegal activity.

Many patients arriving too late for stroke drug

Most stroke patients arrive at the hospital too late to take advantage of a clot-busting drug that significantly reduces stroke symptoms and lessens the chance of permanent disability if delivered within three hours of the onset of symptoms.

New research by the School of Public Health found that while hospitals are more frequently delivering tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) to ischemic stroke patients, the proportion of patients arriving in time to benefit from the drug changed little over a three-year period.

Lead researcher Judith H. Lichtman, an associate professor in the division of chronic disease epidemiology, said the findings suggest that more needs to be done to educate people about stroke symptoms and the importance of receiving prompt medical care. “One of the greatest challenges for acute stroke care is getting patients to the hospital as soon as possible once they experience stroke symptoms,” Lichtman said.

Professor named “Researcher of the Year”

A Yale School of Public Health professor has been named “Researcher of the Year” by Business New Haven magazine for her work on nutrition, genetics, and cancer prevention.

Susan Mayne, head of the division of chronic disease epidemiology, appeared in the magazine’s “HealthCare Heroes” supplement with a profile on her research into the role of diet and nutrition in the development of chronic diseases, including cancer. The article detailed potential future applications of Mayne’s research, including dietary guidelines tailored to a patient’s genetic makeup to treat or prevent cancer, amounting to personalized prevention.