The New York Times quoted Paul Irving of the USC Leonard Davis School on the health benefits for older adults who volunteer. “The health benefits for older volunteers are mind-blowing,” he said. When older folks go in for physicals, he said, “in addition to taking blood and doing all the other things that the doctor does when he or she pushes and prods and pokes, the doctor should say to you, ‘So tell me about your volunteering.’”
![Women talk about their caregiving experiences at a support group meeting last year](https://b2277285.smushcdn.com/2277285/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Brian-van-der-Brug-Los-Angeles-Times-scaled.jpeg?lossy=2&strip=0&webp=1)
The Times quoted Valter Longo of the USC Leonard Davis School on how too much bread in Italian diets is contributing to childhood obesity.
NBC News Los Angeles affiliate KNBC-TV featured research by Jung Ki Kim and Eileen Crimmins of the USC Leonard Davis School on pandemic fatigue among people of all ages. “It is concerning that people increased risky social behaviors over time, particularly older people, who could have more adverse consequences from meeting with family and friends,” Kim said. Additional coverage was found on Spectrum News 1, KCRW-FM and KNX 1070 AM.
KCET featured a study by Jung Ki Kim and Eileen Crimmins on how people of all ages grew tired of complying with such rules as early as two months into the pandemic. “It is encouraging to observe older people taking more preventive personal behaviors as the pandemic progressed as this may have alleviated their risk of infection,” Kim said. “However, at the same time, it is concerning that people increased risky social behaviors over time, particularly older people, who could have more adverse consequences from meeting with family and friends.”
The Wall Street Journal featured Pinchas Cohen, dean of the USC Leonard Davis School, on how the COVID-19 pandemic will impact aging, retirement and lifestyle choices. “Age is the No. 1 cause of risk for mortality from COVID, but it’s not chronological age, it’s biological age,” he said.
The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA) quoted Caroline Cicero in an article about how the US will have its oldest president ever, no matter who wins the election. “I believe there’s a lot of ageism in the country that prompts people to say either candidate must be unfit for office because of his age,” Cicero said. “I do understand that people might be frustrated that two older white men are the choices, but that doesn’t mean they’re unfit because of their age.”
The San Diego Union-Tribune cited research from the USC Leonard Davis School on how playing a musical instrument can protect against dementia.
U.S. News & World Report featured research by doctoral students Erfei Zhao and Qiao Wu of the USC Leonard Davis School on how viewers of Fox News were less likely to take preventive measures against COVID-19 compared to CNN viewers. “In a highly partisan environment, false information can be easily disseminated,” they said.