Natalie Herbert

All Publications

• Collecting Longitudinal, Perishable Social Science Observations during Hurricanes BULLETIN OF THE AMERICAN METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY Demuth, J. L., Schumacher, A. B., Morss, R. E., Wong-Parodi, G., Herbert, N., Walpole, H. D., Alland, J. J. 2025; 106 (1): E167-E196

  View details for DOI 10.1175/BAMS-D-23-0291.s1

  View details for Web of Science ID 001415450200001

• Flooding and elevated prenatal depression in a climate-sensitive community in rural Bangladesh: a mixed methods study. medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences Hanif, S., Momo, J. E., Jahan, F., Goldberg, L., Herbert, N., Yeamin, A., Shoab, A. K., Akhter, R. M., Roy, S. K., Heitmann, G. B., Ercumen, A., Rahman, M., Tofail, F., Wong-Parodi, G., Benjamin-Chung, J. 2024

  Abstract

  Prenatal depression can have lasting adverse impacts on child health. Little is known about the impact of floods on prenatal depression in low- and middle-income countries.We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 881 pregnant women from September 24, 2023 to July 19, 2024 in riverine communities in rural Bangladesh. We recorded participant-reported flooding in the past 6 months, administered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and obtained water level data and remote sensing data on distance to surface water. We fit generalized linear and log-linear models adjusting for month, wealth, education, age, and gestational age. We conducted 2 focus group discussions with 20 adult women.3.6% of compounds were flooded in the past 6 months. Compound flooding was associated with elevated depression (adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) = 2.08, 95% CI 1.14, 3.51) and thoughts of self-harm (aPR=8.40, 95% CI 4.19, 16.10). Latrine flooding was associated with higher depression (aPR=3.58, 95% CI 1.49, 7.29)). Higher water levels and shorter distance to permanent surface water were significantly associated with mean EPDS scores. Focus groups revealed that domestic violence, inadequate sanitation, gendered vulnerabilities in accessing latrines, childcare difficulties, and food insecurity were key drivers of depression due to floods. Flood preparedness strategies included relocation, storing food, and home modifications.Flooding, higher water levels, and proximity to water bodies were associated with prenatal depression in a rural, low-income setting. Inadequate sanitation and hygiene infrastructure were particularly strong drivers of depression.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

  View details for DOI 10.1101/2024.11.25.24317922

  View details for PubMedID 39649600

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC11623739

• Descriptive social norms, social support, and behavioral response to climate-related and co-occurring health hazards JOURNAL OF RISK RESEARCH Santana, F. N., Herbert, N., Wong-Parodi, G. 2024

  View details for DOI 10.1080/13669877.2024.2315997

  View details for Web of Science ID 001195010400001

• Improving adaptation to wildfire smoke and extreme heat in frontline communities: evidence from a community-engaged pilot study in the San Francisco Bay Area ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS Herbert, N., Beckman, C., Cannedy, C., Cao, J., Cho, S., Fischer, S., Huang, S., Kramer, S. J., Lopez, O., Lopez, S., Ouyang, D., Suckale, J., Wulf-Saena, V., Zhang, Z., Wong-Parodi, G. 2023; 18 (7)

  View details for DOI 10.1088/1748-9326/acddf9

  View details for Web of Science ID 001016344600001

• Leveraging immersive technology to expand access to opioid overdose reversal training in community settings: Results from a randomized controlled equivalence trial DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE Herbert, N., Axson, S., Siegel, L., Cassidy, K., Hoyt-Brennan, A., Whitney, C., Herens, A., Giordano, N. A. 2020; 214: 108160

  Abstract

  Immersive video (e.g. virtual reality) poses a promising and engaging alternative to standard in-person trainings and can potentially increase access to evidence-based opioid overdose prevention programs (OOPPs). Therefore, the objective of this equivalence study was to test whether the immersive video OOPP was equivalent to a standard in-person OOPP for changes in opioid overdose knowledge and attitudes.A team of nurses and communication researchers developed a 9-minute immersive video OOPP. To test whether this immersive video OOPP (treatment) demonstrated equivalent gains in opioid overdose response knowledge and attitudes as in-person OOPPs (standard of care control), researchers deployed a two-day field experiment in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. In this equivalence trial, 9 libraries were randomly assigned to offer treatment or control OOPP to community members attending naloxone giveaway events. In this equivalence design, a difference between treatment and control groups pre- to post-training scores within -1.0 to 1.0 supports equivalence between the trainings.Results demonstrate participants (N = 94) exposed to the immersive video OOPP had equivalent improvements on posttest knowledge (β=-0.18, p = .61) and more favorable attitudes about responding to an opioid overdose (β=0.26, p = .02) than those exposed to the standard OOPP. However, these minor differences in knowledge and attitudes were within the equivalence interval indicating that the immersive video OOPP remained equivalently effective for community members.Community partnerships, like those between public health departments and libraries, can provide opportunities for deploying novel immersive video OOPP that, alongside standard offerings, can strengthen community response to the opioid crisis.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108160

  View details for Web of Science ID 000558768100022

  View details for PubMedID 32653721

• The role of information avoidance in managing uncertainty from conflicting recommendations about electronic cigarettes Communication Monographs Yang, Q., Herbert, N., Yang, S., Alber, J., Ophir, Y., Cappella, J. N. 2020

  View details for DOI 10.1080/03637751.2020.1809685

• Support or competition? How online social networks increase physical activity: A randomized controlled trial. Preventive medicine reports Zhang, J., Brackbill, D., Yang, S., Becker, J., Herbert, N., Centola, D. 2016; 4: 453-8

  Abstract

  To identify what features of online social networks can increase physical activity, we conducted a 4-arm randomized controlled trial in 2014 in Philadelphia, PA. Students (n = 790, mean age = 25.2) at an university were randomly assigned to one of four conditions composed of either supportive or competitive relationships and either with individual or team incentives for attending exercise classes. The social comparison condition placed participants into 6-person competitive networks with individual incentives. The social support condition placed participants into 6-person teams with team incentives. The combined condition with both supportive and competitive relationships placed participants into 6-person teams, where participants could compare their team's performance to 5 other teams' performances. The control condition only allowed participants to attend classes with individual incentives. Rewards were based on the total number of classes attended by an individual, or the average number of classes attended by the members of a team. The outcome was the number of classes that participants attended. Data were analyzed using multilevel models in 2014. The mean attendance numbers per week were 35.7, 38.5, 20.3, and 16.8 in the social comparison, the combined, the control, and the social support conditions. Attendance numbers were 90% higher in the social comparison and the combined conditions (mean = 1.9, SE = 0.2) in contrast to the two conditions without comparison (mean = 1.0, SE = 0.2) (p = 0.003). Social comparison was more effective for increasing physical activity than social support and its effects did not depend on individual or team incentives.

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.pmedr.2016.08.008

  View details for PubMedID 27617191

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5008041