Associate Professor Brian Houle
PhD (Sociology), University of Washington; MPH (Public Health), Boston University School of Public Health
School of Demography
ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
Areas of expertise
- Mortality 160304
- Epidemiology 111706
- Demography 1603
- Applied Statistics 010401
Research interests
My main focus is in population health and disparities. I mainly research demographic-health outcomes in Africa, including:
- Maternal and child health
- Mortality patterns and inequalities
- Population health transitions and ageing
Other research interests include:
- Social determinants of health: obesity and smoking
- Methods: informed sampling and sample selection
Biography
Brian Houle from the University of Washington researches demographic-health outcomes in Africa and obesity in the U.S. He has examined the relationship between the timing of maternal and child death, the effects of household members and characteristics on child and adult mortality, and overall epidemiological patterns of mortality risk among adults. Further work analyzed multiple demographic surveillance sites to compare and contrast the epidemiological transitions occurring at each site. Work on disease prevalence assessed sample selection bias in HIV prevalence estimates from Demographic and Health Surveys. His research in the U.S. focuses on the social determinants and inequalities of obesity.
Researcher's projects
HIV after 40 in rural South Africa: Aging in the context of an HIV/AIDS epidemic. NIH R01.
- This project seeks to examine life course variation in HIV vulnerability.
- Project website: https://hivafter40.princeton.edu/
Current student projects
Shao Tzu-Yu: Inter- and intragenerational transmission of social behaviours, economic resources, and health in low and middle-income countries
Audrey Kalindi: Maternal and child health care in Zambia: Analysis of the population level burden, trends and determinants
Publications
- Payne, C, Liwin, L, Wade, A et al. 2023, 'Impact of diabetes on longevity and disability-free life expectancy among older South African adults: A prospective longitudinal analysis', Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, vol. 197.
- Houle, B, Kabudula, C, Gareta, D et al. 2023, 'Household structure, composition and child mortality in the unfolding antiretroviral therapy era in rural South Africa: comparative evidence from population surveillance, 2000�2015', BMJ Open, vol. 13, pp. e070388.
- Roettger, M, Houle, B & Boardman, J 2023, 'Parental imprisonment, delinquent behavior, and BMI gain in a U.S. nationally representative cohort study of adolescents and adults ages 12-32', SSM - Population Health, vol. 22, p. 101425.
- Kalindi, A, Houle, B & Canudas Romo, V 2023, 'Comparative evidence of years lived with reproductive-age morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa (2010-2019)', Demographic Research, vol. 49, no. 6, pp. 109-142.
- Ferro, E, Abrahams-Gessel, S et al. 2023, 'Significant Improvement in Blood Pressure Levels Among Older Adults With Hypertension in Rural South Africa', Hypertension, vol. 80, no. 8, pp. 1614-1623.
- Roettger, M, Houle, B, Najman, J et al. 2022, 'Parental imprisonment as a risk factor for cardiovascular and metabolic disease in adolescent and adult offspring: A prospective Australian birth cohort study', SSM - Population Health, vol. 18.
- Yu, S, Houle, B, Manderson, L et al. 2022, 'The double-edged role of accessed status on health and well-being among middle- and older-age adults in rural South Africa: The HAALSI study', SSM - Population Health, vol. 19, p. 101154.
- Ice, E, Mojola, S, Angotti, N et al. 2022, 'Making sense of troubled livelihoods: Gendered expectations and poor health narratives in rural South Africa', Gender and Society, vol. 36, no. 5, pp. 753-763.
- Payne, C, Houle, B, Chinogurei, C et al. 2022, 'Differences in healthy longevity by HIV status and viral load among older South African adults: An observational cohort modeling study', The Lancet HIV, vol. 9, no. 10, pp. e709-16.
- Mojola, S, Ice, E, Schatz, E et al. 2022, 'The Meaning of Health in Rural South Africa: Gender, the Life Course, and the Socioepidemiological Context', Population and Development Review, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 1061-1095.
- Houle, B, Kabudula, C, Tilstra, A et al. 2022, 'Twin epidemics: the effects of HIV and systolic blood pressure on mortality risk in rural South Africa, 2010-2019', BMC Public Health, vol. 22, pp. 1-9.
- Canudas Romo, V, Houle, B & Adair, T 2022, 'Quantifying impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Australian life expectancy', International Journal of Epidemiology, dyab273. https://doi.org/10.1093/ije/dyab273
- Kabudula, C, Houle, B, Ohene-Kwofie, D et al. 2021, 'Mortality transition over a quarter century in rural South Africa: findings from population surveillance in Agincourt 1993-2018', Global Health Action, vol. 14, no. sup1, pp. 1-11.
- Houle, B, Kabudula, C, Stein, A et al. 2021, 'Linking the timing of a mother's and child's death: Comparative evidence from two rural South African population-based surveillance studies, 2000-2015', PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. Online, pp. 1-15.
- Roettger, M & Houle, B 2021, 'Assessing the relationship between parental imprisonment in childhood and risk of sexually transmitted infections: A cohort study of US adults in early adulthood', BMJ Open, vol. 11, no. 4.
- Houle, B, Gaziano, T, Angotti, N et al. 2021, 'Hypertension incidence among middle-aged and older adults: findings from a 5-year prospective studyin rural Sotuh Africa, 2010-2015', BMJ Open, vol. 11, pp. 1-10.
- Mojola, S, Schatz, E, Angotti, N et al. 2021, '"A Nowadays Disease": HIV/AIDS and Social Change in a Rural South African Community', American Journal of Sociology, vol. 127, no. 3, pp. 950-1000.
- Redinger, S, Pearson, R, Houle, B et al. 2021, 'Thoughts of self-harm in early and late pregnancy in urban South Africa: Investigating prevalence, predictors and screening options', SAMJ South African Medical Journal, vol. 111, no. 7, pp. 627-634.
- Gomez-Olive, F, Houle, B, Rosenberg, M et al. 2020, 'Brief Report: HIV Incidence Among Older Adults in a Rural South African Setting: 2010-2015', Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, vol. 85, no. 1, pp. 18-22.
- Houle, B, Yu, S, Angotti, N et al 2020, 'Clusters of HIV risk and protective sexual behaviors in Agincourt, Rural South Africa; Findings from the Ha Nakekela population-based study of ages 15 and older', Archives of Sexual Behavior, vol. 49, no. 6, pp. 2057-2068.
- Redinger, S, Pearson, R, Houle, B et al. 2020, 'Antenatal depression and anxiety across pregnancy in urban South Africa', Journal of Affective Disorders, vol. 277, pp. 296-305.
- Liwin, L & Houle, B 2019, 'The effects of household and community context on mortality among children under five in Sierra Leone: Evidence from the 2013 Demographic and Health Survey', Demographic Research, vol. 40, no. 11, pp. 279-306pp.
- Rochat, T, Houle, B, Stein, A et al 2019, 'Maternal alcohol use and children's emotional and cognitive outcomes in rural South Africa', SAMJ South African Medical Journal, vol. 109, no. 7, pp. 526-534.
- Houle, B, Rochat, T, Newell, M et al 2019, 'Breastfeeding, HIV exposure, childhood obesity, and prehypertension: A South African cohort study', PLoS Medicine, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 1-23.
- Houle, B, Gaziano, T, Farrell, M et al 2019, 'Cognitive function and cardiometabolic disease risk factors in rural South Africa: baseline evidence from the HAALSI study', BMC Public Health, vol. 19.
- Schatz, E, Houle, B, Mojola, S et al 2019, 'How to "Live a Good Life": Aging and HIV Testing in Rural South Africa', Journal of Aging and Health, vol. 31, no. 4, pp. 709-732.
- Rochat, T, Houle, B, Stein, A et al 2018, 'Psychological Morbidity and parenting stress in mothers of primary school children by timing of acquisition of HIV infection: a longitudinal cohort study in rural South Africa', Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 41-57.
- Said-Mohamed, R, Prioreschi, A, Lukhanyo H, N et al 2018, 'Rural-urban variations in age at menarche, adult height, leg-length and abdominal adiposity in black South African women in transitioning South Africa', Annals of Human Biology, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 123-132.
- Houle, B, Angotti, N, Gomez-Olive, F et al 2018, 'Fieldworker effects on substance use reporting in a Rural South African setting', International Journal of Alcohol and Drug Research, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 29-39.
- Rochat, T, Houle, B, Stein, A et al 2018, 'Prevalence and risk factors for child mental disorders in a population-based cohort of HIV-exposed and unexposed African children aged 7-11 years', European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 27, no. 12, pp. 1607-1620pp.
- Houle, B, Mojola, S, Angotti, N et al 2018, 'Sexual behavior and HIV risk across the life course in rural South Africa: trends and comparisons', AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, vol. 30, no. 11, pp. 1435-1443.
- Mitchell, J, Tomlinson, M, Bland, R et al 2018, 'Confirmatory factor analysis of the Kaufman assessment battery in a sample of primary school-aged children in rural South Africa', South African Journal of Psychology, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 434-452.
- Kabudula, C, Houle, B, Collinson, M et al. 2017, 'Assessing Changes in Household Socioeconomic Status in Rural South Africa, 2001–2013: A Distributional Analysis Using Household Asset Indicators', Social Indicators Research, vol. 133, no. 3, pp. 1047-1073.
- Rosenberg, M, Gomez-Olive, F, Rohr, J et al 2017, 'Sexual behaviors and HIV status: a population-based study among older adults in rural South Africa', Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, vol. 74, no. 1, pp. E9-E17.
- Kabudula, C, Houle, B, Collinson, M et al 2017, 'Progression of the epidemiological transition in a rural South African setting: findings from population surveillance in Agincourt, 1993-2013', BMC Public Health, vol. 17, no. 424, pp. 1-15pp.
- Rohr, J, Gomez-Olive, F, Rosenberg, M et al 2017, 'Performance of self-reported HIV status in determining true HIV status among older adults in rural South Africa: a validation study ', Journal of the International AIDS Society, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 1-7pp.
- Kabudula, C, Houle, B, Collinson, M et al. 2017, 'Socioeconomic differences in mortality in the antiretroviral therapy era in Agincourt, rural South Africa, 2001-13: a population surveillance analysis', The Lancet Global Health, vol. 5, no. 9, pp. e924-e935pp.
- Rochat, T, Houle, B, Stein, A et al 2017, 'Cohort Profile: The Siyakhula Cohort, rural South Africa ', International Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 2017, pp. 1-16pp.
- Mitchell, J, Rochat, T, Houle, B et al 2016, 'The effect of maternal and child early life factors on grade repetition among HIV exposed and unexposed children in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa', Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 185-196.
- Houle, B, Pantazis, A, Kabudula, C et al 2016, 'Social patterns and differentials in the fertility transition in the context of HIV/AIDS: evidence from population surveillance, rural South Africa, 1993-2013', Population Health Metrics, vol. 14, no. 10.
- Bawah, A, Houle, B, Alam, N et al 2016, 'The evolving demographic and health transition in four low- and middle-income countries: Evidence from four sites in the INDEPTH Network of Longitudinal Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems', PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. 11, no. 6.
- Rochat, T, Houle, B, Stein, A et al 2016, 'Exclusive breastfeeding and cognition, executive function, and behavioural disorders in primary school-aged children in rural South Africa: A cohort analysis', PLoS Medicine, vol. 13, no. 6.
- Houle, B, Angotti, N, Clark, S et al 2016, 'Let's talk about sex, maybe: Interviewers, respondents, and sexual behavior reporting in rural South Africa', Field Methods, vol. 28, no. 2, pp. 112-132.
- Clark, S, Gomez-Olive, F, Houle, B et al 2015, 'Cardiometabolic disease risk and HIV status in rural South Africa: Establishing a baseline', BMC Public Health, vol. 15, no. 135, pp. 135-135.
- Houle, B, Clark, S, Kahn, K et al 2015, 'The impacts of maternal mortality and cause of death on children’s risk of dying in rural South Africa: evidence from a population based surveillance study (1992-2013)', Reproductive Health, vol. 12, no. Suppl 1, pp. S7-S7.
- Clark, S & Houle, B 2014, 'Validation, replication, and sensitivity testing of Heckman-type selection models to adjust estimates of HIV prevalence', PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. 9, no. 11, pp. e112563-e112563.
- Houle, B, Clark, S, Gomez-Olive, F et al 2014, 'The unfolding counter-transition in rural South Africa: Mortality and cause of death, 1994-2009', PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science), vol. 9, no. 6, pp. e100420-e100420.
- Houle, B 2014, 'The effect of incarceration on adult male BMI trajectories, USA, 1981-2006', Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 21-28.
- Houle, B, Stein, A, Kahn, K et al 2013, 'Household context and child mortality in rural South Africa: The effects of birth spacing, shared mortality, household composition and socio-economic status', International Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 42, no. 5, pp. 1444-1454.
- Clark, S, Kahn, K, Houle, B et al 2013, 'Young children's probability of dying before and after their mother's death: A rural South African population-based surveillance study', PLoS Medicine, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. e1001409-e1001409.
- Gomez-Olive, F, Angotti, N, Houle, B et al 2013, 'Prevalence of HIV among those 15 and older in rural South Africa', AIDS Care - Psychological and Socio-Medical Aspects of AIDS/HIV, vol. 25, no. 9, pp. 1122-1128.
- Houle, B 2011, 'Obesity disparities among disadvantaged men: National adult male inmate prevalence pooled with non-incarcerated estimates, United States, 2002-2004', Social Science and Medicine, vol. 72, no. 10, pp. 1667-1673.
- Houle, B 2010, 'Measuring distributional inequality: Relative body mass index distributions by gender, race/ethnicity, and education, United States (1999-2006)', Journal of Obesity, vol. 2010, no. Article ID 959658, pp. 959658-959658.
- Houle, B & Siegel, M 2009, 'Smoker-free workplace policies: Developing a model of public health consequences of workplace policies barring employment to smokers', Tobacco Control, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 64-69pp.
- Houle, B, Holt, J, Gillespie, C et al 2009, 'Use of density-equalizing cartograms to visualize trends and disparities in state-specific prevalence of obesity: 1996-2006', American Journal of Public Health, vol. 99, no. 2, pp. 308-312.
- Katz, N, Houle, B, Fernandez, K et al 2008, 'Update on prescription monitoring in clinical practice: A survey study of prescription monitoring program administrators', Pain Medicine, vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 587-594pp.
- Cousineau, T, Houle, B, Bromberg, J et al 2008, 'A pilot study of an online workplace nutrition program: The value of participant input in program development', Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 160-167.
- Butler, S, Budman, S, Fernandez, K et al 2007, 'Development and validation of the Current Opioid Misuse Measure', Pain, vol. 130, no. 1-2, pp. 144-156.
- Butler, S, Venuti, S, Benoit, C et al 2007, 'Internet surveillance: Content analysis and monitoring of product-specific internet prescription opioid abuse-related postings', Clinical Journal of Pain, vol. 23, no. 7, pp. 619-628pp.
Projects and Grants
Grants information is drawn from ARIES. To add or update Projects or Grants information please contact your College Research Office.
- Intergenerational Intervention: Employing Youth to Promote Aging Healthy with HIV in rural South Africa (Primary Investigator)
- HIV after 40 in rural South Africa: Aging in the Context of HIV/AIDS Epidemic (Secondary Investigator)
