How violence and political events affect food access and mental well-being in the West Bank and Gaza
Official title: Exposure to violence and food and mental health security in the occupied Palestinian territories
Funded at University of California, San Francisco · NIH-11115496 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how violent and non-violent political events relate to people's access to food and mental health in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | May 4, 2026 |
| Project end | May 3, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $164,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R03MH139969-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11115496 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal participants are household members and adults living in communities across the occupied Palestinian territories (West Bank and Gaza) included in the survey waves.
✕Less likely to help
People living outside the occupied Palestinian territories or those seeking immediate clinical treatment for acute mental health crises are unlikely to get direct personal benefit from this population-level research.
What this research studies
If you take part, researchers will link maps of political events over time with three rounds of large household and individual surveys from communities across the occupied Palestinian territories. They will compare reports of food access and stress or mental health symptoms with nearby violent and non-violent political events to see how repeated exposures add up. The team uses location data and repeated surveys to measure event intensity, timing, and cumulative effects. Findings are meant to show which kinds of events most affect food security and mental well-being so services and aid can be better targeted.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help humanitarian groups and health services target food and mental health support to people and areas most harmed by repeated political events.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have shown violent events harm food security and mental health, but using detailed geo-located event data to measure the cumulative impact of both violent and non-violent political events is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Lin, Tracy Kuo — University of California, San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Lin, Tracy Kuo
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.