The Risky Health among Adolescents and Young Adults (RHAYA) laboratory is directed by Dr. H. Isabella Lanza at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB).
The RHAYA (pronounced RAY-uh) lab broadly examines health-risk behaviors from early adolescence to young adulthood. The lab focuses on the development of co-occurring health-risks, such as obesity and substance use, as well as the biobehavioral, social-contextual, and psychological processes underlying risky behavior. Addressing popular forms of health-risks among younger populations, such as vaping use, is also a priority for the RHAYA lab. In addition, the RHAYA lab is interested in understanding developmental outcomes of obese youth from a social developmental perspective, including the role of bullying/victimization on school dropout.