Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health
Since the 1980s, the RAND Corporation has conducted research on the health of infants, children, adolescents, and families. Our far-ranging studies address the special health challenges posed by different stages in human development. Current studies are highlighted below
Profiles of Current Research
Highlights of Recent Studies
New Perspectives on Marijuana and Youth
Youthful marijuana abstainers do well, solitary users do poorly, and kids who use marijuana only in social settings are in between.
Should ART Be Part of a Population Policy Mix? — 2007
Assisted reproductive technologies could help European countries avoid the low-fertility trap.
Improving Access to Needed Health Care Improves Low-Income Children's Quality of Life
Government-sponsored health insurance improves both access to needed care and quality of life for low-income children.
Triple Jeopardy for Vulnerable Children
Children with the greatest health care needs have the greatest difficulty in obtaining primary care.
Forging the Link Between Alcohol Advertising and Underage Drinking.
Alcohol advertising appears to promote adolescent drinking; programs that aim to prevent alcohol and drug use can blunt the impact of alcohol ads on youth.
Project ALERT Plus May Leverage the Effect of the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign.
A fact sheet describing lowered use of marijuana among ninth graders exposed to anti-drug messages from the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign along with Project ALERT Plus, a drug prevention curriculum.
Quality Primary Care Requires More Than Insurance.
It is important that children are covered by public or private insurance. In addition, policymakers should increase the emphasis on programs that enhance potential access (whether a child has a regular provider of medical care) and realized access (whether the child actually receives care when it is needed).
How Neighborhoods Can Reduce the Risk of Obesity
Neighborhood parks promote exercise, especially among those who live within a half mile of the park. In fact, neighborhoods exert a powerful effect on residents' physical activity—neighborhood design should be considered a public health issue.
How Schools Can Help Children Recover from Traumatic Experiences
A summary of a tool kit that describes a variety of school-based mental health programs for students exposed to trauma, such as Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters, and to community or personal violence.
Related Web Sites
Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS)
http://www.rand.org/health/centers/healthsecurity/research/projects/cbits.html
Project ALERT
Promising Practices Network on Children, Families, and Communities
RAND Drug Policy Research Center
Safe Start Evaluation
Teen Depression Awareness Project
UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion
Working with Congress
RAND's Washington Office of Congressional Relations (OCR) furthers RAND's mission to provide objective analysis and effective solutions by disseminating research results to Congress and federal agencies. The OCR publishes a monthly electronic newsletter featuring current work on health policy. Contact: Shirley Ruhe (Shirley_Ruhe@rand.org) or Kristy Anderson (kristy@rand.org).
The RAND Health Congressional Newsletter
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