RAND Research Topic: Social Determinants Of Health 2012-05-24T14:18:36Z Copyright (c) 2012, The RAND Corporation RAND Corporation http://www.rand.org/topics/social-determinants-of-health.html Socioeconomic Support Reduces Nonretention in a Comprehensive, Community-Based Antiretroviral Therapy Program in Uganda http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120071.html Apr 1, 2012 Apr 1, 2012 The authors evaluated the benefit of socioeconomic support (S-E support), comprising various financial and nonfinancial services that are available based on assessment of need, in reducing mortality and lost to follow-up (LTFU) at Reach Out Mbuya, a community-based, antiretroviral therapy program in Uganda. The Women's Health Initiative: The Food Environment, Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status, BMI, and Blood Pressure http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100129.html Mar 31, 2012 Mar 31, 2012 Post menopausal women living in neighborhoods with higher socioeconomic status and more supermarkets have lower body mass and lower blood pressure. Integrating Susceptibility Into Environmental Policy: An Analysis of the National Ambient Air Quality Standard for Lead http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201200105.html Mar 1, 2012 Mar 1, 2012 This study examines how characterization of risk may change when susceptibility is explicitly considered in policy development; in particular we examine the process used by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set a National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for lead. Pay-for-performance Programs to Reduce Racial/Ethnic Disparities: What Might Different Designs Achieve? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120046.html Feb 1, 2012 Feb 1, 2012 We used patient-level quality scores from the Hospital Quality Alliance and ranked hospitals by overall quality and by racial/ethnic disparities and modeled the effects of different pay-for-performance designs on national disparity scores. A Comparative Analysis of the Validity of US State- and County-Level Social Capital Measures and Their Associations with Population Health http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120065.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 The goals of this study were to validate a number of available collective social capital measures at the US state and county levels, and to examine the relative extent to which these social capital measures are associated with population health outcomes. Social Network and Individual Correlates of Sexual Risk Behavior Among Homeless Young Men Who Have Sex with Men http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120061.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 HIV prevention programs for homeless YMSM may warrant a multipronged approach that helps these youth strengthen their ties to prosocial peers, develop more positive condom attitudes, and access needed mental health and housing services. Understanding Heterosexual Condom Use Among Homeless Men http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120060.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 This study uses an event-based approach to examine individual, relationship, and contextual correlates of heterosexual condom use among homeless men. Two Years and Counting: How Will the Effects of the Affordable Care Act Be Monitored? http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120004.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 The Affordable Care Act marks a new era in US health care and US medicine. This commentary suggests ways to monitor the act's effect on the health of the US population. Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Family Fitness Zones: A Natural Experiment in Urban Public Parks http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120003.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 Outdoor exercise equipment in parks seems to attract more new park users and result in a higher expenditure of energy. Voluntary After-School Alcohol and Drug Programs for Middle School Youth: If You Build It Right, They Will Come http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP20120049.html Jan 1, 2012 Jan 1, 2012 This study describes CHOICE, a voluntary after-school program which targeted AOD use among middle school students. The contextual effects of social capital on health: A cross-national instrumental variable analysis http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100244.html Nov 30, 2011 Nov 30, 2011 This cross-national study of the health effects of social capital found that higher levels of interpersonal trust with nations are associated with better health among individuals. Community Engagement as Input to the Design of the Environmental Center at Frick Park and Beyond http://www.rand.org/pubs/technical_reports/TR1168.html Nov 8, 2011 Nov 8, 2011 Researchers obtained community group and resident input into the design of the new environmental center building at Frick Park and acquired information about residents' attitudes toward and use of Frick Park more generally. The authors offer recommendations for the design of the new building, for the structuring and content of center programs, for improving access to the park and the center, and for successfully marketing park programs. Where in Social and Sexual Networks Should HIV Interventions Target? Identifying Similarities in Social Contexts Characteristics and Mutual Disclosure Behaviors of HIV Status and MSM Identity Across Social and Sexual Networks http://www.rand.org/pubs/rgs_dissertations/RGSD285.html Nov 3, 2011 Nov 3, 2011 Attempts to understand where similarities in social context characteristics and disclosure behaviors lie in respondents' various sexual and social networks leading to important implications for developing new and innovative HIV interventions. How Much Observation Is Enough? Refining the Administration of SOPARC http://www.rand.org/pubs/external_publications/EP201100239.html Oct 31, 2011 Oct 31, 2011 Monitoring parts 4 days/week, 4 times/day is sufficient to estimate park use, park user characteristics, and physical activity. Applying these observation methods can augment physical activity surveillance. Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 Mexican citizens are living longer and overall have experienced an improvement in the quality of life compared to that of prior generations. However, the demographic transition in Mexico, combined with the lack of formal sources of income in retirement, places many older persons in a state of financial insecurity. Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health (Spanish-language version) http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179z2.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 The information in this monograph contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others (Spanish-language version). Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary (Spanish-language version) http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179z3.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 The information in this monograph contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others (Spanish-language version). Living Longer in Mexico: Income Security and Health: Executive Summary http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG1179z1.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 The information in this executive summary contributes to an understanding of the factors that affect material well-being in Mexico for those 50 years and over and offers some recommendations for possible changes and further research in the areas of pension coverage, health insurance, savings and pension products, among others. AARP, Centro Fox and the RAND Corporation Release Findings of New Study on Aging Trends in Mexico http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/10/18.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 Mexican citizens are living longer and overall have experienced an improvement in the quality of life compared to that of prior generations. However, the demographic transition in Mexico combined with the lack of formal sources of income in retirement place many older persons in a state of financial insecurity. AARP, el Centro Fox y la Corporación RAND Hacen Públicos los Resultados de un Nuevo Estudio Sobre el Envejecimiento http://www.rand.org/news/press/2011/10/18/index1.html Oct 18, 2011 Oct 18, 2011 Mexican citizens are living longer and overall have experienced an improvement in the quality of life compared to that of prior generations. However, the demographic transition in Mexico combined with the lack of formal sources of income in retirement place many older persons in a state of financial insecurity.