2013

Health Behaviors

commentary
Eating Better for Less
A combination of things might well slow the obesity epidemic while also improving the American people's overall nutritional well-being: lowering prices on healthier food, initiatives to control portion sizes, and a long-term campaign to support better food quality.
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May 28, 2013
Modern Healthcare
Roland Sturm, Derek Yach
Military Families

commentary
Research Is a Fundamental Component of Suicide Prevention
While our research has taught us many things about suicide prevention we think additional research is critically needed in two areas, writes Rajeev Ramchand. The first is gun control. The second area is the quality of behavioral health care available to those who need it.
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May 24, 2013
The RAND Blog
Rajeev Ramchand @RRamchand
Health Care Services Capacity

commentary
NHS 24/7: An Effective Way to Improve Quality of Care?
There are proposals to have England's National Health Service offer non-emergency service on weekends. Since there is a strong association between the health and well-being of staff and the quality of patient care, 24/7 working could have unintended consequences for patients.
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May 24, 2013
The RAND Blog
Christian Van Stolk
Nation Building

commentary
Saved by the Diaspora
If Alawites and Sunnis living abroad can stand united against the Assad regime, so can their counterparts inside Syria. By setting an example of coexistence, they can mitigate the fears of Alawites in Syria that deserting Assad would facilitate the rise of an anti-Alawite Sunni regime.
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May 24, 2013
Project Syndicate
Wasif Syed
Syria

commentary
How to Arm Syria's Rebels
What is required in Syria now is a program like the one the United States established in the mid-1990s to train and equip the armed forces of the Bosnian Federation, writes Angel Rabasa.
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May 23, 2013
U.S. News & World Report
Angel Rabasa
Emergency Medical Services

commentary
From Boston to Oklahoma—Lessons for the Regional Trauma Response System
Three mass-casualty events occurring in three very different settings show that disaster preparedness should not be limited to large cities or “target” areas in the United States. One trait that is common to all such events is the need for coordinated, responsive trauma care for victims.
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May 23, 2013
The Health Care Blog
Mahshid Abir, Stewart D. Wang
Illegal Drug Trade

commentary
Legalization in the U.S. and Crime in Mexico
Driving Mexican marijuana out of the U.S. would probably reduce the traffickers' export revenue by a few billion dollars a year, writes Beau Kilmer. But would reducing that revenue lead to a corresponding decrease in trafficker violence?
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May 23, 2013
NYTimes.com
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
Health Literacy

commentary
Applying What Works to Reduce Non-Urgent Emergency Department Use
It is likely that communities with low rates of non-urgent ED use not only have better access to primary care, but patients who are educated about appropriate care seeking and convenient alternatives for acute care, writes Lori Uscher-Pines.
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May 22, 2013
The RAND Blog
Lori Uscher-Pines
commentary
Austerity and Stimulus—Two Misfires
The experience to date strongly suggests that the reactions and behavior of private investors and consumers to stimulus in the U.S. and austerity in the EU critically affected each policy's tarnished record, writes Charles Wolf.
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May 22, 2013
The Wall Street Journal
Charles Wolf, Jr.
Chemical Weapons and Warfare

commentary
Chemical Weapons in Syria: What Could the U.S. Do About Them?
The combined lessons of the attack and disarmament of Iraq's chemical weapons in the First Gulf War suggest that chemical weapons are hard to find and destroy, writes James Quinlivan. Lots can survive even a sustained attack.
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May 21, 2013
The RAND Blog and GlobalSecurity.org
James T. Quinlivan
Cybersecurity

commentary
The Real Cyber Threat
The fact is that the United States needs to gear up for the coming era of cyber threats — and start by ensuring its financial flank is not catastrophically compromised, writes Mark Sparkman.
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May 21, 2013
CNN
Mark Sparkman
Kenya

commentary
Using Mobile Money to Make Water Safe
Contaminated drinking water contributes to the deaths of some 750,000 children under the age of five every year due to diarrheal disease. A RAND project is using mobile phones to increase the sales and use of safe-water filters in Kenya.
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May 21, 2013
The RAND Blog
Jill E. Luoto
commentary
Boards, Compliance and Reputation: Diving Shallow Versus Diving Deep
Basic questions have been raised about the evolving role of boards, at a time when scandal and perceptions of corporate opportunism have resulted in a loss of public trust in the business community, writes Michael Greenberg.
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May 21, 2013
Financier Worldwide
Michael D. Greenberg
Sleep

commentary
Sleep and Couples: For Better or Worse, Day and Night?
Compared with other health behaviors such as smoking or exercise, sleep is unique because for most adults, it is a behavior they
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May 20, 2013
ABC News
Wendy M. Troxel @wendytroxel
Tanker Aircraft

commentary
Firefighting Aircraft: Is Bigger Better?
An aircraft's capacity and speed largely determine the rate at which water or retardant can be applied to a fire. Very large air tankers (VLATs) certainly have the capacity to apply large amounts of fluids to a fire, but because of the distances travelled they may not be able to get a second load very quickly.
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May 20, 2013
The RAND Blog
Carter C. Price @CarterCPrice