Adolescent Friendship Networks and Trajectories of Binge Drinking 2013
Examines how adolescent friendship networks are linked to binge drinking trajectories into young adulthood using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
Selected Sociology Publications - 2013
Health and Healthcare
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Nonmarital Cohabitation, Marriage, and Health Among Adolescents and Young Adults 2013
Investigates the impact of nonmarital cohabitation and marriage on a range of physical and mental health indicators and health behaviors.
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California's Historic Effort to Reduce the Stigma of Mental Illness: The Mental Health Services Act 2013
In a historic effort to reduce the stigma of mental illness, California voters approved the Mental Health Services Act in 2004.
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Using a Hospital Quality Improvement Toolkit to Improve Performance on the AHRQ Quality Indicators 2013
A team from RAND and the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) developed a toolkit to help hospitals enhance their quality improvement efforts using quality indicators from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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The Evolution of Patient-Based Outcome Assessment Instruments in Acupuncture Research: Choosing Patient-Based Outcomes 2013
In this chapter, we present the PBOA instruments that have been used to determine outcomes in acupuncture clinical research, and highlight measures that are feasible, practical, economical, reliable, valid, and responsive to clinical change.
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The Relationship Between Urban Sprawl and Coronary Heart Disease in Women 2013
Studies have reported relationships between urban sprawl, physical activity, and obesity, but – to date – no studies have considered the relationship between sprawl and coronary heart disease (CHD) endpoints.
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Exploring the Addition of Physician Identifiers to the California Hospital Discharge Data Set 2013
To advance consideration of whether California should collect and release physician-identified data, RAND conducted a study to explore issues associated with requiring the inclusion of physician identifiers in the California hospital discharge data set and the potential use of physician-identified data by the state and/or release to others.
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Care Experiences of Managed Care Medicare Enrollees Near the End of Life 2013
To compare reports about care experiences of individuals who died within 1 year of survey with reports of those who did not.
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Physician-patient Communication About Dietary Supplements 2013
Physicians could more frequently address topics that may influence patient dietary supplement use, such as the risks, effectiveness, and costs of supplements.
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U.S. Spending on Complementary and Alternative Medicine During 2002-08 Plateaued, Suggesting Role in Reformed Health System 2013
Use of and spending on complementary and alternative medicine have flattened out. Including providers of these services in new delivery systems such as accountable care organizations could help slow growth in national health care spending.
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Can Honorific Awards Give Us Clues About the Connection Between Socioeconomic Status and Mortality? 2013
The critical processes determining the strength and direction of any status effect on longevity are changes in life circumstances that result from winning or losing.
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A Randomized Experiment Investigating the Suitability of Speech-Enabled IVR and Web Modes for Publicly Reported Surveys of Patients' Experience of Hospital Care 2012
The HCAHPS Survey obtains hospital patients' experiences using four modes: Mail Only, Phone Only, Mixed (mail/phone follow-up), and Touch-Tone (push-button) Interactive Voice Response with option to transfer to live interviewer (TT-IVR/Phone).
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Attitudes and Beliefs Related to HIV/AIDS in Urban Religious Congregations: Barriers and Opportunities for HIV-Related Interventions 2012
Affirming norms and attitudes are not a prerequisite for urban congregations to initiate HIV prevention and care activities, a finding relevant for HIV services providers and researchers seeking to engage congregations on this issue.
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Peer Influence and Selection Processes in Adolescent Smoking Behavior: A Comparative Study 2012
Adolescent smoking studies find evidence of active peer influence and selection processes.
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Neighborhood Characteristics and the Initiation of Marijuana Use and Binge Drinking 2012
Neighborhood characteristics such as a higher unemployment rate and greater perceptions of safety appear to influence initiation of marijuana use and binge drinking, respectively. The mechanisms appear to be distinct for each substance.
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Reporting CAHPS and HEDIS Data by Race/Ethnicity for Medicare Beneficiaries 2012
Because many beneficiaries may have difficulty understanding health plan performance data when reported for subgroups, this information should be reported as supplemental data and only for plans meeting sample size requirements.
Education and the Arts
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Balancing Career and Technical Education with Academic Coursework: The Consequences for Mathematics Achievement in High School 2013
Using a nationally representative sample of high school students, the authors examine the relationship between career and technical education (CTE) coursework and mathematics achievement in high school.
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The Mix of Military and Civilian Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy: Finding a Sustainable Balance for Enduring Success 2013
This report examines how changes to the current military-civilian faculty composition at the United States Air Force Academy might affect cadets' officership and academic development, cost, staffing challenges, and officer career development. Based on the study's findings, the report makes recommendations for a faculty composition that best balances these key factors and is sustainable into the future.
National Security
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Exploring the Association Between Military Base Neighborhood Characteristics and Soldiers' and Airmen's Outcomes 2013
This report explores the applicability of neighborhood theory and social indicators research to understanding the quality of life in and around military bases. It also highlights gaps in neighborhood study methodology that need to be addressed in future research. Finally, it outlines how a more in-depth neighborhood analysis of military installations could be conducted.
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The Mix of Military and Civilian Faculty at the United States Air Force Academy: Finding a Sustainable Balance for Enduring Success 2013
This report examines how changes to the current military-civilian faculty composition at the United States Air Force Academy might affect cadets' officership and academic development, cost, staffing challenges, and officer career development. Based on the study's findings, the report makes recommendations for a faculty composition that best balances these key factors and is sustainable into the future.
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Redefining Information Warfare Boundaries for an Army in a Wireless World 2013
The U.S. Army is studying ways to apply its cyber power and is reconsidering doctrinally defined areas that are integral to cyberspace operations. An examination of network operations, information operations, and several other, more focused areas across the U.S. military found significant overlap and potential boundary progression that could inform the development of future Army doctrine.
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What Works Best When Building Partner Capacity and Under What Circumstances? 2013
How can the U.S. Department of Defense increase the effectiveness of its efforts to help partners build the capacity of their military and other security forces? To form a base of evidence to inform policy discussions and investment decisions, a RAND study collected and compared 20 years of data on 29 historical case studies of U.S. involvement in building partner capacity.
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The Air Force's Experience with Should-Cost Reviews and Options for Enhancing Its Capability to Conduct Them 2012
The problem of cost growth in major weapon system acquisition programs has plagued the Department of Defense for several decades. This report examines the Air Force experience with should-cost reviews — a special form of contract cost analysis intended to identify contractor inefficiencies and lower costs to the government — and options for enhancing the Air Force's capability to conduct such reviews.
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Assessing the Impact of Requiring Justification and Approval Review for Sole Source 8(a) Native American Contracts in Excess of $20 Million 2012
Participants in the federal 8(a) Business Development Program can receive low-value procurement contracts without competitive bidding; certain firms can receive contracts of any size. Concern over these firms' advantage led Congress to require a justification and approval process for contracts over $20 million. The effect is still emerging, but it may delay large contracts more than reduce the number awarded because the underlying need remains.
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An Assessment of the Ability of the U.S. Department of Defense and the Services to Measure and Track Language and Culture Training and Capabilities Among General Purpose Forces 2012
This report addresses questions concerning the U.S. Department of Defense's ability to measure and track the language, regional expertise, and culture (LREC) training and capabilities of general purpose forces. The authors used interviews with LREC practitioners and policymakers, a policy review, an academic literature review, and an analysis of survey data to address the research questions.
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The Extent of Restrictions on the Service of Active-Component Military Women 2012
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 mandated a review of gender-based assignment restrictions. To support this effort, RAND researchers analyzed service data to describe and quantify the military occupations that are closed to women, as well as occupations that are open with some positions that are closed.
Populations
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Adolescent Friendship Networks and Trajectories of Binge Drinking 2013
Examines how adolescent friendship networks are linked to binge drinking trajectories into young adulthood using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
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Cohabitation and Marriage Intensity: Consolidation, Intimacy, and Commitment 2013
Reports on cohabitation and marriage data coming from the third wave of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
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Emigrants and the Body Politic Left Behind: Results from the Latino National Survey 2013
We find that pre-migration political experiences impart a lasting post-migration interest in home-country politics and that such effects are substantial compared with the impacts associated with other cross-border connections.
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Neighborhood Characteristics and the Initiation of Marijuana Use and Binge Drinking 2012
Neighborhood characteristics such as a higher unemployment rate and greater perceptions of safety appear to influence initiation of marijuana use and binge drinking, respectively. The mechanisms appear to be distinct for each substance.
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Nonmarital Cohabitation, Marriage, and Health Among Adolescents and Young Adults 2013
Investigates the impact of nonmarital cohabitation and marriage on a range of physical and mental health indicators and health behaviors.
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Peer Influence and Selection Processes in Adolescent Smoking Behavior: A Comparative Study 2012
Adolescent smoking studies find evidence of active peer influence and selection processes.
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The Relationship Between Urban Sprawl and Coronary Heart Disease in Women 2013
Studies have reported relationships between urban sprawl, physical activity, and obesity, but – to date – no studies have considered the relationship between sprawl and coronary heart disease (CHD) endpoints.
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Assessing the Impact of Requiring Justification and Approval Review for Sole Source 8(a) Native American Contracts in Excess of $20 Million 2012
Participants in the federal 8(a) Business Development Program can receive low-value procurement contracts without competitive bidding; certain firms can receive contracts of any size. Concern over these firms' advantage led Congress to require a justification and approval process for contracts over $20 million. The effect is still emerging, but it may delay large contracts more than reduce the number awarded because the underlying need remains.