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Children, Families, and Communities

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RAND research addresses child health and how families and neighborhoods affect child well-being. Other family-focused research covers topics such as immigration, caregiving, and household finances. Through studies on families as well as community resilience, RAND develops solutions to public policy challenges to help make communities throughout the world safer and more secure, healthier and more prosperous.

Tool
How Do Firearm Death Rates Differ Across States and Population Groups?
Explore firearm mortality rates in each state by gender, race, ethnicity, urbanicity, or age.
Apr 2, 2024
Commentary
Community Colleges Need Guidance and Money to Meet Today's Mental Health Challenge
Higher education institutions play a key role in supporting the mental health of college students. But community colleges face significant resource constraints. With little guidance on how to adapt solutions originally developed for universities with more money and infrastructure, community colleges are struggling to find answers.
Mar 15, 2024

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Journal Article
The Association of the Medicaid 1915(c) Home and Community-Based Services Waivers with Emergency Department Utilization Among Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Using 2008-2013 Medicaid files, this retrospective cohort study was to evaluate the effect of Medicaid home and community-based services waiver programs on emergency department utilizations among youth with autism spectrum disorder.
Nov 13, 2023
Journal Article
Black-White Disparities in Colorectal Cancer Outcomes: A Simulation Study of Screening Benefit
This paper compares projected colorectal cancer (CRC) screening benefits for Black and White populations in the context of secular changes in CRC risk, shifts in CRC location, and Black?White disparities in CRC-specific and overall survival.
Nov 13, 2023
Blog
Supporting Veterans, Israel-Hamas War, AI and Geopolitics: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on supporting America's veterans, what Israel's ground offensive in Gaza can and cannot accomplish, how AI might affect the rise and fall of nations, and more.
Nov 10, 2023
Essay
How New York City Can Make Housing More Affordable
With few vacancies, rents in New York City have become some of the most unaffordable in the world. People with subsidized housing vouchers often have nowhere to go to use them. Housing production is a critical part of any solution to housing affordability—in New York and elsewhere.
Nov 10, 2023
Periodical
RAND Review: November-December 2023
Features explore the use of psychedelics to address depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, and substance use disorders among veterans, and the prevalence of food insecurity among active-duty military families and veterans.
Nov 9, 2023
Journal Article
Influence of SNP*SNP Interaction on BMI in European American Adolescents: Findings from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health
Our results are suggestive of epistatic effects on BMI during adolescence and point to potentially interactive effects between genes in biological pathways important in obesity.
Nov 9, 2023
Journal Article
Park Marketing Strategies, Park Conditions, and Park Use: A Longitudinal National Study of Parks
Increases in subsidized meal offerings and greater use of marketing to promote park events predicted increased person-hours of total weekly park use. Pathways predicting park use varied across user and activity type.
Nov 9, 2023
Essay
Therapeutic Use of Psychedelics in Treating PTSD and Depression Among Veterans
Clinical trials have shown that psychedelics can have a positive effect on mental health conditions like PTSD or depression for some people. Enthusiasm for these treatments has grown among veterans and providers who work with military populations. The VA should invest in research and provide guidance on psychedelics.
Nov 8, 2023
Journal Article
Does Investing in Low-Income Urban Neighborhoods Improve Sleep?
Neighborhood disadvantage is associated with poor sleep, which may contribute to and exacerbate racial and socioeconomic health disparities. A comparison of households in two low-income, mostly African American neighborhoods found that living closer to a neighborhood investment was associated with better sleep outcomes.
Nov 8, 2023
Journal Article
Microsimulation Projections of Obesity Interventions on Cardiometabolic Health Disparities in the United States
Long-term health education campaigns can reduce obesity-related disease. All population groups benefit, but they would not substantially narrow cardiometabolic health disparities.
Nov 8, 2023
Essay
Why Are U.S. Military Families Experiencing Food Insecurity?
Around a quarter of active-duty service members qualify as “food insecure.” But what's causing that, how to fix it—even what it means—is not clear. Food insecurity is a multifaceted problem that needs multifaceted solutions.
Nov 6, 2023
Journal Article
Police Bias and Low Relatability and Diet Quality: Examining the Importance of Psychosocial Factors in Predominantly Black Communities
Police bias and low relatability may play a role in community connection, social status, and ultimately dietary disparities for Black Americans. Addressing police bias and low relatability is a continuing and pressing public health issue.
Nov 6, 2023
Journal Article
Association of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 With Body Mass Trajectories of Children in Low-Income Families
In this cohort study using cross-cohort comparisons, children from low-income families who participated in the free or reduced-price NSLP had a higher likelihood of progression to high BMI that was no longer observed after HHFKA implementation.
Nov 6, 2023
Journal Article
Identifying HIV PrEP Attributes to Increase PrEP Use Among Different Groups of Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men: A Latent Class Analysis of a Discrete Choice Experiment
Daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective at preventing HIV among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, although uptake remains suboptimal. This study examines preferences for PrEP use to increase its uptake.
Nov 6, 2023
Journal Article
Multi-dimensional Profiles of Risk and Their Association with Obesity-Severity in Low-Income Black Women
Multi-level strategies may support low-income Black women’s resilience to obesity who face neighborhood-level and socioeconomic stressors.
Nov 6, 2023
Journal Article
Sexually Transmitted Infections Risk and Interstate Sexual Networks Among Men Who Have Sex With Men in New England
By investigating relationships between sexual mobility and sexual transmitted infection risk factors, we found that STI history, number of sexual partners, and substance use are associated with increased odds of interstate sexual encounters.
Nov 6, 2023
Journal Article
Students' Consumption of High and Low Nutrition Foods and Reduced Plate Waste by Schools' Wellness-Related Policies and Garden Program Participation
Participation in school-based programs that may support children's nutritious dietary behaviours varies across schools. We examined school participation in wellness-related policies, school-based garden programs and students' dietary behaviours.
Nov 6, 2023
Report
Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Technical Violations of Probation or Parole Supervision
Probation and parole staff exercise considerable discretion in responding to technical violations—instances of noncompliance with the conditions of supervision. An expert panel explored ways to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in handling technical violations.
Nov 6, 2023
Report
The Road to Reintegration: Status and Continuing Support of the U.S. Air Force's Wounded, Ill, and Injured
How do wounded, injured, or ill airmen feel about their medical and nonmedical care and the services provided by the U.S. Air Force? The authors of this report examine the quality of support provided to those who are wounded, ill, or injured.
Nov 1, 2023
Report
Vetting National Security Personnel: What Contributes to Bias and Inequity?
Applicants for the national security workforce must provide detailed personal information—such as race or ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and neurodivergence—in order to gain a security clearance. What potential bias or inequities exist within this vetting process?
Oct 31, 2023

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Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Khadesia Howell

Assistant Policy Researcher, RAND, and Ph.D. Candidate, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Khadesia Howell is a Ph.D. student in the Community-Partnered Policy and Action stream at the Pardee RAND Graduate School and an assistant policy researcher at RAND. Her interests include the intersection of health policy and ethics/bioethics, public health policy, women’s health, the social…
Tamara Dubowitz

Senior Policy Researcher

Tamara Dubowitz (she/her) is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and faculty at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Trained in social epidemiology with concentrations in maternal and child health and public health nutrition, her research focuses on the role of place, or geography,…

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