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Community Health and Well-Being

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Essay
Mental Health First Aid: Training People to Help Others
An innovative program trains and empowers people to not look away from those experiencing mental illness, but to listen to them, reassure them, and encourage them to get help. Most trainees of the program in New York City were still using what they had learned five years later.
May 3, 2023
Multimedia
What Does Environmental Justice Look Like?
Videos describe the impact of grassroots environmental justice campaigns in two redlined neighborhoods. This work features RAND research that shows how a shared community vision can help residents, organizers, and policymakers understand the root causes of injustices and identify actionable responses.
Apr 19, 2023

Explore Community Health and Well-Being

Journal Article
What Is Associated with Changes in Food Security Among Low-Income Residents of a Former Food Desert?
We compared study participants in a former food desert neighborhood whose food security improved to those whose food security did not improve across survey waves. Distance to major food shopping store was positively associated with food security.
May 16, 2023
Blog
Ukraine's Recovery, Mental Health First Aid, School Staffing: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on the trade-offs of Ukraine's reconstruction, the effects of a Mental Health First Aid training program, school staffing challenges, and more.
May 5, 2023
Blog
Environmental Justice, Mental Health Care, Insomnia: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on environmental justice, access to mental health care, why America should stick with Europe. and more.
Apr 21, 2023
Multimedia
What Does Environmental Justice Look Like? Two Case Studies
The RAND Corporation has partnered with community organizations and activists in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and San Diego, California to show how community engagement can contribute to environmental justice for residents affected by neighborhood disinvestment.
Apr 19, 2023
Report
The Benefits of Mental Health First Aid Training
More than 155,000 New Yorkers were trained in Mental Health First Aid between 2016 and 2020. They learned how to be active listeners, to provide reassurance and information, and to encourage professional care when appropriate. Most of the trainees ended up using their MHFA skills to support others and their own well-being.
Feb 7, 2023
Research Brief
Large-Scale Training in Mental Health First Aid: An Evaluation of New York City's 2016–2020 Efforts
In an evaluation of a city-wide effort to train New Yorkers in Mental Health First Aid, RAND researchers found that the majority of participants had used their skills to help friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers in the past six months.
Feb 7, 2023
Journal Article
Modifying Text Messages from a Faith-Based Physical Activity Intervention with Latino Adults in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic
The purpose of this article is to describe how we developed and implemented a physical activity text messaging component within a faith-based intervention.
Feb 3, 2023
Commentary
Research Shows How Communities Are Prioritizing Health Equity
In partnership with RAND, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is tracking how communities are evolving their approaches to building a Culture of Health and advancing health equity. The research offers insights on how and why inequities develop, and more importantly, how communities change course and move towards health equity.
Feb 1, 2023
News Release
Unhoused Population Increased by 18 Percent in Three High-Priority Neighborhoods in Los Angeles
A year-long count of unhoused people in three hot-spot neighborhoods in Los Angeles found that their numbers rose by an average of 18 percent over the period, despite periodic encampment cleanups and other efforts to address the problem.
Jan 26, 2023
Report
Unhoused Population Increased by 18 Percent in Three Hot-Spot L.A. Neighborhoods
RAND conducted a yearlong count of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness in three high-priority neighborhoods in Los Angeles. These populations rose by an average of 18 percent over the period, despite encampment cleanups and other events.
Jan 26, 2023
Journal Article
Food Insecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Study from a Cohort of HIV Clients in Uganda
The paper utilized a longitudinal mixed-methods approach to evaluate the economic impact of COVID-19 on food security and ART-taking behaviors among people living with HIV in Kampala, Uganda.
Jan 19, 2023
Blog
A Potential Russian Attack on NATO, China in the Arctic, Inflation: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on how the West might respond in the case of a limited Russian attack on NATO, what China's Arctic ambitions mean to the United States, how inflation affects middle-class households, and more.
Jan 6, 2023
News Release
Food Insecurity Affects Many Active-Duty U.S. Military Families, but Root Causes Remain Unclear
More than a quarter of active-duty military personnel have faced some level of food insecurity, but the underlying causes are not well understood.
Jan 4, 2023
Report
Food Insecurity Among U.S. Service Members and Their Families
Over a quarter of active duty personnel were food insecure in 2018, but only 14 percent of them used food assistance programs. Some said that the military culture of self-sufficiency and pride kept them from seeking help. Other barriers were a lack of knowledge about available resources and eligibility.
Jan 3, 2023
Research Brief
Food Insecurity in the U.S. Military: Responses to Eight Topics Raised by Congress
In response to a congressional query, RAND researchers examined the extent of food insecurity among military service members, their participation in food assistance programs, and the advisability of a basic needs allowance.
Jan 3, 2023
Journal Article
The Road to Justice40: Organizer and Policymaker Perspectives on the Historical Roots of and Solutions for Environmental Justice Inequities in U.S. Cities
This study characterizes the perceptions of organizers and policymakers regarding how communities experience the causes of environmental injustices in U.S. cities, the characteristics of policies intended to address these injustices, and lessons learned for equitably engaging communities.
Dec 28, 2022
Project
Evaluation of California's Statewide Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Initiatives
The RAND Corporation is evaluating California's statewide prevention and early intervention programs, which aim to reduce negative outcomes for people experiencing mental illness.
Nov 30, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Los Angeles County's 2022 WeRise Mental Health Events
This evaluation indicates that the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health WeRise events and outreach successfully reached county residents, mobilized them around mental health, and may have boosted awareness of mental health resources.
Nov 30, 2022
Report
Evaluation of Los Angeles County's L.A. Dodgers 2022 Mental Health Campaign
This evaluation indicates that the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health–Dodgers partnership to expand the reach of the WhyWeRise program successfully reached county residents and raised awareness of county mental health resources.
Nov 30, 2022

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RAND Topic:
Community Health and Well-Being

Topic Synonyms:
Neighborhood Health

Research conducted by

Researcher Spotlight

Evan D. Peet

Economist

Evan Peet (he/him/his) is an economist at the RAND Corporation, co-director of the RAND Center for Causal Inference, and a professor of policy analysis at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. His research focuses on health, human capital, labor, and environmental policy. His current research focuses…
Cynthia Gonzalez

Director, Community-Partnered Policy and Action

Cynthia Gonzalez is director of Pardee RAND Graduate School's Community-Partnered Policy and Action academic stream. Previously the assistant director, Division of Community Engagement, at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, and an alumna of Pardee RAND's Faculty Leaders Program,…

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