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Public Health

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Public health refers to social, cultural, economic, and geographic conditions that affect a population's well-being. To assist local, national, and international health agencies and organizations, RAND conducts research on public health issues including disaster preparedness and recovery; surveillance, prevention, and management of infectious disease outbreaks; screening for and prevention of chronic diseases; and ways to strengthen the public health infrastructure.

Report

COVID-19 Testing in Schools Is Complex but Doable

Mar 9, 2021

COVID-19 testing can be effectively integrated into K–12 schools' pandemic response plans. And it helps families and staff feel more comfortable with in-person instruction. Insights from early adopters of COVID-19 testing in fall 2020 can help schools reopen safely.
Project

Informing the Gun Policy Debate

Mar 2, 2018

RAND's Gun Policy in America initiative provides information on what scientific research can tell us about the effects of gun laws. Our goal is to establish a shared set of facts that will improve public discussions and support the development of fair and effective gun policies.

Explore Public Health

Blog

Pandemic Education, Working Mothers, Predicting Cyber Threats: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the urban-rural divide in pandemic education, supporting working moms, what makes a good COVID-19 reopening plan, and more.

May 14, 2021
Report

Stress-Testing California's COVID-19 Reopening Strategy

States' reopening plans vary widely. With a revised RAND decision support tool, researchers tested alternative plans, using California as an example. The best strategies did not prematurely relax measures like indoor mask-wearing; began with a high level of caution; were tied to vaccination rates; and made changes gradually.

May 10, 2021
Blog

The Uyghurs, Getting the World Vaccinated, Policing in America: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on China's disappeared Uyghurs, how the United States can help get the rest of the world vaccinated, what's next for policing in America, and more.

May 7, 2021
Commentary

American Views on COVID-19 Health Risks, School and Economy Reopening

Much of the discussion about opening schools and the economy has focused on the educational and economic effects that closures may have on the most vulnerable groups. But some of these groups still remain wary of the increased health risks of opening.

May 4, 2021
Report

COVID-19 and the Experiences of Populations at Greater Risk: Description and Top-Line Summary Data — Wave 3, Winter 2021

This report presents the results of the third of four surveys on how Americans' health views and values have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on populations deemed vulnerable or underserved.

May 4, 2021
Journal Article

Supporting Prioritisation of Mental Health Funding Related to Urgent and Emergency Care in the East of England: A Guide for Integrated Care Systems and Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships

This guide has been prepared to help ICS/STPs with determining spending priorities within mental health urgent and emergency care.

Apr 30, 2021
Journal Article

Associations Between Individual Demographic Characteristics And Involuntary Health Care Delays As A Result Of COVID-19

We provide the first evidence on associations between individual characteristics and the propensity to experience an involuntary care disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apr 27, 2021
Commentary

Target Vaccine to 'High-Contact' People

Actively seeking out people with lots of contacts for vaccination could bring the epidemic under control much more quickly than vaccinating people at random. Vaccinating just 15 percent of the population would be enough to crush the epidemic—so long as it was the right 15 percent.

Apr 9, 2021
Commentary

Who Can Effectively Champion the Vax?

Vaccine hesitancy appears to be one more hurdle in ending the COVID-19 pandemic. The CDC would typically lead a campaign to overcome it, but Americans' trust in the CDC has declined measurably. Health care professionals may be more effective messengers when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines.

Apr 9, 2021
Blog

Trust in the CDC, Teaching Students with Disabilities, Russian Mercenaries: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses declining trust in the CDC, insights from educators about teaching students with disabilities, Russian mercenaries, and more.

Apr 9, 2021
News Release

Public Trust of the Centers for Disease Control Falls During Coronavirus Pandemic

Public trust in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has fallen during the coronavirus pandemic, with the decline bringing overall population-level trust in the agency to the same lower level of trust long held by Black Americans about the agency.

Apr 5, 2021
Report

Trust in the CDC Declined During the COVID-19 Pandemic

From May to October 2020, some Americans lost trust in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The drop in trust was particularly significant among people who intended to vote for a candidate other than Joe Biden in the 2020 election or did not intend to vote at all. This suggests that views of the CDC are now strongly politicized.

Apr 5, 2021
Testimony

Core Principles of Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Public health emergencies are defined by their consequences, not their causes. That means infectious disease outbreaks such as COVID-19 qualify, but so do some hurricanes and terrorist attacks. What can policymakers do to support effective public health emergency preparedness?

Mar 16, 2021
Journal Article

Sleep Health: An Opportunity for Public Health to Address Health Equity

In this review, we describe current conceptualizations of sleep health and highlight findings linking sleep with cardiovascular disease, obesity, mental health, and neurodegenerative disease.

Mar 16, 2021
News Release

COVID-19 Testing in Schools Complex But Doable, Worth the Effort

COVID-19 testing can be effectively integrated into K–12 schools' pandemic response plans, helping families and staff feel more comfortable with in-person instruction.

Mar 9, 2021
Commentary

Equal, Rapid Access to Vaccines Is More Important Than Ever as New COVID-19 Variants Emerge

Vaccine nationalism could prolong the pandemic and lead to preventable deaths. If some countries don't receive timely access to vaccines, then the virus will continue to spread in some populations, mutate further, and potentially render existing vaccines less effective.

Feb 9, 2021
Commentary

Understanding Our Culture of Health Before the Pandemic Can Help Us Improve It Afterward

Measuring health and the social and economic factors that influenced it before the pandemic helps us understand the kind of risks the United States faced previously. It can also inform how to move forward toward recovery.

Jan 29, 2021
Report

Comparing National and International Approaches to COVID-19 Measures

Uniform measures are needed to track how well other countries and U.S. states are responding to the pandemic and to make valid cross-country and cross-state comparisons. From December 2019 to May 2020, there was tremendous variability in how COVID-19 indicators were measured and reported. What could be done to allow for more standardized and valid comparisons?

Jan 29, 2021
Commentary

Getting COVID-19 Vaccines to Pennsylvania Residents

Pennsylvania state and county health departments have a number of options that could speed the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to make sure Pennsylvania residents at high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes are vaccinated as soon as possible.

Jan 19, 2021

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