Health
At Child Trends, we agree with the World Health Organization’s conceptualization of health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely as the absence of disease. We believe that health is a critical state of being for children and youth to learn, grow, and develop; for families to learn, work, and parent; and for communities to thrive. Health can be influenced by a range of biological, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and societal circumstances. For children, youth, and families, the experience of health challenges and necessary access to affordable and effective treatments are not evenly distributed: Those who are Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, or LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning); those who have low incomes; or those who have child welfare and/or juvenile justice involvement often experience greater challenges due to the effects of interpersonal and institutional discrimination.
To promote positive health outcomes for children, youth, and families—and to eliminate longstanding inequities—Child Trends’ multidisciplinary team of researchers analyzes policies, programs, and practices to identify effective strategies for providing and funding effective public health and health care prevention and treatment approaches. Child Trends researchers analyze data about the health of children and youth—and their families—to inform policymakers and practitioners across sectors, including public health, child welfare, education, health care, juvenile justice, and social services. Our research has focused on Medicaid reimbursement for school-based health care, addressing trauma in schools, inclusive sexual health education for LGBTQ+ youth, reproductive and sexual health care for adolescents, food insecurity and child care centers, coordinated systems of care for the prenatal to age 3 stage of life, access to addiction treatment, and more.
To date, our research has reached hundreds of policymakers, practitioners, and researchers through briefs, blogs, and presentations. Our researchers have testified before the United States Congress on such topics as school safety and supportive school environments, and have been invited to consult with federal agencies related to Medicaid and school-based mental health; our work has been featured by state education agencies in Washington, Ohio and New York. Our work has also been published in School Mental Health, Journal of School Health, Journal of Adolescent Health, and Prevention Science; and has been presented at national symposia, including the Annual Meeting of the American School Health Association, the Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, and the Society for Research in Child Development. Our researchers have also been featured in media reports, including PBS News Hour, NPR, and the Washington Post.
