Paying (Overdue) Attention to Bullying Prevention

Bullying is not a natural part of growing up; it is a painful and preventable experience in the lives of many children and youth. Approximately 30 percent of children and youth have bullied or have been bullied.

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Reaching Out to Employers About Health Reform’s Potential

The Affordable Care Act offers an unprecedented opportunity to increase health insurance coverage and access for many Americans. The new law is particularly relevant to the business community as the timeline for implementation moves forward.

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Supporting Children’s Healthy Development: Place DOES Matter

There is increasing recognition that children and their families are generally as safe, healthy, and productive as the communities in which they live, work, and play. As a result, there is more focus on improving community conditions and mitigating negative influences on people’s health and well-being.

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Making the Connection: Pregnancy and Oral Health

Recent research indicates that efforts to support oral health can begin even before birth; just as a pregnant woman’s overall health can affect the health of her pregnancy and baby, her oral health can play a role in the occurrence of early childhood caries in her children.

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Home Visiting: Giving Parents and Children an Early Boost

Thousands of children are born each year to parents who struggle to adequately care for them or who lack traditional support networks. As a result, many of these children are at risk for abuse, neglect, or other negative outcomes.

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Comparative Effectiveness Research: Informing Decisions and Improving Quality

Comparative effectiveness research (CER) is the study of methods to “prevent, diagnose, treat, and monitor a clinical condition or to improve the delivery of care” (IOM 2009). Its purpose is to assist consumers, clinicians, purchasers, and policymakers in making informed decisions that will improve health care at both the individual and population levels (IOM 2009).

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Improving Diversity in the Health Professions

Why do many disadvantaged groups in the United States, including people of color and low-income populations, still lack reliable access to highquality, affordable health care? Why are these groups also among the most affected by persistent and ever-widening disparities in health and health care?

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Improving Quality: Long-Term Vision and Incremental Change

Quality is one of the most pressing issues facing the health care system today, and foundations are using a variety of approaches to support quality improvement efforts at the local, state, and national levels, turning a cacophony of consumer voices into coherent, actionable work.

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Back to the Beginning: Obesity Prevention in Early Childhood

Recent efforts in the field of child obesity prevention have placed emphasis on the school-age population, and with good reason. Schools present a unique opportunity to reach large groups of children on a regular basis with healthy foods and physical activity. However, about 10 percent of children come to kindergarten already obese, indicating that more attention needs to focus on the period of life before school.

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Racism: Combating the Root Causes of Health Disparities

Reducing health disparities in communities of color has been a public health priority in the United States for the past decade. To date, however, substantial improvements have not been achieved. Even more troubling is the evidence that disparities persist even when overall health trends improve.

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