Report Finds That Half of All Babies Born Poor Will Spend Most Of Their Childhoods In Poverty; Significantly More Likely to Be Poor 30 Years Later

Already off to a tough start in life, 49 percent of American babies born into poor families will be poor for at least half their childhoods, a new Urban Institute study finds. Among children who are not poor at birth, only 4 percent will be “persistently” poor as children. Fallout from persistent childhood poverty is evident during young adulthood, say Caroline Ratcliffe and Signe-Mary McKernan, the authors of  “Childhood Poverty Persistence: Facts and Consequences,” the first study connecting poverty status at birth, poverty persistence, and adult outcomes. Those poor at birth are more likely to be poor between ages 25 and 30, drop out of high school, have a teen nonmarital birth, and have patchy employment records than those not poor at birth. Read the full brief in PDF format.

Healthy Communities Matter: The Importance of Place to the Health of Boys of Color

July 2010

A new report from the California Endowment summarizes a study of health disparities and trauma among African-American and Latino/Hispanic boys, the underlying social inequality and negative neighborhood conditions, and the need for a healing approach. It also outlines case studies of best practices.

The Racial Wealth Gap Increases Fourfold

May 2010

New evidence reveals that the wealth gap between white and African‐American families has more than quadrupled over the course of a generation. Using economic data collected from the same set of families over 23 years (1984‐2007), we find that the real wealth gains and losses of families over that time period demonstrate the stampede toward an escalating racial wealth gap. This report is the first in a series that audits the growth of the racial wealth gap over the past generation.

Census Creates New Poverty Measure

March 2010

In a recent op-ed, Doug Nelson of The Annie E. Casey Foundation and Ron Haskins of Brookings explain a new supplemental poverty measure the Census Bureau will introduce in the fall of 2011 and why it is something both Democrats and Republicans can support.

Creating a Platform for Sustained Neighborhood Improvement

March 2010

MDRC has released a new evaluation of the New Communities Program (NCP), an ambitious community development initiative that uses neighborhood planning and plan-driven projects and programs, called "quality-of-life plans," to improve a wide range of outcomes in 16 Chicago neighborhoods. This interim report focuses on NCP's rollout and early implementation years, examining community conditions, how local groups worked together, and projects completed through 2008.

Health and Education

March 2010

The Winter/Spring 2010 issue of Centerscene, the quarterly newsletter of The California Endowment's Center for Healthy Communities, looks at how kids' health is affected when they are chronically absent from school. New research shows that chronic absence is a better indicator of high school dropout than test scores and can sometimes indicate unaddressed health problems. This issue explores efforts in San Diego, Los Angeles, and the state legislature to help schools, youth, and families work together to improve school attendance and overall student health.

The Critical Connection Between Student Health and Academic Achievement

March 2010

A new framing paper from the California Education Supports Project is intended as a starting point to describe some of the ways that students’ health makes an impact on their educational achievement. It also describes steps that policymakers can take to better address student health in schools. The paper is intended to spur discussion, additional research, and more work on how to meet the physical, mental, and social needs of students in ways that will help them achieve better academic outcomes.

Foundations Partner to Draw Attention to Poverty and Opportunity

January 2010

The foundation-led initiative Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity has announced new partnerships with The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Public Welfare Foundation, and Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina. Spotlight was established, in part, as a platform for foundations to jointly use their voice to address the complex array of issues that contribute to domestic poverty. The four foundations will join other philanthropic organizations supporting Spotlight's efforts to build public and political will to reduce poverty. Through the support of the Gates Foundation, Spotlight will expand its scope to explore the relationship between education and economic opportunity. The partnership with PublicWelfare Foundation will allow Spotlight to examine the link between workers' rights and poverty. The support of The Atlantic Philanthropies will help Spotlight draw greater attention to the economic hardships facing older Americans. And Sisters of Charity Foundation will provide general support to help Spotlight continue its role as a forum to exchange new and innovative solutions to poverty.

Dangerous by Design

January 2010

In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. Children, the elderly, and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in this figure. These deaths typically are labeled “accidents," however an overwhelming proportion share a similar factor: they occurred along roadways that were dangerous by design, streets that were engineered for speeding cars and made little or no provision for people on foot, in wheelchairs, or on a bicycle. A new report ranks the most dangerous metropolitan areas for pedestrians in the United States. (The 10 most dangerous are Orlando, Tampa, Miami, Jacksonville, Memphis, Raleigh, Louisville, Houston, Birmingham, and Atlanta).

Breaking Through on the Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities

December 2009

One objective of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America was to engage public and private sector decisionmakers. The challenge was how to “translate” the wide-ranging, highly specific and technical information about social determinants and health disparities into language that would resonate with a diverse group of leaders. A new issue brief explains how the commission framed these issues, describes the research-based process used to develop messages, and shares messages for broader use.

Gail Wilensky on the Social Determinants of Health

November 2009

In a column for Kaiser Health News, Gail Wilensky writes that "after months of discussion and debate, the House has passed its version of health care reform. But as many observers, including me, have already noted, health care reform has primarily become health insurance reform over the course of the year." She also says that "as we move to the endgame of what will at best be health care reform 1.0, it is also important to remember that if we want to improve health--presumably health care reform is a means to improving health--we need to focus on more than just health care and reform of the health care system."

Strategies to Help Hospitals Fight Hunger

November 2009

A new antihunger initiative that encourages hospitals to take an active role in fighting hunger in their communities has been unveiled in Massachusetts. Hunger in the Community: Ways Hospitals Can Help was launched with the support of U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, U.S. Representative Jim McGovern, (D-Mass.), and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick. The initiative will provide hospitals with a framework for ending hunger at the local level while continuing to connect people with existing food programs. A handbook prepared by Project Bread, a Boston-based antihunger group, and UMass Memorial Health Care recommends that hospitals start their own food banks, launch community gardens, and provide food vouchers to hungry patients.     

National Initiative to Promote the Use of Health Impact Assessments

October 2009

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) announced the launch of the Health Impact Project, a national initiative designed to promote the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) as a decisionmaking tool for policymakers. HIAs are a flexible, data-driven approach that identify the health consequences of new policies and incorporate health into the decisions made by sectors that do not traditionally focus on these outcomes—such as transportation, planning, education, or housing. The Health Impact Project, a 4.5-year initiative that is funded by a $7.2 million grant from RWJF to Pew to operate and administer the project, is accepting proposals for up to 15 HIA demonstrations ranging from $25,000 to $150,000.

New On-line Database Features Resources Linking Social Factors to Health

October 2009

The Commission to Build a Healthier America has created a comprehensive database listing experts, organizations, and reports related to powerful social factors, such as education, income, housing and neighborhoods, that influence how long and how well people live in America. The searchable database includes contact information for some of the foremost experts in the field, links to download reports, and information on organizations that are exploring solutions to improve health.

Poverty's High Cost to Health

October 2009

In a Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity Webcast, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) president and CEO Risa Lavizzo-Mourey discusses social and economic factors that influence health, including access to high-quality health care, healthy neighborhoods, and grocery stores. In the interview, Lavizzo-Mourey explores how investments in disease prevention can mitigate health disparities and examines how health reform legislation will affect low-income Americans. In addition, RWJF funded a recent report, The Poor Pay More: Poverty's High Cost to Health, which describes many social and economic factors influencing health and points to policies that have the potential for restoring the prospect of good health to the lives of the poor. 

Education Matters for Health

September 2009

A new issue brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America discusses the large body of evidence linking education and health and examines why, across America and generations, people with more education live longer and experience better health outcomes.

Understanding Poverty

September 2009

The share of Americans living in poverty jumped to 13.2 percent in 2008—up significantly from 12.5 percent the year before, new Census Bureau data reveal. For a family of four, this means making ends meet on less than $22,000 a year. In an array of timely analyses, Urban Institute researchers offer perspectives and insights into the circumstances of nearly 40 million poor men, women, and children. These reports, commentaries, and more are on the Urban Institute’s “Understanding Poverty” Web site.

Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Achieve Social Justice

The Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) Funders Interest Group invites funders who are interested in advancing CBPR as a tool for social justice to get involved. As defined by the Kellogg Health Scholars Program, CBPR is "a collaborative approach to research that equitably involves all partners in the research process and recognizes the unique strengths that each brings." CBPR begins with a research topic of importance to the community and has the aim of combining knowledge with action and achieving social change. Learn more at www.cbprcurriculum.info.

Report Explores Impact of Social and Economic Factors on Health

August 2009

A new report from the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network examines the impact of socioeconomic factors, such as education, housing, neighborhood safety, and food access, on health status. The Landscape of Opportunity: Cultivating Health Equity in California provides a comprehensive framework for policymakers seeking to understand interrelated causes behind health disparities in California. The report also outlines recommendations to improve health and close the state's racial and socioeconomic health gap. 

 

 

Neighborhoods and the Black-White Mobility Gap

July 2009

The neighborhood poverty experienced by middle-income black children contributes greatly to their increased risk of downward mobility, according to a new report by Pew’s Economic Mobility Project. The report points to a great disparity between the neighborhood poverty rates experienced by middle-income black children and white children: nearly half of black children born into families who are at least middle income ($62,000 or more) were raised in neighborhoods with a poverty rate of 20 percent or more, compared to just 1 percent of white children of the same income level. The report also finds that spending a childhood in a high-poverty neighborhood (poverty rate of at least 20 percent) versus a low-poverty neighborhood (poverty rate of less than 10 percent), raises the chances of downward mobility by 52 percent. Further, the effect of neighborhood poverty alone accounts for a greater portion of the black-white gap than the combined effect of family characteristics, including parental education, family structure, occupation, and labor force participation.

Suburban Poverty and Health

July 2009

Although suburban poverty has increased in the past decade, the availability of health care services for low-income and uninsured people in the suburbs has not kept pace. According to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) of five communities—Boston, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Miami, and Seattle—low-income people living in suburban areas face significant challenges accessing care because of inadequate transportation, language barriers, and lack of awareness of health care options. Low-income people often rely on suburban hospital emergency departments and urban safety net hospitals and health centers. Both urban and suburban providers are attempting to redirect patients to more appropriate care near where they live by expanding primary care capacity, improving access to specialists, reducing transportation challenges, and generating revenues to support safety net services.

New Fact Sheets on Nutrition, Healthy Housing, and Early Childhood Development

July 2009

Three new fact sheets from the Robert Wood Johnson Commission to Build a Healthier America provide facts and figures, cost estimates, and background on the policy environment surrounding nutrition, healthy housing, and early childhood development.

Addressing Social Determinants of Health at the CDC

July 2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention has released a new report on the social determinants of health with sections on public health policy, data systems, agency partnerships and building prevention capacity, and prevention research and evaluation. The center has also launched a Web site to provide links to social determinants of health resources both within and outside CDC. 

A State-by-State Look at Adult Health by Education Level

May 2009

A new report released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Commission to Build a Healthier America is the first to rank states on differences in adults’ health based on levels of education. It shows that while people with more education are healthier, in some states these differences are much more dramatic than in others. Almost half of all adults ages 25 to 74 in the United States report being in less than very good health, and that rate differs depending on level of education. For example, adults who have not graduated from high school are more than two and a half times as likely to be in less than very good health as college graduates, according to the report. Those who have graduated from high school, but not gone to college, are nearly twice as likely to be in less than very good health as college graduates.

Beyond Health Care: New Directions to a Healthier America

April 2009

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America has issued 10 cross-cutting recommendations for improving the nation’s health. The commission paid particular attention to crafting effective measures for meeting the needs of children and families, and its recommendations are rooted in the philosophy that good health requires individuals to make responsible personal choices and requires society to remove the obstacles blocking Americans from making healthier choices and leading healthier lives. Given the seriousness of the nation’s economic downturn, the commission also focused on developing proven and feasible recommendations that offer the strongest potential to leverage limited resources. 

Beyond Health Care Coverage: Addressing Inequality and Health Disparities

February 2009

On February 23, The California Endowment, the Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality, and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity will host a policy forum that examines the socioeconomic factors that influence health. The event will be held at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco from 8:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. For more information, click here.

Work Matters for Health

December 2008

This issue brief from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Commission to Build a Healthier America examines how work influences our health, not only by exposing us to physical conditions that have health effects, but also by providing a setting where healthy activities and behaviors can be promoted.

Moving Upstream: How Interventions that Address the Social Determinants of Health Can Improve Health and Reduce Disparities

November 2008

This Journal of Public Health Management Practice article highlights research evidence documenting that tackling the social determinants of health can lead to reductions in health disparities. It focuses both on interventions within the health care system that address some of the social determinants of health and on interventions in upstream factors such as housing, neighborhood conditions, and increased socioeconomic status that can lead to improvements in health.

Closing the Gap in a Generation: Health Equity through Action on the Social Determinants of Health

August 2008

This final report of the World Health Organization's Commission on Social Determinants of Health provides analysis of social determinants of health and concrete examples of types of actions that have proven effective in improving health and health equity in countries at all levels of socioeconomic development.

Overcoming Obstacles to Health

February 2008

This Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report to the Commission to Build a Healthier America provides a profile of the current state of health in America, focusing specifically on the role that social factors like income, education, and race and ethnicity play in Americans' health and the areas that hold promise for improving opportunities for all Americans to live healthier and more productive lives.

Promoting Health Equity: A Resource to Help Communities Address the Social Determinants of Health

2008

This workbook is for public health practitioners and partners interested in addressing social determinants of health in order to promote health and achieve health equity. Content is drawn from "Social Determinants of Disparities in Health: Learning from Doing," a forum sponsored by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.