Research and Policy Priorities

Children’s HealthWatch Research and Policy Priorities are comprised of the topics on which we will be focusing for the coming year.  While we continually collect data on all of our core topics, especially food, housing, and energy insecurity each year we choose a subset of policy-relevant analyses, depending on what we anticipate to be the issues that will form the national public policy debate.  In doing so, Children’s HealthWatch works to bring timely scientific evidence about the links between hardships associated with poverty – not enough food and unstable housing conditions to name a few – and children’s health into the public policy arena.

All research and policy topics are evaluated with regards to their association with young children's food security, health and development.

Children's HealthWatch's research & policy priorities for 2009-2010 are:

  • Hospitalization Costs: differential costs related to food insecurity
  • Housing Insecurity: crowding, frequent moves, and incremental risk
  • WIC & Development/Health Outcomes: impact of participating in the WIC program on child development outcomes
  • The Economic Costs of Poor Oral Health: short and long-term cots for young children and America 
  • Food Stamp Program: measuring the health impact of participation
  • Energy Insecurity : access to and affordability of utility costs; participation in LIHEAP
  • Developmental Risk: impact of food insecurity on cognitive/socio-emotional development

Research & policy topics in development for 2009-2010 include:

  • Immigrant Family Well-being
  • Obesity and Food Insecurity
  • Cumulative Risk Associated with Balancing Multiple Survival Needs
  • Health Insurance