Brief
As summer ends, parents are preparing for the start of a new school year. For parents of children with food or other severe allergies, back to school can be an especially stressful time. Parents, typically, can best control their children’s exposure to allergens as well as recognize the first symptoms of an allergic reaction. At school, children are away from their parents’ watchful eye. What can a worried parent do? Formulate a Back-to-School Action Plan for managing your child’s allergies during the school year.
NRFC Quick Statistics and Research Reviews, Brief
Misusing or abusing substances limits a parent’s ability to be positively involved in their children’s lives and can lead to negative outcomes for both them and their children. Fathers who misuse substances or struggle with substance abuse tend to be less engaged with their children. When they do interact with their children, they tend to display less sensitivity and use less effective discipline. Substance misuse or abuse is also a risk factor for child abuse.
This data snapshot presents information on multiple types of substance use, misuse, and abuse, including:
Tobacco,…
Brief
This brief from the Head Start Health Manager Descriptive Study explores family engagement through these research questions: In what ways do Head Start/Early Head Start programs support family engagement in health-related aspects of program services? What are the barriers to family engagement in health-related aspects of program services from the health manager perspective? To what extent do barriers to family engagement differ by program or health manager characteristics and the populations served? What are the implications regarding family engagement for Head Start/Early Head Start health…
Brief
Taking risks is fairly common in adolescence. Risky behaviors can be associated with serious, long-term, and -- in some cases -- life-threatening consequences. This is especially the case when adolescents engage in more than one harmful behavior. The tendency for risky behaviors to co-occur has been well-studied. Yet prevention efforts traditionally have taken a targeted approach, seeking to prevent a single risky behavior. A more powerful and cost-effective approach may be to employ strategies designed to address factors associated with multiple risky behaviors. This Research Brief brings…
Brief
Physical, mental, and emotional health have a major impact on a family’s ability to thrive. Childhood trauma, for instance, can have lasting health and social consequences. Research demonstrates that parents with health insurance are more likely to seek regular care for themselves and their children. By reimagining health care services to make it easy for children and their parents to seek preventive care at the same time — through health centers or clinics that support families in making appointments together and providing child care while parents are seeking their own health care — states…
Brief
This brief is based on data from 444 rural mothers across 13 states who had low incomes and young children. The data is from the USDA Hatch funded Multi-State Project, “Interactions of Individual, Family, Community, and Policy Contexts on the Mental and Physical Health of Diverse Rural Low Income Families”, known as NC1171 Rural Families Speak about Health. (Author abstract)
Brief
Coordinating housing and financial capability servicesseems logical, but they have been historically disconnected,requiring residents to seek support outside of housing.Many nonprofit housing managers, public housingauthorities and housing counseling organizations arebeginning to offer financial capability services to clientsor are expanding on the services they have offered foryears. These organizations provide financial capabilityservices in-house or through partnerships, which canstreamline efforts to address client needs. (Author abstract)
Brief
This is the fifth in a series of research briefs commissioned by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that draws on the Family Options Study to inform HHS and HHS grantees as they carry out their special responsibilities for preventing and ending the homelessness of families, children, and youth. It expands on the information in the first brief "Are Homeless Families Connected to the Social Safety Net?"
Brief
Young men may not be sure which contraceptive method their female partner uses, or may incorrectly assume a female partner is using contraception when she is not. We looked at young men's and women's reports of recent contraceptive use, within heterosexual couples, and found inconsistencies in their reports. (Author abstract)
Brief
As states work to strengthen supports for young children's mental health, often with the goal of reducing the incidence of costly conditions at later ages, they face the question of how to finance new or expanded services. This brief examines states' use of Medicaid as a key source of funding for early childhood mental health (ECMH) services. It presents the results of a 50-state survey that gathered information from state administrators about Medicaid coverage and related policies concerning the following services for children from birth to age 6: child screening for social-emotional…
