September 19, 2014  Subscribe
Early Care Workforce

Mindfulness protects early care and education works against health problems

Earlier this year, we shared a study showing that women working in Head Start programs in Pennsylvania reported higher than expected levels of physical and mental health problems. (Head Start is the nation's largest federally-funded early childhood education program.) Some encouraging news comes from a new study with the same group of workers. Head Start staff who reported higher levels of mindfulness - having the tendency in daily life to focus on and accept their reactions to the present moment - had fewer stress-related health conditions, better health behaviors, and better health-related quality of life. This was true even for those who reported having experienced trauma when they were children. Interventions to increase mindfulness among these professionals could improve their well-being, allowing them to achieve better outcomes in their work with children and families. The study was led by Robert Whitaker of Temple University and co-authored by Rachel Gooze of Child Trends, among others.

Family Planning

The role of improving male condom use

Male involvement in family planning is crucial, but there is limited research on how improvements in condom use can help reduce the high incidence of nonmarital pregnancy and childbearing among teens and young adults. We used FamilyScape, a microsimulation model developed by the Brookings Institution and Child Trends, to project how improvements in condom use and effectiveness could influence reproductive outcomes. Simulations were based on national estimates of current pregnancy intentions and condom use among young unmarried men, and a review of existing programs that impact condom use. We found that increases in condom use and efficacy could substantially lower nonmarital pregnancy, abortion, and birth rates among young couples, and could even generate notable declines in the poverty rate for newborn children.

Teen Health

Underage drinking policies and teen alcohol use

Alcohol use among teens has been declining for years. It's unclear, though, whether alcohol control policies aimed at limiting underage drinking have played any role in this trend. This brief examines the relationship between 14 state underage drinking laws, and drinking prevalence among high school students in recent years. Our mixed findings could suggest that, in the last few years, other factors, such as family and peers, may have had a stronger impact on teen drinking rates than these state laws did.
Webinar

America's Hispanic children

Join us for a webinar highlighting America's Hispanic Children: Gaining Ground, Looking Forward, a new report issued by the Child Trends Hispanic Institute with support from the Televisa Foundation. The report provides a comprehensive portrait of Hispanic children across six areas: demographics, economics, family, education, health, and media use. It documents important areas where Hispanic children are gaining ground, especially in education, and examines challenges among the country's 17.5 million Hispanic children and youth. The webinar will feature speakers from Child Trends, the Televisa Foundation, UCLA, and the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.

Thursday, September 25, 1:00 p.m. ET

 

How foreclosure affects households

Why do households in foreclosure end up depleting their assets by spending their savings and wealth? Self-Sufficiency Research Clearinghouse's Emerging Scholars Initiative publicizes research related to the economic self-sufficiency of low-income individuals and families. This webinar will feature Dr. Hannah Thomas as she explores how foreclosure affects households, including finances, health, trust in lending institutions, and stability. Child Trends is helping facilitate the webinar, with our partners from ICF International. 
  

Thursday, September 25, 1:00 p.m. ET

In the Field
This week, Dr. Kristin Moore, Child Trends' senior scholar, spoke as part of a congressional briefing hosted by the National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives. The topic of the briefing was reducing crime and promoting positive youth development. Dr. Moore presented Child Trends' recent work on the role of integrated student supports in improving academic outcomes for children and youth. The briefing covered topics of concern to the newly-formed congressional Crime Prevention and Youth Development Caucus
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