This fact sheet summarizes AHRQfunded child and adolescent health care

studies focusing on AHRQ’s three

strategic goals: outcomes; quality and

patient safety; and cost, use and access.

It also summarizes AHRQ’s support for

capacity building in research, education,

and dissemination. In Fiscal Year 2002,

AHRQ announced support for $16

million over the life of all new

intramural and extramural research

grants, contracts, and inter-agency

agreements. 

Outcomes 

Investigator-initiated Studies

• Barriers to Care for Chronically Ill

Vulnerable Children. Principal

Investigator: Michael Seid,

Children’s Hospital Research Center,

San Diego, CA. Grant No. R03

HS13058 (03/01/02-02/28/03).

This project will to develop and test

a Barriers to Care Questionnaire in

English and Spanish. The

questionnaire will be used to identify

and measure modifiable barriers to

care that affect the link between

vulnerability factors and health care

structures, processes, and outcomes

for children with special health care

needs. 

• Parenting Effects of Healthy Steps:

Health Care Utilization and

Expectations for Pediatric Care.

Principal Investigator: Cynthia

Minkovitz, Johns Hopkins

University, Baltimore, MD. Grant

No. R01 HS13086 (05/05/02-

04/30/05). This project will assess

whether enhanced delivery of

behavioral and developmental

services in the first 3 years of life

changes parental attitudes and

practices when their children reach 5

years of age. 

• Medical Management of Children

with Chronic Conditions.

Principal Investigator: Frederick

Connell, University of Washington,

Seattle, WA. Grant No. R03

HS13230 (10/01/02-09/30/03).

The aims of this study are to (1)

develop an operational definition

that can be used with Medicaid

claims data to identify a child’s

medical home, and (2) examine the

relationships between demographic

factors and disease severity associated

with having a medical home. The

four chronic conditions to be

investigated are asthma, diabetes,

cerebral palsy and low-birth weight.

AHRQ is the lead Federal agency

charged with supporting research

designed to improve the quality of

health care, reduce its cost, address

patient safety and medical errors, and 

broaden access to essential services.

AHRQ sponsors and conducts research

that provides evidence-based

information on health care outcomes;

quality; and cost, use, and access. The

information helps health care

decisionmakers—patients and

clinicians, health system leaders, and

policymakers—make more informed

decisions and improve the quality of

health care services.

Research on Child 

and Adolescent Health 

New Starts— Fiscal Year 2002

F ACT SHEET

U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services

Public Health Service
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•Maternal Depressive Symptoms and Children’s Health Care. Principal

Investigator: Cynthia Minkovitz, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD. Grant No. R03

HS13053 (09/30/02-09/29/03).

The aims of this project are to

determine (1) whether maternal

depressive symptoms are

associated with children’s receipt

of pediatrics visits,

hospitalizations, emergency

departments visits, referrals for

behavior/developmental concerns

and immunizations; (2) whether

associations between maternal

depressive symptoms and

children’s receipt of services vary

depending on the timing of

symptoms; and (3) whether

associations between maternal

depressive symptoms and

children’s receipt of services vary

depending on participation in

the Healthy Steps program. 

• *Health of Grandparents Raising Their Grandchildren. Principal Investigator: Jan Blustein, New York University,

New York, NY. Grant No. R03

HS11747 (06/01/02-05/31/03).

This study will examine the

following issues: (1) What is the

impact of grandparents’ caregiving on grandparent health

status, health behaviors, and

health care utilization patterns;

(2) How do these impacts differ

for grandparents heading

households with different family

configurations, i.e., split

generation and three-generation

households; and (3) To what

extent can these impacts be

mitigated by the availability of

tangible and social resources? 

• *Long-Term Health Care Effects of Domestic Violence. Principal Investigator: Robert

Thompson, Center for Health Studies, Seattle, WA. Grant No.

R01 HS10909 (07/09/02-

04/30/06). This study will assess

the longitudinal impact of

domestic violence on the health

care utilization, patterns, costs,

and social functioning and

health status of female and male

victims and their children.

• *Time Series Modeling of

Trends in Medication

Prescribing.Principal

Investigator: Randall Stafford, Massachusetts General Hospital,

Boston, MA. Grant No. R01

HS13405 (04/19/02-

12/31/04). The aim of this

project is to develop and assess a

novel economic model of

influence of multiple

determinants on trends in

medication prescribing for

asthma, depression,

hypertension, and congestive

heart failure. 

• *Violence and Spinal Cord Injury: Understanding the Rehabilitation Context. Principal Investigator: Thilo

Kroll, Medstar Research Institute, Washington, D.C. Grant No. R03 HS13039

(05/01/02-04/30/03). The

purpose of this qualitative study

is to develop an in-depth

*Project includes children or children’s

health care issues, but does not focus

exclusively on children.
understanding of the context and

consequences of violentlyacquired spinal cord injury

(VASCI) through an inductive

process, and to develop an

evaluation plan for VASCI

rehabilitation programs that will

serve as a template for future

program evaluations targeting

interventions for vulnerable

populations. 

Quality and Patient Safety 

Investigator-initiated Studies

• Evidence-based Selective

Referral in VLBW Infants.

Principal Investigator: Jeannette

Rogowski, Rand Corporation,

Santa Monica, CA. Grant No.

R01 HS13371 (09/19/02-

08/31/04). This study will

investigate the validity of volume

as an indirect quality indicator for

neonatal intensive care by

evaluating the association

between volume and multiple

outcomes for very low birth

weight infants, including

measures of respiratory,

infectious, neurological,

gastrointestinal and

ophthalmological diseases.

• Parent-initiated Prevention

Program. Principal Investigator:

Dimitri A. Christakis, University

of Washington, Seattle, WA.

Grant No. R01 HS13302

(09/30/02-09/29/06). This

randomized controlled trial will

test a computer-driven, patientcentered expert system to improve

the receipt of evidence-based

prevention for pediatric patients.

The study will assess the

effectiveness of a real-time Parentinitiated Prevention Program in

changing physicians’ delivery of

preventive care as well as parental

preventive behaviors.

• Automated Lab Test Follow-up

to Reduce Medical Errors.

Principal Investigator: David

Greenes, Children’s Hospital,

Boston, MA. Grant No. R03

HS11711 (09/30/02-09/29/03).

This project will evaluate the

effectiveness of a computerized

system, Automated Late-Arriving

Resulting Monitoring System

(ALARMS), in an emergency

department. ALARMS will

gather and generate a list of all

late-arriving abnormal laboratory

results to improve the rates of

follow-up for late-arriving

abnormal laboratory results. 

• Testing a New Measure of

Quality of Asthma Care.

Principal Investigator: Yvonne

Senturia, Jacobi Medical Center,

Bronx, NY. Grant No. R03

HS13081 (09/30/02-12/31/03).

This study will test the feasibility

and validity of a new measure of

quality of asthma care for poor

inner-city children with asthma.

The project will also test the

Asthma Visit Questionnaire to

assess the quality of asthma care

in primary care settings.

• Quality of Life in Children

After Liver Transplantation.

Principal Investigator: Estella

Alonso, Children’s Memorial

Hospital, Chicago, IL. Grant No.

R03 HS13270 (09/30/02-

09/29/04). This cross-sectional

study will (1) evaluate 150

children aged 12-18 at the 2-year

anniversary of their transplant, (2)

describe the health-related quality

of life of children who survive

liver transplantation, and (3)

examine the impact of disease

severity at transplant and the type

of graft received on long-term

health related quality of life.

• Physician Networks and

Children with Chronic

Conditions. Principal

Investigator: David Grembowski,

University of Washington, Seattle,

WA. Grant No. R01 HS13147

(09/30/02-03/31/04). This study

will examine whether out-ofnetwork benefits and cost-sharing

of managed health plans are

associated with the likelihood of

seeing an in-network vs. out-ofnetwork physician, and whether

health care quality and

expenditures are similar or

different for children seeing invs. out-of-network physicians. 

• *CAHPS II. Principal

Investigators: Paul Cleary,

Harvard University, Boston, MA.

Grant No. U18 HS09205

(09/30/02-05/31/07); Ronald

Hays, RAND, Santa Monica,

CA. Grant No. U18 HS09204

(09/30/02-04/30/07); Steven

Garfinkel, American Institute for

Research, Washington, D.C.

Grant No. U18 HS13193

(06/24/02-05/31/07). This

project includes development of

the pediatric version of the

CAHPS instrument for assessing

care at the group practice level

and production of refined and

tested instruments that will be

suitable for a large-scale field test.

These cooperative agreements

fund a collaborative program of

research, development, and

evaluation that will advance the

state of the field with respect to

the design, collection, and use of

consumers’ assessments of health

care for purposes of informing

health care choices and improving

health care quality.

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• *The Impact of HMOs on

Disparities. Principal

Investigator, Kevin Fiscella,

University of Rochester,

Rochester, NY. Grant No. R01

HS10910 (09/30/02-09/29/05).

This project will (1) assess the

scope and magnitude of

racial/ethnic and socioeconomic

disparities in HMOs, and (2)

develop age, sex, and case-mix

adjusted utilization and quality

measures. The measures will

examine racial/ethnic disparities in

preventive care, satisfaction,

change in health status, use of

expensive hospital-based

procedures, and avoidable hospital

complications and mortality. 

Projects Funded Under the RFA:

Partnerships for Quality 

This Request for Applications (RFA)

sought projects to support partnership

grants to improve the quality and

outcomes of the health care system’s

preparedness in the event of a

bioterrorist incident.

• Partnership to Improve

Children’s Health Care Quality.

Principal Investigator: Carole

Lannon, National Initiative for

Children’s Healthcare Quality,

Boston, MA. Grant No. U18

HS13721 (09/30/02-09/29/06).

This project will bring together

pediatric organizations to

coordinate efforts and resources to

support large-scale activities that

have been shown to be effective in

improving care for children.

These partners will engage State

American Academy of Pediatrics

chapters in evidence-based

collaborative learning sessions as

well as an interactive Web-based

quality improvement tool with the

goal of supporting practice

changes leading to improved care

for children with AttentionDeficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. 

• Implementing Pediatric Patient

Safety Practices. Principal

Investigator: Paul Sharek, Child

Health Corporation of America,

Shawnee Mission, KS. Grant No.

U18 HS 13698 (09/30/02-

09/29/06). This project will plan

and support the expansion of a

medication error reduction

program, identify and collaborate

on best practices in pediatric pain

management, and implement a

pediatric patient-safety bestpractices program.

AHRQ Evaluation of the Robert

Wood Johnson Foundation/

California HealthCare

Foundation/National Health Care

Purchasing Institute (NHCPI)

Rewarding Results Program

(RRP) 

The NHCPI’s RRP is a partnership of

foundations, government, business and

research communities. The program

will seek and test ways to implement the

Institute of Medicine’s recommendations

to reward quality of care.

• *Evaluation of the Rewarding

Results Program. Principal

Investigator: Gary Young, Boston

University, Boston, MA. Grant

No. U01 HS13591 (09/30/02-

09/29/06). Under a grant

administered by AHRQ, Dr.

Young will conduct a

comprehensive national evaluation

of six projects. Four of the

projects being evaluated will

address issues relevant to children.

They include pediatric access,

service and HEDIS scores, and

asthma. 

Cost, Use, and Access 

Investigator-initiated Studies

• Child Mental Health and

Mental Health Service Use.

Principal Investigator: Michael

Ganz, Harvard University,

Boston, MA. Grant No. R03

HS13047 (04/01/02-09/30/03).

The aims of this project are to

examine families’ socio-economic

status, clinical and insurance

correlates of mental health

conditions, and related services for

children in the U.S.

• Disparities in Child & Family

Health Care Expenditures.

Principal Investigator: Paul

Newacheck, University of

California, San Francisco, CA.

Grant No. R01 HS11662

(07/01/02-06/30/04). The aim of

this project is to examine the

extent to which disparities exist in

out-of-pocket health care expenses

for children and families, and the

role that health insurance plays in

reducing or eliminating

disparities. 

• Costs of Care for VLBW

Infants. Principal Investigator:

Jeannette Rogowski, RAND

Corporation, Santa Monica, CA.

Grant No. R03 HS13429

(09/30/02-09/29/03). This

descriptive study will use data

from 29 hospitals in the Vermont

Oxford Network to examine the

costs and cost-effectiveness of care

for VLBW infants, and investigate

how these costs of care vary with

the degree of prematurity. The

study will include 13,610 infants

with birth weights under 1500

grams.

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• Dental Access and Costs for

Children in a SCHIP Program.

Principal Investigator: Peter

Damiano, University of Iowa,

Iowa City, IA. Grant No. R03

HS13410 (09/30/02-09/29/04).

The purpose of this study is to

determine (1) dental services

utilization for children in the Iowa

SCHIP and Medicaid programs;

(2) factors related to unmet dental

need for children; (3) factors

related to self-reported unmet

dental need for children; and (4)

costs associated with providing

dental care for children in both

programs and whether there is

pent-up demand for dental care. 

• Health Care Access for Children

of the Working Poor. Principal

Investigator: Sylvia Guendelman,

The Regents of the University of

California, Berkeley, CA. Grant

No. R03 HS13411 (09/30/02-

09/29/03). This study will

analyze data from the California

Health Interview Survey to (1)

compare access and utilization of

health care among working poor

children with children in other

socioeconomic strata; (2) explore

the differences in access and

utilization of health care between

immigrants and native born

children of the working poor; and

(3) assess the extent to which

expansions in health coverage for

working poor parents can improve

access and use of health services

for their children. 

• Predictors and Costs of

Adolescent Risky Behavior.

Principal Investigator: Lise

Youngblade, University of Florida,

Gainesville, FL. Grant No. R03

HS13261 (09/30/02-09/29/03).

The aims of this study are to (1)

examine the prevalence of risky

behaviors and their associated

health care utilization and cost

patterns in a pool of adolescents

enrolled in Title XXI State

Children’s Health Insurance

Program; (2) examine the odds of

engaging in risky behavior based

on a psycho-social model that

specifies predictive domains; and

(3) examine the health care use

and costs associated with risky

behaviors and how these patterns

are explained by socialdemographic, health, psychosocial and community conditions. 

• *Impact of Three Tier

Prescription Drug Copay on

Use and Spending. Principal

Investigator: Dominic Hodgkin,

Heller School for Social Policy

and Management, Waltham, MA.

Grant No. R01 HS013092

(09/16/02-08/31/04). This study

will examine the impact of a

three-tier prescription drug

copayment program on drug and

medical services utilization,

expenditures, and therapeutic

continuity of care, using enrolled

patient cohorts in the Tufts

Health Plan, a large HMO in

Massachusetts. Part of this study

will focus on five specific drug

classes. The study of use of

asthma and allergy medications

and possibly antidepressants will

include children. 

Contracts

• Methodological Issues in Childrelevant Evidence Syntheses.

Principal Investigator: Terry

Klassen, University of Alberta,

Alberta, Canada. Contract No.

02R000233 (09/30/02-

09/30/03). The purpose of this

project is to develop a report on

methodological issues in childrelevant systematic reviews.

Questions include whether it is

necessary to examine child data in

broad, adult-dominant, evidence

reviews.

Integrated Delivery System

Research Network (IDSRN) 

The IDSRN creates, supports, and

disseminates scientific evidence about

what works and what does not work in

terms of data and measurement systems

and organizational “best practices”

related to care, delivery, and research

diffusion.

• Prevalence and Strategies for

Appropriate Prescription

Medication Dosing in Children.

Principal Investigator: Robert

Davis, Kaiser Foundation

Research Institute, MA and OR.

Contract No. 290-00-0015

(11/01/02-11/30/03). This

project will assess the prevalence

of inappropriate prescribing of

medication in the ambulatory

pediatric setting and the scope

and breadth of current strategies

to avoid inappropriate prescribing.

This project will include an

assessment of appropriate

medication safety monitoring by

recommended laboratory tests

(e.g. liver function tests for

carbamazepine). The project will

also evaluate strategies and make

recommendations to minimize

outpatient prescription

medication errors in children.

Evidence-based Practice Centers

(EPCs) Program 

The EPCs develop evidence reports and

technology assessments on clinical topics

that are common, expensive, and/or are

significant for the Medicare and

Medicaid populations. The following

2002 topics/studies are relevant to

children and adolescents:

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• *Obesity, Pharmacological and Surgical Management, RAND. • *Efficacy of Behavioral Interventions to Modify Physical Activity, University of Minnesota. • *Economic Incentives: Impact

on Use/Outcomes of Preventive Health Services, University of Minnesota.

• *Cross-Cutting Quality Measures for Cancer Control

,

University of Ottawa.

• *Sexuality and Reproductive Health Following Spinal Cord Injury-Phase I Feasibility

Study, University of Ottawa.

Capacity Building 

AHRQ supports research for

infrastructure development in the field

of health services research.

Projects Funded Under RFA:

Primary Care Practice-Based

Research Networks (PBRNs) III 

This RFA sought projects in two

categories: (1) development or

enhancement of network

infrastructure, and (2) exploratory or

pilot research projects. • Translating National Pediatric

PBRN Research into Practice. Principal Investigator: Eric Slora,

American Academy of Pediatrics,

El Grove Village, IL. Grant No.

R21 HS13512 (09/30/02-

09/29/04). Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS), a

national network of over 500

pediatric practices, will (1)

develop a Web-based

information system for posting

of confidential practice-specific

feedback reports and enhance

minority representation in

patient populations served by

pediatricians in PROS, and (2)

test two different methods for

translating research into practice

on optimizing rates of pediatric

immunizations. 

• A Pediatric PBRN (Pediatric PitNet) and a Pilot Project. Principal Investigator: Ellen Wald, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. Grant No. R21 HS13523

(09/30/02-09/29/04). This new

network of community and

university-based pediatricians

(Pediatric PitNet) will further

develop its network

infrastructure and conduct a

pilot project to study methods of

increasing adherence to recommendations for prevention

of unintentional injuries, the

most common cause of death

and disability in young children.

• CUBS: Preventive Services for

At Risk Infants.Principal

Investigator: Robert Pace,

Louisiana State University, New Orleans, LA. Grant No. R21

HS13562 (09/30/02-09/29/04).

This new network created from

pediatric practices worked

together to study the health and

development of vulnerable

children who previously received

care in the Louisiana State University’s neonatal intensive

care unit. The network will use

standardized methods of

information management and

develop a common database

adequate to support research.

• Continuity Research Network

(CORNET).Principal

Investigator: Janet Serwint,

Ambulatory Pediatric

Association, McLean, VA. Grant

No. R21 HS13582 (09/30/02-

09/29/04). This newly

developed national network

composed of pediatric practices

will assess the health status and

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quality of care delivered to

children belonging to minority

and underserved populations,

including an examination of

health care disparities.

•Washington University Pediatric Research Consortium. Principal

Investigator: Jane Garbutt, Washington University, St. Louis,

MO. Grant No. R21 HS13530

(09/30/02-09/29/04). This newly

established network of community

pediatricians affiliated with Washington University will

establish a Web-based

communication network to

coordinate activities, enhance a

computer interviewing system,

and implement a faculty

development plan to increase

expertise among network

members. 

•Enhancement of the Technology Interface for the Cincinnati Pediatric Research Group. Principal Investigator: Thomas

DeWitt, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center,

Cincinnati, OH. Grant No. R21

HS13506 (09/30/02-09/29/04).

This regional network of pediatric

providers will develop a system to

allow electronic solicitation of data

using handheld devices and

wireless communications. Since

the system will allow a real-time

transmission of clinical

impressions and symptoms, one of

its intended uses is bioterrorism

surveillance.

• Creating a Primary Care Practice-based Research Network. Principal Investigator:

Louis Bell, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. Grant No. R21 HS13492

(09/30/02-09/29/04). The

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

network will develop an

information system linking its

pediatric practices and create a

project committee to assess

potential research questions aimed

at improving the delivery of

primary care to children and

families. 

Training Grants • Preventive Asthma Care Utilization Among Black

Children. Principal Investigator:

Andrea Ireland, University of

North Carolina-Chapel Hill,

Chapel Hill, NC. Grant No. F31

HS11929 (04/01/02-03/31/06).

The aim of this Predoctoral Award

is to explore factors such as health

insurance coverage, access to

preventive health care, financial resources, and health beliefs that

contribute to the disparity in

preventive asthma care utilization

among African-American children. 

• Adherence in Children with Cystic Fibrosis and Asthma.

Principal Investigator: Avani Modi, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL. Grant No. F31

HS11768 (03/01/02-11/30/04).

The aims of this Predoctoral Award are to assess the extent of

adherence problems in children

with cystic fibrosis and asthma,

compare patterns of adherence in

two pediatric pulmonary

populations, and identify key

barriers associated with poor

adherence. 

•Doctor-Parent Communication

and Antibiotic Over-Prescribing.

Principal Investigator: Rita Mangione-Smith, University of

California, LA, Los Angeles, CA. Grant No. K02 HS13299

(09/30/02-09/29/07). The aim of

this Independent Scientist Award

is to examine the doctor-parent

communication as a determinant

of both inappropriate antibiotic

prescribing and parent satisfaction

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with care, and then develop a

communication-based

intervention to decrease antibiotic

over-prescribing in pediatric

outpatient settings to improve the

quality of patient care.

• Shared Decision-Making and

Inappropriate Antibiotic Use.

Principal Investigator: Elizabeth

Cox, University of Wisconsin,

Madison, WI. Grant No. K08

HS13183 (07/01/02-06/30/07).

The aim of this Mentored

Clinical Scientist Development

Award is to develop and validate

an instrument to measure shared

decision-making in pediatric

primary care, and to improve the

quality of care and outcomes for

children with upper respiratory

infections.

• Telemedicine For Children in

Rural Emergency Departments.

Principal Investigator: James

Marcin, University of California,

Davis, Davis, CA. Grant No.

K08 HS131179 (07/19/02-

06/30/07). The aim of this

Mentored Clinical Scientist

Development Award is to

determine what impact

telemedicine consultations have

on the quality and satisfaction of

care that critically ill and injured

children receive in rural

emergency departments. 

• Informative Technology:

Linking Parents and Providers.

Principal Investigator: Stephen

Porter, Children’s Hospital,

Boston, MA. Grant No. K08

HS11660 (07/01/02-06/30/05).

The aims of this Mentored

Clinical Scientist Development

Award are to (1) develop and test

an electronic interface on the basis

of user-perceived quality and the

capture of valid data for asthmaspecific history, and (2) present

parent-derived information to

providers in the content of

current evidence-based guidelines

and assess the effects of this

electronically-supported

collaboration on parents’ report of

satisfaction and process measures

of quality.

• Modeling Health Utilization of

Medicaid Children. Principal

Investigator: David Rein, Georgia

State University, Atlanta, GA.

Grant No. R03 HS13286

(09/30/02-02/28/03). The aim of

this Dissertation Award is to

predict the health care expenses

for the full population of Georgia

Medicaid children. Two leading

forecasting models will focus on

three goals (1) build a better

predictive model of health service

utilization, (2) address health

policy relevant to children with

special health care needs, and (3)

build upon the theory of the

behavioral model of who uses

health services and why. 

• *Improving Health Care

Outcomes Among the

Homeless. Principal Investigator:

Margot Kushel, Regents of the

University of California, San

Francisco, CA. Grant No. K08

HS11415 (03/01/02-02/28/07).

The aims of this Mentored

Clinical Scientist Development

Award are to: (1) examine the

effects of different levels of

community services (including

housing, health care, overall

services) for homeless people on

hospitalization and emergency

department rates of homeless

adults and children; (2) examine

the cost-effectiveness of casemanagement as a strategy for

improving health outcomes

among HIV infected homeless

persons; and (3) examine the

health care utilization and public

costs of a cohort of homeless

persons under different policy

options: supportive housing and

usual care.

• *Emergency Department

Crowding: Causes and

Consequences. Principal

Investigator: Asplin Brent,

HealthPartners Research

Foundation, Minneapolis, MN.

Grant No. K08 HS13007

(03/01/02-02/28/07). The aim of

this Mentored Clinical Scientist

Development Award is to

determine the availability and

time of outpatient appointments

for medical and surgical

conditions requiring urgent

emergency department follow-up

care according to insurance status.

Project 1 of this study includes

children, pregnant women,

mentally disabled patients and

elderly patients, who will interact

with investigators to complete

survey instruments addressing ED

crowding and patients’ outcomes. 

• *Ethnography of the Social

Ethics of Catholic Health Care.

Principal Investigator: Simon Lee,

University of California, San

Francisco, CA. Grant No. R03

HS13111 (09/30/02-06/25/02).

This dissertation research project

will investigate the role of

Catholic religious values in the

design of health care policy and

service delivery intended for

underserved and other vulnerable

populations.

Project Funded Under PA for the

Minority Research Infrastructure

Support Program 

The intent of this research

infrastructure program is to strengthen

the research environments of minority

institutions through grant support to

8
develop and/or expand existing

capacities for conducting research in all

areas of health services. 

• *Morehouse School of Medicine

(MSM) Clinical Faculty

Research Training Program.

Principal Investigator: Robert

Mayberry, Morehouse School of

Medicine, Atlanta, GA. Grant

No. R24 HS11617 (09/03/02-

09/29/05). The goal of this

project is to strengthen the MSM

infrastructure to enhance the

capacity of individual faculty

members to conduct health

services research aimed at

improving the quality of health

services for African-Americans

and vulnerable populations and

eliminating racial/ethnic health

care disparities. This program will

include research on barriers to

prenatal care for low

socioeconomic women, improving

immunization rates for lowincome preschool children, and

translating prevention research

into primary practice. 

Faculty Development for General

Pediatrics Teaching in

Community-Based Settings 

AHRQ helps to support the

Ambulatory Pediatric Association’s

(APA) Primary Care Pediatrics

Research Awards. This special projects

program helps build the field of child

health services research. AHRQ

supported the following awards:

• Barriers to Mental Health

Services for Adolescents.

Principal Investigator: Cheryl

Kodjo, University of Rochester,

NY. This project will describe:

(1) the prevalence of self-reported

depressive symptoms among

adolescents; (2) the trends in

utilization, perceived barriers to

care, and insurance coverage for

adolescents; and (3) the

association between

sociodemographics, severity of

depressive symptoms, perceived

barriers to health care, and access

to psychological counseling.

• Treatment of Maternal

Depression and the Impact on

Children’s Use of and

Expenditures for Health Care.

Principal Investigator: Whitney P.

Witt, Massachusetts General

Hospital for Children, Boston,

MA. This study will determine

whether maternal depression

increases children’s use of and

payments for health care services,

and if and how maternal mental

health care treatment moderates

the relationships among maternal

depression, adverse child health

outcomes, and children’s higher

health care use and expenditures.

Conferences and Meetings

• Quality Measures for Children’s

Health Care: State of the

Science and Practice— A

Strategy Development Meeting,

February 5-6, 2002. This

invitational meeting was convened

primarily for the community of

public and private funders of

quality measures for children’s

health care. Participants reviewed

the progress made over the last

several years in the development

and implementation of quality

measures for children’s health care,

and considered future directions

in this critical area of research.

The meeting was cosponsored by

AHRQ, The David and Lucile

Packard Foundation, The

Commonwealth Fund, the W.T.

Grant Foundation, the American

Board of Pediatrics Foundation,

and other organizations. 

• First Annual Forum for

Improving Children’s Health

Care, Tempe, AZ, March 12-13,

2002. Principal Investigator:

Charles Homer, National

Initiative for Children’s Healthcare

Quality, Boston, MA. Grant No.

R13 HS12070 (01/15/02-

01/14/03). This conference was

convened to disseminate

information about best practices

and research findings related to

quality improvement in children’s

health care, highlight successful

evidence-based practice models

and interventions, and create

opportunities for new insights and

learning. 

• Improving Care for Children

with Attention Deficit

Hyperactivity Disorder, North

Carolina, 2002. Principal

Investigator: Charles Homer,

National Initiative for Children’s

Healthcare Quality, Boston, MA.

Grant No. R13 HS12063

(11/07/01-11/06/02). AHRQ

funded several meetings as part of

a “Breakthrough Series

Collaborative” designed to make

major changes in the systems of

care and outcomes for children

with ADHD by promoting

translation of evidence about the

diagnosis and treatment of

children with ADHD into clinical

practice. 

• Otitis Media and Language

Learning Sequelae, Arlington,

VA, May 1-2, 2002. Principal

Investigator: Joanne Roberts,

University of North Carolina,

Chapel Hill, NC. Grant No. R13

HS12072 (01/15/02-01/14/03).

This purpose of this conference

was to use an evidence-based

medicine model to review current

research on the effects of otitis

media on children’s hearing and

9
development (i.e., speech,

language, cognition, behavior,

and academic achievement),

define gaps, discuss implications

for health care practices, and

identify future directions for research. 

• The Fourth Annual Child Health Services Research

(CHSR) Meeting: At the Cutting Edge of Research and

Policy, Washington, DC , June

22, 2002. Principal

Investigator: Wendy Valentine,

The Academy for Health

Services Research and Health

Policy, Washington, D.C. Grant

No. R01 HS 08201 (11/01/01-

6/30/03). This annual meeting

focused on cutting edge research

and policy. Plenary sessions

highlighted a vision of the future

of CHSR and sharpening the

community focus of CHSR. Four tracks featured: (1) skill

building, (2) cutting-edge research, (3) cutting-edge

policies, and (4) call for panels.

To view presentations, visit:

http://www.academyhealth.org/c

hildhealth/agenda.htm. The

meeting was cosponsored by

AHRQ, AcademyHealth, the

American Academy of Pediatrics,

The HSC Foundation and the National Association of

Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI). The

Ambulatory Pediatric

Association and HRSA’s Maternal and Child Health

Bureau were collaborators. 

•Pediatric Disaster Preparedness

and Response Conference, Washington, DC – January/February 2003. Principal Investigator: David

Markenson, Columbia

University, New York, NY. Grant No. R13 HS92545

(09/30/02-06/03/03). This

conference will develop

consensus recommendations,

delineate research methodologies

and define a study on the needs

of children in disasters. The goal

is to build a coalition of experts

and professional organizations

from the fields of pediatrics,

disaster planning, emergency

medicine, emergency response,

trauma, and mental health. 

•Critical Challenges in

Developing and Applying Pediatric Health Status and Outcome Measures, Chicago,

IL, March 24-25, 2003. Principal Investigator: Lynn Olson, American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, IL. Grant No. R13 HS12078

(05/01/02-04/03/03). This

invitational conference will bring

together scholars and users to

address both advances in the

field of pediatric health status

and outcome measurement, and

barriers to application. The

charge of the meeting is to

consider the state-of-the art in

pediatric patient-based measures

(i.e., health status, quality of life,

and functional outcomes). 

• Promoting Safety in Child and Adolescent Health Care, April/May 2003. Principal

Investigator: James Perrin, Massachusetts General Hospital,

Boston MA. Grant No. R13

HS92544 (09/30/02-08/31/03).

This conference will examine

current knowledge in patient

safety in key sites providing child

health care services (inpatient,

emergency departments, and

outpatient and community

settings) and will address broad

themes in child/adolescent

patient safety, including areas of

measurement, the role of

10
parents, and racial and cultural

disparities influencing safety. 

User Liaison Program (ULP)

Workshops with Senior State

Officials 

The ULP disseminates health services

research findings through interactive

workshops and technical assistance for

State and local health policymakers and

other health services users. Summaries

of workshops are available on AHRQ’s

Web site at:

http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ulpix.htm 

• Improving Early Childhood

Development: Promising

Strategies for States and the

Health Care System, January 30-

February 1, 2002, Jacksonville,

FL. 

• Designing Systems of Care that

Work for Children with Special

Health Care Needs, September

23-25, 2002, Los Angeles, CA.

For More Information 

For further information about child

and adolescent health activities at

AHRQ, visit:

http://www.ahrq.gov/child. 

11
www.ahrq.gov

AHRQ Pub. No. 03-P012

February 2003