The number of children not covered by public or private health insurance continues to climb. In our evaluations of Medicaid reform efforts, we have studied states such as Rhode Island that have experimented with special expansions of coverage for women and children. Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children Our research has documented that the health and well-being of mothers and children is closely related to their nutrition. For example, our widely cited study of the WIC program showed that receiving WIC lowered Medicaid costs for pregnant women and their infants. We are also studying the relationship between children's participation in school meal programs and their nutrition and hunger.
Many vulnerable children have greater health care needs than their peers.
We are studying the health conditions of children in foster care , as well as their need for and use of services. Because environmental factors are associated with many childhood diseases, such as asthma, we are also analyzing community programs to improve selected health outcomes by reducing environmental triggers. We have also analyzed the use of school-based health clinics for delivering services. We developed a rigorous framework for evaluating programs to reduce teenage risk taking. The nation's drug abuse epidemic has had devastating consequences for mothers and their children.