Adult Health

Changing the Narrative to Change the Policy: Ending Hunger in America

2022

This brief represents the insight and expertise of people with lived experience and their solutions to address poverty and hunger in America.

Policy Solutions to End Hunger in America: Calling on the White House for Radical Strategy Change

2022

This policy brief outlines the solutions necessary to make true and lasting change regarding food insecurity and diet-related health through both specific programmatic changes and larger-scale philosophical shifts.

Minimum Wage is Not Enough: A True Living Wage is Necessary to Reduce Poverty and Improve Health

2021

The federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 per hour for more than 12 years. While the U.S. minimum wage was never truly a living wage, over time it has done less to reflect the true value of workers and no longer supports families in a way that promotes health and keeps them out of poverty. Many arguments have been made against raising the federal minimum wage. This brief lays out the clear benefits to individual workers, businesses, and the community that outweigh the potential challenges that will arise from providing a living wage to all workers.

Public Health Rationale for Divesting from Police

2021

This policy brief provides an argument for defunding the Philadelphia Police Department by examining city's proposed fiscal year 2022 budget. It provides recommendation on diverting funding to other city resources to more effectively address the major public health issues impacting Philadelphia, including violence.

Universal Basic Income: Key to Reducing Food Insecurity and Improving Health

2021

This policy report highlights the challenges of the current public benefits programs in addressing poverty and provides an overview of universal basic income as a viable solution, including results from almost 50 years of guaranteed income pilot programs.

Financial Health: The Root of Economic Security - Defining and Measuring a New Social Determinant of Health

2020

This 2020 research brief introduces financial health as a measurable concept underlying elements of economic hardship (housing, food and energy insecurity) that can contribute to greater health equity. The study demonstrates that financial health has a significant impact on overall well-being and belongs in the discussion of social determinants of health.

Reducing Food Insecurity Without Food: Trauma-Informed Financial Education Program Improves Food Security

2020

This 2020 report shows that participation in a trauma-informed educational program reduced the odds of household food insecurity for families with low or no income.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Household Food Insecurity

2019

This research report shows that families reporting Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as domestic violence, neighborhood violence, and family substance abuse, were much more likely to experience household food insecurity.

Aligning Systems to Build a Culture of Health: Integrating TANF and Medicaid to Achieve Wealth and Health

2018

Public support programs that aim to improve employment and financial wellbeing should be better coordinated to provide more effective services and reduce costs. This Building Wealth and Health Network brief demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating behavioral health components into financial programming.

Trauma-Informed TANF: A Randomized Controlled Trial with a Two-Generation Impact

2018

This 2018 report highlights the positive impact of incorporating trauma-informed peer support into financial education and standard TANF programming.

Mother's Adversity and Their Children's Development Risk

2017

This 2017 Children's HealthWatch research brief highlights the impact of maternal childhood trauma on their children's health.

Childhood Adversity and Food Insecurity in Adulthood: Intergenerational Transfer of Hardship

2016

The more adverse childhood experiences a caregiver reports, the more likely she is to report more severe forms of food insecurity, according to this Children's HealthWatch brief.

TANF Sanctions

2015

This 2015 report looks at the impact of sanctions on those receiving TANF (cash welfare) benefits.

Steadying the Foundation: Maternal Job Stability, Safety Net Programs and Young Children's Health

2014

This 2014 Children's HealthWatch report explores the impact of mothers' job instability on her mental and physical health and the health and development of her children.

Cost of Cutting SNAP

2013

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is America's first line of defense against hunger, but as shown in this report, it is not enough for many families to make it through each month.

Affordable Health Care Keeps Children and Families Healthy

2009

This Children's HealthWatch report presents that the health of young children is negatively impacted when parents cannot afford healthcare for themselves or or when parents have to forego payment of household expenses in order to pay for healthcare.