New Research
Research by Geography
Neighborhood/City of Boston
Metro Boston/Massachusetts/New England
National
New Research
Urban Institute, Health Care Reform in Massachusetts: Urban Institute's centralized page for all UI reports related to Massachusetts health care reform.
Urban Institute, On the Road to Universal Coverage: Impacts of Reform in Massachusetts at One Year (06/2008): Reviews the success of the state's health care reforms after one year, and finds that the percent uninsured was halved both overall and for low-income residents.
Boston Public Health Commission, Health of Boston 2008 (05/2008): This annual compendium of Boston health statistics covers issues ranging from asthma to violence, with much data by neighborhood and race/ethnicity.
Ogden, Cynthia, et al, High Body Mass Index for Age Among US Children and Adolescents, 2003-2006 (05/2008): The prevalence of high BMI for age among children and adolescents showed no significant changes between 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 and no significant trends between 1999 and 2006 ( access to full text requires $$).
Massachusetts Medical Society, Health Care Premium Expenditures in Massachusetts: Where Does Your Health Care Dollar Go? (05/2008): Explores the drivers of Massachusetts healthcare costs, which have increased faster in Massachusetts than for the nation as a whole.
New England Healthcare Institute, Rx for Health Reform (04/2008): Policy statements calls for new innovations in the financing, delivering and organizing health care.
New England Healthcare Institute, How Many More Studies Will it Take? (02/2008): A compilation of the results of 462 studies from 1998 to 2006 that highlight wasteful spending in the health care sector.
Massachusetts Department of Education, Health Education in Massachusetts Secondary Schools (01/2008): Presents results of the 2006 survey of Massachusetts public schools' health education services. Such services have decreased sine 2003, especially in middle schools.
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, An Analysis of the Essential Role of Employers in Massachusetts Healthcare Reform (12/2007): Estimates that employer contributions to healthcare costs would increase $800 million in 2008.
Poverty & Race Research Action Council, Unequal Health Outcomes in the United States: Disparities in Health Care and the Role of Social and Environmental Determinants in Health (12/2007): Describes the persistent differences in health care access, quality of care, and health outcomes for people of color in the United States.
Boston Public Health Commission, Health Status of Youth (11/2007): Reports on health conditions for the youth in seven Boston neighborhoods.
DorchesterEast Boston
Fenway
Jamaica Plain
Roslindale
Roxbury
South End
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Report From Massachusetts: Employers Largely Support Health Care Reform, And Few Signs Of Crowd-Out Appear (11/2007): Report on survey of employers (Access to full report requires $$).
Project Bread, 2007 Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts (11/2007): Among its findings, "Hunger and food insecurity among Massachusetts families have increased from an average of 6.4 percent in 2000-2002 to an average of 7.8 percent in 2003-2005."
The Urban Institute, Mental Health, Work, and Mental Health Service Use among Low-Income Mothers (08/07): Using data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families, this study found that nearly 28% of low-income mothers are in poor or very poor mental health. Among those women, less than one-third received any mental health services and a majority were less likely to work. The study also found that women with public health insurance were more likely to receive mental health treatment and work full time.
The Center for Housing Policy Research & Enterprise, Vital Links: Housing's Contributions to the Nation's Health and Education Objectives (07/07): presents a compelling analysis of the links between affordable, quality housing and child health outcomes and educational attainment. This website offers a host of links and resources about the role of housing in developing healthy children.
New England Health Care Institute, The Boston Paradox: Lots of Health Care, Not Enough Health (06/07): Examines Boston's role as a leader in health care and health technology as well as how the rising challenge and costs associated with preventable chronic disease are putting Boston's competitiveness at risk.
Neighborhood/City of Boston
Boston Public Health Commission, Health of Boston 2008 (05/2008): This annual compendium of Boston health statistics covers issues ranging from asthma to violence, with much data by neighborhood and race/ethnicity.
Boston Public Health Commission,Health Status of Youth (11/2007): Reports on health conditions for the youth in seven Boston neighborhoods.
Dorchester
East Boston
Fenway
Jamaica Plain
Roslindale
Roxbury
South End
New England Health Care Institute, The Boston Paradox: Lots of Health Care, Not Enough Health (06/07): Examines Boston's role as a leader in health care and health technology as well as how the rising challenge and costs associated with preventable chronic disease are putting Boston's competitiveness at risk.
Boston Public Health Commission, Health of Boston 2007 (04/07): Provides an in-depth evaluation on the health status of Bostonians based on neighborhood-level data, leading causes of hospitalization and death, rates of communicable diseases, homelessness, and mental health, among many other indicators of good health.
Boston Public Health Commission, The Disparities Project: Year One Report (03/07): Reports progress on the first year of Boston's Health Disparities Project, which focused on improving data, raising awareness and laying the groundwork for change.
Harvard School of Public Health, Children Left Behind: How Metropolitan Areas Are Failing America's Children (01/07): Reports that children of color, especially those who are African American, face many challenges compared to whites. This is the first report based on the new diversity data.org website.
Boston Municipal Research Bureau, Soaring Health Insurance Costs Threaten Boston's Competitive Edge (11/06) (pdf): Reports that the City of Boston's health costs have increased 92% in 6 years, and is taking an increasing share of the city's budget. Recommendations include better management of the health insurance system, participation in the State's insurance pool, and establishing a reserve for retiree health benefits.
Massachusetts Budget & Policy Center, MassHealth and State Fiscal Health: A New Look at the Effects of Medicaid Spending on State Finances (06/06): Between FY1994 and FY2005, Medicaid spending grew as a percentage of the budget, due to cuts in other spending areas. The authors argue that Medicaid spending is not the cause of the State's financial distress.
Harvard Youth Violence Prevention Center, Report of the 2004 Boston Youth Survey (08/05): Presents results of the 2004 Boston Youth Survey, assessing issues ranging from youth violence to involvement in extra-curricular activities to emotional and physical health.
Boston Public Health Commission, Health of Boston 2005 (7/05): a comprehensive annual report on the health status of Boston residents featuring data by race/ethnicity, age, and gender, with charts and graphs by neighborhood.
The Disparities Project (6/05): the launch of the Boston Public Health Commission and Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s new health initiative to address racial and ethnic disparities. Data Report. Mayor's Task Force Blueprint Report. Hospital Working Group Report.
Metro Boston/Massachusetts/New England
Urban Institute, Health Care Reform in Massachusetts: Urban Institute's centralized page for all UI reports related to Massachusetts health care reform.
Urban Institute, On the Road to Universal Coverage: Impacts of Reform in Massachusetts at One Year (06/2008): Reviews the success of the state's health care reforms after one year, and finds that the percent uninsured was halved both overall and for low-income residents.
Massachusetts Medical Society, Health Care Premium Expenditures in Massachusetts: Where Does Your Health Care Dollar Go? (05/2008): Explores the drivers of Massachusetts healthcare costs, which have increased faster in Massachusetts than for the nation as a whole.
Massachusetts Department of Education, Health Education in Massachusetts Secondary Schools (01/2008): Presents results of the 2006 survey of Massachusetts public schools' health education services. Such services have decreased sine 2003, especially in middle schools.
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, An Analysis of the Essential Role of Employers in Massachusetts Healthcare Reform (12/2007): Estimates that employer contributions to healthcare costs would increase $800 million in 2008.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Report From Massachusetts: Employers Largely Support Health Care Reform, And Few Signs Of Crowd-Out Appear (11/2007): Report on survey of employers (Access to full report requires $$).
Project Bread, 2007 Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts (11/2007): Among its findings, "Hunger and food insecurity among Massachusetts families have increased from an average of 6.4 percent in 2000-2002 to an average of 7.8 percent in 2003-2005."
Conference of Boston Teaching Hospitals, Driving Greater Boston and New England: The Impacts and Challenges of Greater Boston's Teaching Hospitals (2007): Describes the hospitals impact on the Greater Boston economy, including the more than 150,000 direct and indirect employees.
Project Bread, Status Report on Hunger in Massachusetts (11/06): Reports that food insecurity increased from 20% to 32% of households from 2002 to 2005, with food insecurity with hunger increased from 8% to 18% of households.
Massachusetts Health Council, Common Health for the Commonwealth: Massachusetts Trends in Determinants of Health (10/06): Looks at public health indicators across ten topic areas, highlighting recent increases in violence, asthma, and school drop-outs, but also revealing a drop in the number of uninsured residents.
Massachusetts Public Health Association, Strengthening Local Public Health in Massachusetts: A Call to Action (6/06): Reports on a survey of local public health authorities. Existing staff shortages, compounded by the fact that 18% of public health employees eligible to retire within 2 years raises questions about the future health of public health services.
Massachusetts Council of Human Service Providers, The Future of Human Services Workforce in Massachusetts (pdf) (4/06): This report outlines the long-term need for more human service workers, and the difficulties of recruiting and retaining these workers given low pay and difficult work conditions.
Rappaport Institute, Policy Notes, Volume 3, Number 1 (2/06): presents a series of papers that examine census-tract level health disparities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and finds that poorer health outcomes for blacks and Hispanics relative to whites are due largely to higher rates of poverty.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Quality, Nursing Home Satisfaction Survey (12/05): a survey of family members of the residents of the state’s nursing homes about their satisfaction with nursing home staff, meals, activities, residents’ rights, and care. 297 of 449 eligible nursing homes in the state participated.
Associated Industries of Massachusetts with Polestar Communications & Strategic Analysis, Massachusetts Health Care Reform: A Backgrounder on Legislative Proposals and Initiatives (11/05): a paper prepared for reference use by AIM’s 7,600 members, which offer health care benefits to their 600,000 employees. The report summarizes the history and current state of health care in Massachusetts, reviews the options for reform in the immediate future, discusses the implications for employers of the three plans currently under consideration, and advocates for collaboration between business and government and consideration of the concerns of businesses.
Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston, Policy Notes, Volume 2, Number 2 (6/05): highlights policy-related research about Greater Boston, including the impact of Massachusetts' smoking ban, barriers to the adoption of children from foster care, and the link between socioeconomic status and mental illness.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, Building the Roadmap to Coverage: Policy Choices and the Cost and Coverage Implications (6/05): strategies for expanding health coverage and analysis of the implications for each option – an estimated 532,000 Massachusetts residents lack health insurance.
Massachusetts Medical Society, 2005 Physician Workforce Study (6/05): finds physician shortages in 6 key specialties, and presents data on reduced access to health care and longer wait times for patients - 15% of citizens polled report that getting health care is “extremely difficult,” up from 9% in 2004 and 7% in 2003.
Massachusetts Medical Society, Physician Practice Environment Index (4/05): analyzes nine statistical factors that shape patient care – findings include increasing liability costs, housing costs that are rising more than twice the rate of physician income, and a 3% rise in physicians aged 55 and older.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, State Estimates of Substance Use from the 2002–2003 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health (2/05): prevalence of illicit drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, and serious mental illness among adults by state - Massachusetts ranks in the top fifth for drug and alcohol use but in the bottom fifth for tobacco use.
National
Ogden, Cynthia, et al, High Body Mass Index for Age Among US Children and Adolescents, 2003-2006 (05/2008): The prevalence of high BMI for age among children and adolescents showed no significant changes between 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 and no significant trends between 1999 and 2006 ( access to full text requires $$).
New England Healthcare Institute, Rx for Health Reform (04/2008): Policy statements calls for new innovations in the financing, delivering and organizing health care.
New England Healthcare Institute, How Many More Studies Will it Take? (02/2008): A compilation of the results of 462 studies from 1998 to 2006 that highlight wasteful spending in the health care sector.
Poverty & Race Research Action Council, Unequal Health Outcomes in the United States: Disparities in Health Care and the Role of Social and Environmental Determinants in Health (12/2007): Describes the persistent differences in health care access, quality of care, and health outcomes for people of color in the United States.
The Urban Institute, Mental Health, Work, and Mental Health Service Use among Low-Income Mothers (08/07): Using data from the 2002 National Survey of America's Families, this study found that nearly 28% of low-income mothers are in poor or very poor mental health. Among those women, less than one-third received any mental health services and a majority were less likely to work. The study also found that women with public health insurance were more likely to receive mental health treatment and work full time.
The Center for Housing Policy Research & Enterprise, Vital Links: Housing's Contributions to the Nation's Health and Education Objectives (07/07): presents a compelling analysis of the links between affordable, quality housing and child health outcomes and educational attainment. This website offers a host of links and resources about the role of housing in developing healthy children.
The Commonwealth Fund, Improving Quality and Achieving Equity: The Role of Cultural Competence in Reducing Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care (10/06) (pdf): Provides concrete recommendations for health care improvements, with a major emphasis on cultural competence.
Smart Growth BC, Promoting public health through Smart Growth (pdf) (3/06): reviews research on transportation-related health impacts, such as Physical Activity and Obesity and Traffic Safety. Recommends smart-growth land use planning.
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Grading the States 2006 (3/06): an assessment of mental health care in the United States. Presented as an interactive website, the NAMI assigns the nation a grade of D, and Massachusetts a C-, slightly above the national average and well below Connecticut's B, which tied with Ohio for best in the nation. Massachusetts also ranked below Maine (B-) and Rhode Island (C).
National Sleep Foundation, 2006 Sleep in America Poll (3/06): a poll of 1,600 adolescents (ages 11-17, in grades 6-12) and their adult caregivers, conducted between September and November 2005, finds that the average amount of sleep that adolescents get declines with age, and that nearly half get an inadequate amount of sleep on school nights.
The Sierra Club and Greenpeace, An Investigation of Factors Related to Levels of Mercury in Human Hair (2/06): a report completed in October 2005 by the University of North Carolina - Asheville's Environmental Quality Institute finds that more than one in five women of childbearing age (16-49) in the U.S. has levels of mercury above the E.P.A.'s recommended "Reference Dose" limit.
American College of Emergency Physicians, The National Report Card on the State of Emergency Medicine (1/06): an assessment of emergency medical care in the United States. Presented as an interactive website, the ACEP assigns the nation a grade of C-, and Massachusetts a B, a tie for best in the nation with California, Connecticut, and Washington, D.C.
Northwestern University (several authors), Midlife Body Mass Index and Hospitalization and Mortality in Older Age (1/06): finds that middle-aged overweight people are at increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes, even if their blood pressure and cholesterol levels are normal at midlife. The JAMA abstract is free, but the full article is only available for a fee.
United Nations, Millennium Development Goals (9/05): a report on progress toward the eight Millennium Development Goals, which range from halving extreme poverty to halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education by 2015. It finds that the gap between rich and poor is widening globally.
The Commonwealth Fund, Role of States in Improving Health and Health Care for Young Children (pdf) (7/05): options, opportunities and challenges for states, including promoting a common vision, defining indicators of quality, educating parents, making the business case for quality, and financing.
U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States, 125th Edition (6/05): a thorough analysis of data on Americans with revealing findings, such as the fact that Americans now don’t play as many sports as in the past, and watch more television, especially sports.
For past Health research, visit the 2004 Boston Indicators Report.