Toward Measurement for a Whole Child Health Policy: Validity and National and State Prevalence of the Integrated Child Risk Index.

Objective: To develop, validate and estimate national and across state prevalence on a multidimensional index that assesses the complex medical, social, and relational health risks experienced by United States children.

Methods: Data from the National Survey of Children's Health were used to construct the Integrated Child Risk Index (ICRI) which includes medical health risk (MHR), social health risk (SHR) and relational health risk (RHR) domains. Confirmatory factor analysis and logistic regression analyses were employed to assess construct and predictive validity.

ACE, Place, Race, and Poverty: Building Hope for Children.

Adverse childhood experiences research has focused attention on the importance of family safety, stability, and nurturing in ensuring healthy development. This safety, stability, and nurturing can be compromised by family poverty, discrimination and marginalization, and geographic location. Drawing upon census data, this report shows that place, race, and poverty are intertwined concepts with particular implications for young children.

Improving child health care through federal policy: an emerging opportunity.

Policymakers considering the 2009 reauthorization of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) have an opportunity to strengthen federal provisions to promote primary, preventive, and developmental child health care. Several pieces of legislation introduced in 2007 focused on aspects of child health quality, but none placed a specific emphasis on primary care. This issue brief describes three legislative proposals and additional quality provisions related specifically to primary care to consider for incorporation into federal law.