The U.S. legal system gives parents the authority and responsibility to make decisions about their children's health care, and favors parental rights over society's collective responsibility to provide for children's welfare. Neither the federal government nor state governments have an affirmative obligation to protect and promote children's…

Families influence their children's health in two ways that are amenable to public policy- through their financial and other investments in children, and through the quality of care that they provide. In general, children who receive more resources or better parenting are healthier than those who don't. Public policies, therefore, might improve…

In 2012, nearly 16 million U.S. children, or over one in five, lived in households that were food-insecure, which the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines as "a household-level economic and social condition of limited access to food." Even when we control for the effects of other factors correlated with poverty, these children are more…

Rising rates of nonmarital childbirth in the United States have resulted in a new family type, the fragile family. Such families, which include cohabiting couples as well as single mothers, experience significantly higher rates of poverty and material hardship than their married counterparts. Ariel Kalil and Rebecca Ryan summarize the economic…

Jane Waldfogel, Terry-Ann Craigie, and Jeanne Brooks-Gunn review recent studies that use data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS) to examine why children who grow up in single-mother and cohabiting families fare worse than children born into married-couple households. They also present findings from their own new research.…

Provides an overview of home health visiting programs in Europe, with special emphasis on Denmark and Great Britain, where home health visiting has been in place for decades. Concludes that European home health visiting programs have been successful because they are an integral part of comprehensive, universal maternal and child health systems.…

Reviews important factors relevant to measuring the costs and outcomes of home visiting programs and examines six cost-benefit studies of such programs. Concludes that these studies demonstrate the feasibility of economic evaluation of home visiting and the importance of the insights it can produce. (MDM)

Describes the range of health or social service home visiting programs in the United States, examining the characteristics of successful programs, the outcomes produced by such programs, and the future direction of home visitation. Recommends that home visiting programs be voluntary, flexible, culturally sensitive, well-staffed, and realistic in…

Discusses how home visiting, as a process, can be used to improve the health and development of young children, outlining a conceptual framework to evaluate home visiting programs. Argues that successful programs must be comprehensive in their approach to addressing children's and families' needs in multiple health and development domains. (MDM)

Argues that although home visiting programs themselves have mixed results in addressing family health and welfare needs, such programs, as part of a comprehensive, family-focused health and social services system, can have an important impact on the health and welfare of children. (MDM)

Examines the wide variation that exists among home visiting programs in their content, theory, and operation, outlining the theoretical goals and operational dimensions of such programs. Numerous home visiting programs that focus on parents of young children are highlighted. Observes that few programs have been rigorously evaluated using the…

In 1991, the U.S. Advisory Board on Child Abuse and Neglect recommended the federal government begin phasing in a national, universal home visiting program for children during the neonatal period to help prevent child abuse and neglect. This article discusses the political and social factors affecting this recommendation, as well as the response…

The increase in childhood obesity over the past several decades, together with the associated health problems and costs, is raising grave concern among health care professionals, policy experts, children's advocates, and parents. Patricia Anderson and Kristin Butcher document trends in children's obesity and examine the possible underlying causes…

Reviews the experimental literature concerning the effectiveness of prenatal and newborn home visiting programs in improving the lives of children and families, focusing on studies employing randomized trials. Results suggest that home visiting programs have had mixed success, improving some outcomes but not others. (MDM)