Since 1998, Children’s HealthWatch has collected data in frontline healthcare settings to perform cutting edge research on the impact of public policy on the health, nutrition, and development of children ages zero to four. Our multi-site network of pediatricians and public health professionals continuously monitors the influence of public policy changes on the health and well-being of low-income babies and toddlers in the United States.
We are the only frontline organization that collects and analyzes data on an ongoing basis exclusively about very young children who are from families facing economic hardship. With nearly 60,000 surveys in our data set, we have the most comprehensive, current information about the health and well-being of this population.
To ensure a complete picture of each child in our survey, the information we collect from caregivers includes more than just physical health. We also look at numerous factors that impact health, such as access to food and affordable housing.
Children’s HealthWatch administers a household survey to caregivers of children under four at five hospitals in five different cities, Baltimore MD, Little Rock AR, Boston MA, Philadelphia, PA and Minneapolis MN. We administer this survey to a cross-sectional sample of English- and Spanish-speaking caregivers (and Somali-speaking in Minneapolis only) of children under four years of age accessing emergency departments (ED) and clinics in Children’s HealthWatch medical centers. Children’s HealthWatch also collects detailed medical and sociodemographic data through medical record review. We conduct repeated cross-sectional surveillance of the population of children under four years of age accessing emergency departments and acute clinics in inner-city medical centers.
With these data, we are able to research the impact of policies and economic conditions on the health of low-income children and families.