Research Library

A survey of Houston area high school students finds the highest levels of depression occur among older students and transgender youth. This issue brief from the Child Health Policy Program explains how demographic factors affect survey outcomes, noting that school absenteeism and behavioral issues are also associated with students’ poor mental health.

The number of anti-vaccine bills filed in Texas has risen, yet many Texans support vaccine policy. Fellow Kirstin R.W. Matthews and nonresident scholar Rekha Lakshmanan examine the stakes of legislative engagement in public health initiatives and provide a call to action for Texans to embrace public health as an act of freedom.

Can urban design impact our brain health? This issue brief explores how cities can be redesigned to improve our mental well-being and promote healthy aging.

It may pay to shop around for health care. New legislation requiring transparency in health insurance coverage allows price comparisons between hospitals, across hospital systems, and with different insurers. In a new issue brief, Vivian Ho and co-author Evelyn Li compare quality and analyze pricing data from Houston area hospitals.

Traditional approaches to displacement are not working, writes Baker Institute nonresident fellow and Georgetown University professor Elizabeth Ferris. For both refugees and internally displaced people, a push to promote self-reliance could be part of the solution.

At least a dozen countries, including the U.S., have suspended funding to the United Nations agency that delivers aid to Palestinian refugees. The cuts fit a long-time pattern of the politicization of refugee aid, write Nicholas R. Micinski and Kelsey Norman.

Taiwan’s Jan. 13 elections saw voters assert an increasingly diverse and inclusive democratic identity. Allies and foes alike should take note, writes fellow Steven W. Lewis.

When patients leaving the hospital cannot understand discharge instructions, this can lead to safety issues, poorer health outcomes, and additional hospital visits — adding to overall health care costs. Nonresident fellow and pediatrician Dr. Sheela Gavvala outlines the issues for non-native English speakers and suggests improvements.

How can “Food is Medicine” programs address the critical link between access to healthy food and optimal health? In a new brief, our experts outline how the Texas Consortium for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health is tackling this question.

Decades of bad policy have heightened the risks of drug use and created barriers to treatment. And while some states are now trying to reduce the harms caused by the drug war, Texas is doubling down on ineffective policies.