A Strategic Plan for Strengthening America’s Families: A Brief from the Coalition of Behavioral Science Organizations

Abstract

Despite significant progress in research on the treatment and prevention of psychological, behavioral, and health problems, the translation of this knowledge into population-wide benefit remains limited. This paper reviews the state of America's children and families, highlighting the influence of stressful contextual and social conditions on child and family well-being and the concentration of disadvantage in numerous neighborhoods and communities throughout the nation. It then briefly reviews the progress that has been made in pinpointing policies that can reduce stressful contextual conditions such as poverty, discrimination, and the marketing of unhealthful foods and substances. It also describes numerous family and school interventions that have proven benefit in preventing psychological and behavioral problems as diverse as tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use; depression; antisocial behavior; academic failure; obesity prevention; and early childbearing. We argue that progress in translating existing knowledge into widespread benefit will require a nationwide effort to intervene comprehensively in neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage. We present a strategic plan for how such an effort could be organized. The first step in this organizing would be the creation of a broad and diverse coalition of organizations concerned with advancing public health and well-being. Such a coalition could increase public support both for the policies needed to focus on these disadvantaged areas and the research needed to incrementally improve our ability to help these areas.

Identifying the Needs of Prekindergarten Children: A Focus on Health, Wellbeing, and Family Environment

“…Early childhood intervention programs should employ a culturally responsive approach in the design, development, and implementation of the programs. Most importantly, health policy should be implemented through the neighborhoods and communities of concentrated disadvantage, and a broad and diverse coalition of organizations is needed to increase public support and advance health and wellbeing (Biglan et al, 2020 ) to promote child and family health and mental health.…”

Aligning dissemination and implementation science with health policies to improve children’s mental health.

“…Many health experiments across the country reflect a HiAP approach, and they open the door for creative thinking about how to attend to social determinants while promoting child and family health and mental health through broad-based, community-led efforts. Importantly, many of these health policy experiments are happening within communities of concentrated disadvantage (Biglan et al, 2020). In the post-COVID-19 era, a national, coordinated "Marshall plan" for children and families may be needed to "build back better" an improved health and mental health system (Hoagwood & Kelleher, 2020).…”

Leveraging applied behavior analysis research and practice in the service of public health

“…The common threads among these disciplines include a focus on improving the health of communities, from local to global regions, and promotion of healthcare equity, quality, and accessibility (American Public Health Association, n.d.;CDC Foundation, n. d.;Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). Public health research and practice tends to prioritize physical health (e.g., disease and injury prevention; American Public Health Association, n.d.;CDC Foundation, n.d.;CDC, 2018;Rosen, 2015), but also includes psychological and behavioral problems (Adelman & Taylor, 2006;Biglan et al, 2020;Kobau et al, 2011). Public health also focuses on the environmental conditions that influence the incidence or prevalence of human problems (e.g., marketing of tobacco, alcohol, unhealthful foods, poverty, discrimination) (Biglan et al, 2019;Frieden, 2010).…”

“…The previous examples of proximal contingencies and BCTs on health and well-being are situated within a larger context of structural circumstances (e.g., walkable neighborhoods, food deserts) and socioeconomic and cultural factors (e.g., poverty, systemic racism) that make certain behavior more or less likely (Biglan et al, 2020;Hovell et al, 2002). At the conceptual and intervention levels, these macrolevel factors have not yet played prominent roles in ABA scholarship related to health behavior (cf.…”