2021 CHR&R Research Grants

In spring of 2021, we solicited research proposals for the 2021 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R) Research Grants. Through these projects, we are able to strengthen our Rankings methods and increase their strategic use and impacts. We have chosen seven innovative projects this round, including:  

Incorporating structural racism measures into CHR&R
(University of Wisconsin)

Researchers from the University of Wisconsin will examine the contribution(s) of structural racism, including residential segregation, mortgage discrimination, and area-level racial bias to Black-White disparities in infant and child health outcomes. Based on these research findings, the study team will evaluate the potential for these measures to be integrated into CHR&R data.

An intersectional approach to Family & Social Support measures 
(George Mason University)

The Rankings incorporate a number of measures to evaluate Family & Social Support in communities. A team from George Mason University and Utah State University will evaluate a set of new measures to represent and quantify household and social support within counties with an intersectional approach that also integrates dimensions of race, ethnicity, and age.

Considering climate change and health equity 
(University of Kansas)

Building off of the Physical Environment measures used in the Rankings, researchers from the University of Kansas will explore how indicators of climate change — such as drought, extreme heat, extreme cold, and natural disasters — interact with racial inequity to predict patterns of health outcomes. The researchers will also explore their potential for incorporation into the Rankings.

Examining methods for disparity index calculation 
(Utah State University)

During our last round of research grants, Utah State University researchers found that the complex considerations and choices involved in disparity index calculation work best when individual- or household-level data is used. Utah State’s project will extend this work by calculating disparity indices by sex, race, and geography through simulation of household-level datasets using a data generating process (DGP).

Factoring in incorporation status 
(University of Texas at Arlington)

Conceptualizing the importance of local policies and programs in relation to health is imperative to capture distinctions in place-based assets within and across counties. To this end, researchers from the University of Texas at Arlington seek to understand how differential exposure to county governance exacerbates racial/ethnic health inequities in unincorporated areas compared to municipal areas.

A detailed look at neighborhood spatial-racial differences 
(University of Wisconsin)

Understanding the way people move in and out of geographic areas in their daily lives is critical to measuring inequalities in access to resources across neighborhoods. This project out of the University of Wisconsin aims to measure resource accessibility and allocation to capture human dynamics and to observe place-based measures to understand neighborhood-level inequality across the U.S.

Building shared knowledge, civic practice, and social solidarity 
(Center for Practical Bioethics)

While progress has been made in measuring the Social and Economic Factors of health, far less is understood about the social values, public narratives, and civic practices that shape them. In collaboration with local, regional, and national experts, the Center for Practical Bioethics is building a democratic deliberation toolkit to create a circuit of civic learning, dialogue, and connection across race, class, and geography in order to advance health equity.

We will share more as these projects move forward. Find details about the results and use of past research grant findings.