**Apologies for late post- I had some family obligations in past two weeks and fell behind on posting my homework**
1) One policy I've thought about is summer programs for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. When I was younger it always struck me how long the summer period was- 3 months! I would return to classes and hear from classmates about all that they had done- summer camps, trips, vacations, classes etc. It has been shown that many students lose knowledge and skills during the summer, however summer learning loss disproportionally impacts low income children and it has cumulative effects. I propose that although the primary outcomes intended from these programs are educational in nature- they could also have health impacts. For example:
- Nutrition: Children in summer programs will worry less about food insecurity at home during the summer months
- Safety: Children may feel safer in summer programs and have less exposure to violence if they live in neighborhoods that have high rates of violence
- Exercise incorporated into summer programs as a way to combat childhood obesity
2) An evaluation of this policy would be informative to understand broad health outcomes associated with the policy. Children could easily be followed from middle school into high school if they stay in the same school district.
3) Outcomes: obesity measured by BMI, measures of food insecurity and feelings of safety/ exposure to violence. Population of interest: elementary and middle school children that qualify for free or reduced lunch in their school.
4) Study design: RCT between two school districts that both have a high proportion of low income children. One gets randomized to summer programs and the other to the control branch- no special summer program. Measure outcomes in two arms and follow through out middle school and high school.