Spotlight

Environment July 2017

People, Health, Planet – Longstanding PRB Program Gets a New Name

The health and well-being of people and their environment depend on each other. Population size and age, fertility, mobility, poverty, equity, and resource availability and consumption all influence the impact we have on the environment. In turn, people depend on our planet for food, water, clean air, and livelihoods. For 20 years, Population Reference Bureau has been connecting human health and planetary health, to show how population dynamics and environmental change interact and affect human and planetary health. We’re pleased to share our new name for this practice area: People, Health, Planet.

Progress in U.S. Women’s Well-Being Stalled in Recent Generations

Analysis of PRB’s new Index of Young Women’s Well-Being shows how social and structural barriers to progress for young women in Generation X and the Millennial generation have contributed to women’s persistently high poverty rates, a declining share of women in high-wage/high-tech jobs, a dramatic rise in women’s incarceration rates, and increases in maternal mortality and women’s suicide.

Family Planning June 2017

Invest in the Future of India: Family Planning and Corporate Social Responsibility

PRB collaborated with AFP and Pathfinder International to develop a multimedia video outlining how family planning shapes women’s empowerment and community well-being. This accompanying fact sheet further details how investing in family planning can spur India’s economy, catalyze the workforce, and improve health outcomes of women and children in India.

Children/ Youth June 2017

2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book Released: How Are Children Faring?

The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book on June 13, 2017. The KIDS COUNT Data Book—now in its 28th year—provides an up-to-date and detailed picture of how children are faring in the United States, nationally and in each state. The 2017 Data Book reveals many bright spots for children and family well-being during the economic recovery following the Great Recession, yet room for improvement remains in many areas.

More From PRB View more »

• Family Planning, Youth Take Center Stage on World Population Day

  The theme of this year’s World Population Day, as designated by the United Nations, is “Family Planning: Empowering People, Developing Nations.” This theme is also at the center of much of the work done by PRB. We analyze, synthesize, and communicate data and research to support effective family planning policies and highlight the benefits of good policies for women, their families, societies, and the environment. We also strengthen the capacity of researchers, advocates, and other stakeholders to understand and communicate evidence-based information about family planning.

• Family Planning and Girls’ Education: Antidotes to Climate Change

  A few years ago, environmental activist and author Paul Hawken recruited a large team to assess and model practical solutions to climate change, based on available data and research from numerous sources. The results are summarized in Drawdown, a book edited by Hawken that identifies 100 substantive ways for people, governments, and companies to reduce the pace of global warming over the next 30 years.

• Majority of People Covered by Medicaid, and Similar Programs, are Children, Older Adults, or Disabled

  Medicaid provides health insurance coverage to more people than any other single program in the United States, with coverage for low-income children, adults, seniors, and those with disabilities. As of March 2017, there were 74 million Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) enrollees, of which nearly 36 million were enrolled in CHIP or were children enrolled in Medicaid, according to the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services.