The Child Health Grand Challenge team at the University of New Mexico is conducting a two-year study on the incidence of child abuse. The study, led by principal investigators Rebecca Girardet, professor of pediatrics, and Gabriel Sanchez, professor of political science, also explores cultural practices that may act as protective factors to reduce negative outcomes. The purpose is to identify the The research team received his $300,000 grant from the WK Kellogg Foundation to conduct the study.
Child abuse is associated with poor health in adults and is estimated to cost the United States more than $2 trillion annually. According to the research team, New Mexico’s child abuse and neglect rates are far higher than the national average. Factors such as poverty and a difficult education system increase the risk of child abuse in the state.
However, measuring the incidence of child abuse does not tell the whole story. Protective factors in children’s lives, such as positive experiences, may influence adult outcomes more than the occurrence of maltreatment. The research team is trying to discover whether cultural habits unique to New Mexicans can protect against harmful outcomes later in life. The two-year study will survey New Mexicans between the ages of 18 and 22 who spent at least part of their childhood in the state, providing data on child abuse and community-level protective factors. The data collected will allow researchers, as well as state agencies and legislators, to better understand the scope and drivers of abuse in the state. The team hopes their data will help create future abuse prevention programs.
“New Mexico is making strides in implementing promising strategies to prevent child abuse, including increasing access to early childhood education and other programs that support families with children,” Girarde said. “However, it is currently impossible to know the full results of these strategies because states do not have adequate indicators to measure the full scope of child abuse. There is also no data on cultural practices that could help prevent it.”
The Child Health Grand Challenge team is led by Girardet, Sara Nozadi, assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, and Xi Gong, assistant professor of geography and environmental studies.
“The team’s mission is to produce research that helps New Mexico address and prevent child abuse. This research project is fundamental to that mission for two reasons. First, this project is improving or worsening over time. Second, this study provides information on cultivating cultural practices that may help us learn how to promote resilience. ,” Girardet said.
After the first two years of research, the research team plans to use the results to inform future research efforts on child abuse. They also want to secure additional funding to publish a study every five years to guide national policy and prevention efforts.
The Grand Challenge program was launched in late 2018 by UNM President Garnet Stokes. Grand challenges are problems of global, national, and local importance that require researchers to collaborate across disciplinary boundaries to develop and implement solutions. Grand Challenges address problems that, when solved, have a significant positive impact on people and society. The University of New Mexico is one of the state’s leading research institutions and is an ideal location for conducting complex interdisciplinary research activities. For more information, visit UNM Grand Challenge.
The WK Kellogg Foundation (WKKF), founded as an independent private foundation in 1930 by breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg, is one of the largest philanthropic foundations in the United States. WKKF believes that all children should have equal opportunities to thrive and works with communities to ensure that vulnerable children reach their full potential in school, work and life. We are creating an environment where they can perform to their fullest potential.
The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Michigan and works with sovereign tribes throughout the United States and abroad. Special attention will be given to priority areas where poverty is concentrated and children face significant barriers to success. WKKF’s preferred locations in the United States are Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico, and New Orleans. Overseas, they are located in Mexico and Haiti. For more information, please visit www.wkkf.org.
