W. K. Kellogg Foundation awards UNM Child Health Grand Challenge team $300K to study child maltreatment
February 22, 2024 - Tracy Wenzl
The Child Health Grand Challenge team at The University of New Mexico is undertaking a two-year study on child maltreatment incidence. The study, led by principal investigators Rebecca Girardet, professor of Pediatrics, and Gabriel Sanchez, professor of Political Science, further aims to identify cultural practices that may serve as protective factors in reducing negative outcomes. The team has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to carry out their research.
Child maltreatment is associated with poor adult health outcomes which are estimated to cost the United States more than $2 trillion annually. According to the research team, New Mexico has a rate of child abuse and neglect that far exceeds the national average; factors such as poverty and a struggling education system increase the risks for child maltreatment in the state.
However, measuring the incidence of child maltreatment does not tell the entire story. Protective factors in a child’s life such as positive experiences may influence adult outcomes more than the occurrence of maltreatment. The team seeks to discover if cultural practices unique to New Mexicans provide protection against adverse outcomes later in life. The two-year study, a survey of New Mexicans ages 18-22 who spent at least some of their childhoods in the state, will provide data on child maltreatment and community-level protective factors. The collected data will allow researchers, as well as state agencies and lawmakers, to gain a better understanding of the scope and drivers of maltreatment in the state. The team hopes that their data will aid in the creation of future maltreatment prevention programs.
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