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Allegheny County

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With one of RAND's principal North American offices located in Pittsburgh, RAND has an understandable interest in addressing issues relevant to the Allegheny County region. Research studies have focused on topics ranging from child health and well-being and the structure of Pittsburgh Public Schools to the region’s government and infrastructure.

Project
How Does Neighborhood Investment Affect Residents' Health and Well-Being?
RAND's PHRESH project has been studying how investments in two Pittsburgh neighborhoods affect diet, sleep, health, and well-being. We've learned that when residents are involved in decisions, communities can become healthier and happier.
Jun 8, 2021
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Tool
Vulnerability, Inequity, and COVID-19: A Portrait of the Pandemic in Allegheny County
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities. This interactive tool shows how rates of testing, cases, and deaths, and the ability to practice social distancing, has differed across neighborhoods and populations in Allegheny County.
Jul 19, 2021

Explore Allegheny County

Journal Article
What Is Associated with Changes in Food Security Among Low-Income Residents of a Former Food Desert?
We compared study participants in a former food desert neighborhood whose food security improved to those whose food security did not improve across survey waves. Distance to major food shopping store was positively associated with food security.
May 16, 2023
Journal Article
The Impact of Defense Counsel at Bail Hearings
Roughly half of U.S. counties do not provide defense counsel at bail hearings, and few studies have documented the potential impacts of legal representation at this stage.
May 11, 2023
Journal Article
Do Social Isolation and Neighborhood Walkability Influence Relationships Between COVID-19 Experiences and Wellbeing in Predominantly Black Urban Areas?
Black Americans have been disproportionately affected by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19) pandemic.
Jan 31, 2023
News Release
Pittsburgh Science and Technology Sector Is Large, but Faces Challenges; Improvements Needed to Continue to Flourish
The Pittsburgh region has a robust science and technology sector that is larger than the national average, but action is needed to safeguard the region's strengths and further its ability to compete with other technology hubs.
Jan 9, 2023
Tool
Science and Technology-Focused Postsecondary Options in the Pittsburgh Area
RAND researchers compiled a list of science- and technology-focused (STF) providers and programs in the Pittsburgh area. Potential students can filter the list to find out which types of degrees or certificates can be earned in which STF fields.
Jan 9, 2023
Report
Pittsburgh's Science- and Technology-Focused Workforce
About 18 percent of Pittsburgh's employment is in science- and technology-focused occupations, and the growth rate suggests the need for more workers in the future. What investments and policy changes could safeguard the region's strengths and support it as a flourishing science and technology hub?
Jan 9, 2023
Commentary
The Intelligence Community Doesn't Warn About All Attacks Against the U.S. Homeland. Why Not?
Targets for foreign threats against the United States increasingly include entities that are not part of the U.S. government or military. But too many of these potential victims are unaware of threats against them, are not warned with intelligence reporting about such threats, and lack information about options to protect themselves.
Oct 21, 2022
Journal Article
Tackling Persistent and Large Disparities in Birth Outcomes in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
The IMPreSIv database allowed us to summarize the maternal health, behavioral, and contextual factors associated with birth outcomes and describe the participation rates in available medical and community setting interventions in Allegheny County.
Jan 5, 2022
Report
Expanding Charter School Capacity: The Case of Propel Montour
Researchers examine the expansion of Propel Schools, a small, regional charter school network in southwestern Pennsylvania, to describe the academic and behavioral experiences of continuing and expansion students from fall 2017 to spring 2020.
Sep 29, 2021
Blog
Pandemic-Era Parties, China's Global Influence, Reducing Infant Mortality: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on assessing the risk of small gatherings during the pandemic, China's ability to exert influence around the world, using big data to help reduce infant mortality, and more.
Jul 2, 2021
Essay
Reducing Disparities in Infant Mortality: Using Big Data to Help Babies at Risk
Black babies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—and across America—face much higher mortality rates than white babies. Researchers pulled together thousands of data points on more than 150,000 births to better predict who is at risk and how to help them.
Jul 1, 2021
Periodical
RAND Review: July-August 2021
One feature highlights how researchers apply an equity lens to projects on environmental racism, incarcerated parents, and the lives of Black service members; a second describes interventions to address disparities in infant mortality rates.
Jul 1, 2021
Blog
China's Ambitions, Origins of the Coronavirus, Income Inequality: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on China’s quest for global primacy, understanding the coronavirus origin story, how parents feel about sending their children back to school, and more.
Jun 11, 2021
Journal Article
SNAP Participants and High Levels of Food Insecurity in the Early Stages of the COVID-19 Pandemic
We examined how people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly Black participants, and participants residing in food deserts.
Apr 2, 2021
Journal Article
Do Investments in Low-Income Neighborhoods Produce Objective Change in Health-Related Neighborhood Conditions?
This study examined the effect of neighborhood investments on neighborhood walkability, presence of incivilities, and crime in two low-income, primarily African American neighborhoods in Pittsburgh.
Mar 16, 2021
Journal Article
Changes in Perceptions of Neighborhood Environment and Cardiometabolic Outcomes in Two Predominantly African American Neighborhoods
Perceived neighborhood characteristics, including satisfaction with one's neighborhood as a place to live, are associated with lower obesity rates and more favorable cardiovascular risk factor profiles.
Mar 16, 2021
Journal Article
An Audit Tool for Longitudinal Assessment of the Health-Related Characteristics of Urban Neighborhoods: Implementation Methods and Reliability Results
To identify neighborhood features that are predictors of health, objective assessments of the environment are used. In this paper, we have described implementation methods, reliability results and lessons learned to inform future studies of change.
Mar 16, 2021
Journal Article
A Preliminary Study of a Composite Sleep Health Score: Associations with Psychological Distress, Body Mass Index, and Physical Functioning in a Low-Income African American Community
The current study investigates associations of five sleep dimensions, analyzed separately and simultaneously, with psychological distress, body mass index, and physical functioning among a low-income, predominantly African American population.
Mar 16, 2021

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