The Managers at a Charitable Organization Are Trying to Decide

The managers at a charitable organization are trying to decide how to spend money in order to have the largest impact on the future mental health of children in poverty. They know that children who spend time in poverty are more likely than other children to develop mental health problems in adolescence. Since the organization's funds are limited, they can assist only a small group of families to escape poverty. Therefore, they would like to know whether the age that the child is in poverty or the length of time the child is in poverty more heavily impacts the likelihood of developing mental health problems in adolescence. Design a study to examine this issue. What evidence would be needed to advise the managers at this charity that they should help younger children rather than older children? To advise them to help children who have been in poverty a long time rather than children who have been poor a shorter time?