The objective was to establish how stakeholders in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) conceptualize child mental health impact. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 stakeholders from disadvantaged urban communities in Kenya, South Africa, Turkey and Brazil. Participants represented education, welfare and health care agencies; as…

Since 1997, the Brazelton Centre UK has offered courses to a wide range of professionals working with newborn infants and their families. In 2009, the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale was recommended in the Healthy Child Programme by the Department of Health. Both the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale and the Newborn Behavioral Observations…

This study examines the location of British health visiting in contemporary policy discourses concerned with public health and safeguarding children. It argues that professional identity and orientation can be understood through health visiting's long history of public health work with children and families, which has included an engagement with…

The U.S. Surgeon General's report "Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity--A Supplement to Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001) identified significant disparities in mental health care for Latinos and recommended directions for future research and mental health services. We update…

Background: Public health professionals must monitor the effectiveness of school policies and programs to prevent youth initiation, promote quitting, and eliminate secondhand smoke. This analysis of school tobacco policies was preliminary to release of a state tobacco prevention and control plan for 2010-2015. Methods: University health educators…

A fundamental concern with competitive health insurance markets is that they will not supply efficient levels of coverage for treatment of costly, chronic, and predictable illnesses, such as mental illness. Since the inception of employer-based health insurance, coverage for mental health services has been offered on a more limited basis than…

We evaluated the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) national initiative to integrate behavioral health services (parenting, mental health, and drug treatment) into the pediatric health care setting for families with young children. Data are presented from five pediatric care (PC) sites, drawing from families at risk due to demographic and…

This report focuses on the more than 7 million American children who suffer from mental disorders. It was written in response to a Congressional request for development of a national plan delineating how the National Institute for Mental Health would expand basic, clinical, and services research in the area of child mental health, and also…

Well-designed and effectively implemented school health policies and programs can improve students' health-related behaviors and outcomes, as well as their educational outcomes. Health promotion programs in the school setting are guided and constrained by myriad federal, state, and local laws and policies. Knowledge and understanding of the legal…

During the past three decades, there has been an increase in knowledge about early childhood development. Early experiences can function as either risk factors or protective factors for a child's future health and development. This has led to concern about how current health systems contribute to the quality of the earliest experiences of life.…

Noting that too many children with elevated lead levels are not being identified in the United States, this report presents policy guidelines for increasing screening and follow-up care of children who most need these services, and for helping communities pursue the most appropriate approach to preventing childhood lead poisoning. Following an…

This paper discusses the importance of an effective partnership between health services and early childhood programs, and examines ways that leaders in both service systems can cooperate to help caregivers, teachers, and parents raise healthy children. After examining the need for an improved partnership, the historic and contemporary role of a…

Examined health care policies and services for children under 46 state welfare agencies. Found that most states had written policies regarding health care for foster children, but half had no management system to record health care data. Most states did not meet standards set by the Child Welfare League of America for health care of these…

The goals of the Corporate Summit for Children were to: (1) increase understanding about the tremendous impact of maternal and child health-related costs on the private sector; (2) clarify the role that business, health professionals, educators, and policymakers can play together in the workplace, in the community, and in the public policy arena…

Less than 2 years after the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (OBRA) of 1981 mandated the reorganization of long-established maternal and child health services and substantially reduced funding of programs, a rise in the incidence of unfavorable maternal and child outcomes was detected in national health data. Data suggest at least an inferential…