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The African continent is poised for transformational growth and change. With over 60% of the continent's population under the age of 25, its demographic dividend is a beacon of hope [...]

Several open letters from global leaders to people or individual of their own choosing are presented. Topics covered include letter of Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) to Lucy, a young HIV-positive domestic worker in Kenya, letter of former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to her students and the message of Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, to young activists.

The Tana Forum, one of Africa's foremost think tanks on peace, security and development, will devote this year's edition to one of the most crucial topics confronting us today, namely [...]

TIME 100 Next Leaders When Bogolo Kenewendo was appointed Minister of Investment, Trade, and Industry in Botswana in 2018, she was hailed as the youngest Minister in her country's history. In 2021, she joined the second cohort of the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development's Amujae Leaders - a group of remarkable women who are transforming the landscape for women in public leadership in Africa. And earlier this year, she was also appointed as the Africa director and special adviser to the U.N. Climate Change High-Level Champions, putting the voice of young people and women at the heart of climate action. [Extracted from the article]

In September 2021, just a few months into her presidency, Suluhu Hassan delivered a landmark speech as only the fifth African woman leader ever to address the U.N. General Assembly. "As the first female President in the history of my country", she said, "the burden of expectation to deliver gender equality is heavier on my shoulders." TIME 100 Leaders President Samia Suluhu Hassan took office in March 2021, and her leadership has been a tonic. [Extracted from the article]

Objective: To examine whether sociodemographic and condition-related characteristics are associated with conduct problems in children with chronic health conditions. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Participants: Mothers of children 5 to 8 years old with diverse chronic health conditions who received care at 2 large urban medical centers. Measures: Mothers responded to a face-to-face structured interview that included the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, the Psychiatric Symptom Index, and questions about sociodemographic and health condition--related characteristics. Results: Of the 356 children assessed, 138 (38.8%) had conduct problems as defined by criteria of the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory. In logistic regression analyses, conduct problems were associated with younger child age, mother having a husband or partner unrelated to her child, poorer perceived prognosis, child having a learning disability, and maternal self-report of high emotional distress on the Psychiatric Symptom Index. Conduct problems were not related to child sex, maternal ethnicity or education, family receiving welfare, or a wide range of condition-related factors, including age at diagnosis, visibility to others, need to watch for sudden changes, presence of mobility or sensory-communication problems, using medication or equipment, annual hospitalizations, or physician visits. Conclusions: Conduct problems in children with chronic health conditions appear to be associated more closely with their sociodemographic and family characteristics than with condition-related risk factors. Additional research remains to be done on the ways that maternal adjustment, diagnosis-specific condition characteristics, and other risk factors influence children's behavior. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999;153:815-820, The condition of children with chronic health problems who also exhibit behavioral problems seems to be related more to social and family influences than to the risk factors normally associated with their health condition. In personal interviews with the mothers of children with chronic health problems, a total of 356 children between the ages of five and eight were evaluated. Of that number, 138 (38.8%) had conduct problems associated with such factors as younger child age, the mother's husband or partner being unrelated to her child, the child having a learning disability, or the mother reporting high emotional distress.

The article focuses on the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic in Liberia and how that event can provide information on how to fight the pandemic caused by the coronavirus known as COVID-19 in 2020.

Objective: To apply a conceptually based noncategorical definition in the analysis of a nationally representative sample of US children to determine the prevalence and sociodemographic characteristics of US children with chronic conditions. Design: Data on 30 032 children, aged 0 through 17 years, from the 1994 National Health Interview Survey Disability Supplement were analyzed using a noncategorical conceptual definition of chronic conditions and a method that parallels that outlined in the development of the Questionnaire for Identifying Children with Chronic Conditions. We determined the percentages of children with chronic conditions overall and in 3 conceptual domains: (1) functional limitations, (2) dependence on compensatory mechanisms, and (3) service use or need beyond routine care for age. Results: Content that corresponded to 35 of 39 items on the Questionnaire for Identifying Children with Chronic Conditions assessing consequences was avail able in the National Health Interview Survey Disability Supplement data set. An estimated 10.3 million children (14.8%) had chronic conditions; 7.0% of the children met enrollment criteria in a single conceptual domain, 5.2% in 2 domains, and 2.6% in all 3 domains. Significant sociodemographic correlates of having a chronic condition were being school-aged or older, male, white, living with a responsible adult with less than a college education, and having a family income below the poverty index (all P [is less than] .01). Conclusions: We established the feasibility of operationalizing a noncategorical conceptual definition by using a large-scale data set and provided an estimate of the prevalence of chronic conditions among US children. We confirmed that several sociodemographic correlates of chronic conditions in samples identified through diagnostic checklists were related to the presence of chronic conditions among these children. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999;153:68-74, Chronic illness in children can be defined by functional impairments and the use of medical services, rather than a description of symptoms and diagnoses. The Questionnaire for Identifying Children with Chronic Conditions (QuICCC) evaluates children's health in three broad categories: functional limitations, dependence on assist devices, and the use of medical services. A child who has difficulty dressing or walking, uses medications or crutches regularly, or makes frequent doctor visits may be considered to have a chronic condition.

Excerpts from the speeches of the 2011 recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize including Leymah Roberta Gbowee, Tawakkol Karman, and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The article explores Global public health should not be a hostage to patents. In May $%$", the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response released a report calling for urgent action to end the pandemic. In November, its former co-chairs, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Helen Clark, gave a six-month progress report at an event organised by Chatham House.

To explore the utility of end-tidal capnography for predicting hospitalization in acute childhood asthma.

Discusses developments in international justice courts and judicial procedures that can help women obtain justice for war crimes made against them. Types of reparations for women who are violated during a war; Obstacles that prevent violated women from seeking justice; Judicial and nonjudicial methods of ensuring accountability to women within the justice system.

Explores the causes and the impact of the 1989 Liberian Civil War. Formation of the National Patriotic Front of Liberia; Minimal role played by the United States in the war; Social impact of the country's caste system; Economic difficulties faced by the country; Opportunity for the reordering of the economy.

Communicating the functional applicability of a conceptual framework to nursing students can be a challenge of considerable magnitude. Nurse educators are convinced that nursing practice and process should stem from theory. However, when attempting to teach this, many educators have struggled with the expressions of confused, skeptical students. To provide a better understanding of a nursing model, the author uses a visual representation of the Neuman Systems Model variables. The student can then visualize application of the Model to nursing practice.

We compared the item content of three commonly used scales of psychiatric symptoms [the broad-band Psychiatric Symptom Index (Ilfeld) and two narrow-band scales, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale (Radloff) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (Spielberger)], with diagnostic criteria and criterion-based symptoms for Major Depressive Episode and Generalized Anxiety Disorder as they appeared in DSM-IV. The Psychiatric Symptom Index and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies—Depression Scale each measured 7 of 9 criterion-based symptoms of Major Depressive Episode. The Psychiatric Symptom Index and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory each measured 5 of 8 domains for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. The Psychiatric Symptom Index had comparable content validity to the narrow-band measures. All met a majority of DSM-IV criteria for depression and anxiety, supporting their applicability for current research.

We examined the 12-month prevalence of asthma and wheezing among U.S. children and compared the illness-related burden of children who wheezed with and without an asthma diagnosis. Data were obtained in a cross-sectional telephone survey that tested the performance of a health interview designed to identify children with chronic health conditions. Respondents were 712 primary caretakers of 1388 children under 18 years old in a national probability sample selected by random-digit dialing. Although 51 children identified with asthma and wheezing had more episodes, sleep disturbances, and attacks that limited speech, and received more medical treatment for wheezing than 69 children with wheezing alone, the "undiagnosed" children appeared to be only somewhat less affected by their wheezing. Repeat episodes and burden experienced by children with wheezing alone suggest that the asthma prevalence may be underestimated if based only on the diagnostic label.

The article presents a profile of Malawian President Joyce Banda, with information on her role as Africa's second female president, her efforts to improve social conditions for African women, and her collaboration with the author, the female president of Liberia.

The article reports on Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Azikiwe Jonathan as one of the 100 most influential people of 2012, discussing his role in fighting political corruption in Nigeria, his work as a peacemaker in West Africa, and Nigeria's relationship with Liberia.

The article presents an interview with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia. She discusses Africa's need for foreign aid, the likelihood of her running for a second term, and the relationship between Liberia and the United States. Sirleaf also talks about how Julius Nyerere, the first president of Tanzania, has been an inspiration to her.

The author identifies some barriers that hinder greater political participation of women in Africa. She describes the challenges she faced as a woman in her life and political career as Liberia's former president including the right for free speech and fundamental human rights. She also discussed the progress for women's leadership in Liberia, being the first democratically elected female head of state of an African country and obstacles facing women in Africa in 2019.

An interview with Emi Ferguson, winner of the 2013 NFA Young Artist Competion of the U.S. National Flute Association (NFA), is presented. Feguson shares what made her decide to become a flutist and how she was able to come back to flute after walking away for a while. When asked what advice to give flutists who are considering to join the NFA competition, she suggests joining other competitions first. She also informs about her favorite technique exercises that help her prepare.