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Public health is a part of the health system whose researchers'have tried to maintain its relevance over the years amidst unstable global conditions. Maintaining its tripartite objective of promoting health, preventing diseases and prolonging life is a major hurdle especially as these functions have to depend on the combined efforts of society. This book focuses on principles, perceptions and programs of public health. Some of the topics discussed in this book include school shootings; waste management and public health; and tobacco use.

In addition to the role of educating future citizens, schools today respond to other social needs, especially to help promote health. The school, in fact, is a unique place to intercept the ways of thinking of children, adolescents and young adults. Very often, however, the school attaches great social responsibility without adequate support to achieve it. From this comes the need to provide educational resources to the roles and responsibilities in order to address the issues that the company asks them to deal with and that the issues of health and education are anointed synergistically. The present work aims to create a link between the promotion of health and school, describing in the first part, the international reference standards, the various theoretical approaches that exist today, and the evolution of the various models of intervention: from the bio-medical to the bio-psycho-social to interactive-dialogical. The second part, after having carried out a historical analysis of some of the themes in the last decade which have resulted in a particularly difficult management of the school (smoking, bullying, delinquency, intercultural) presents some methodological guidelines designed to intervene at the operational level, for the benefit of school leaders, teachers, health workers, parents, psychologists and educators.

Today's children and adolescents are experiencing higher rates of overweightness/obesity and poorer health outcomes than any other time in history. As overweight or obese children are at greater risk of the same conditions in adulthood and the ensuing health consequences which arise, literature highlighting how theoretical frameworks can be utilized to guide physical activity intervention programs is advised and needed. Provision of contemporary research with the aforementioned objectives in mind is the reasoning behind the current book. By providing analyses and interpretation of children and adolescents'physical activity behaviors through the lens of well-established psychological and/or health promotion theories, this book provides empirically-based conclusions and implementation strategies for scholars and practitioners who desire the promotion of physical activity participation and better health outcomes among these populations. Within this book, readers can expect to find chapters devoted to the analyses of physical activity behavior among children and adolescent in free-living and physical education settings with an emphasis of how the manipulation of physical activity determinants, such as physical activity self-efficacy, enjoyment, situational interest and social support, influence physical activity participation. Other aspects of the book include a synthesis of how variables such as parent's beliefs regarding physical activity, perceived exertion, as well as the youth's gender and age affect the related physical activity determinants and the subsequent implementations of physical activity interventions. It is hoped that through the current book's structured formatting and writing quality, scholars and practitioners can better formulate real-world physical activity intervention programs which provide the best opportunity for the youth population to be more physically active and healthy.

The communication of health information is a critical determinant for the achievement and maintenance of health at the individual and population level. Health communication can take on various forms, including the use of social media, reading of a children's story, policy development and management, the patient-physician partnership, and via community-based participatory research, for example. This book provides a broad perspective on selected areas of health communication and addresses how we, as a population, can utilize communication to achieve what should be a basic human right in the twenty-first century. We are living in changing times, and how we communicate health information is happening more rapidly than ever before. This book highlights selected areas of research, action, and recommendations for implementation that are applicable to all sectors involved in promoting health and preventing disease. This book is not only for the educator, but the learner, as well. Both parties are essential for effective policy-making that will enable a healthy citizenry to meet the contemporary demands posed by the twenty-first century. The author hopes that you, the reader, will reference this book often as you educate, learn, and communicate about health so that it is more accessible and adaptable to the society in which we live.

Today, local, state, and federal funding agencies have recognized the importance of the role the community plays in assuring a healthy population. As a result, these funding sources have mandated that the community which is primarily affected by these persistent public health issues, be present at the working table with academicians, researchers, public health practitioners, and policymakers so their “voice” may be heard and they may contribute to effective solutions. For sustainability purposes, we need to help these communities build their capacity to address the episodic, as well as the persistent, public health issues that affect their health. How do we, as public health professionals, do that? How do we learn the skills and principles necessary to establish partnerships with our communities? How do we then teach our community partners to continue to improve the health status of their neighborhoods when the funding expires? This book explores this topic in greater detail.

For all of our advances in health care and achievements in public health that have contributed to an increased life expectancy, there still remain persistent problems in one's community that are public health in origin. These persistent public health problems are well-studied from an academic standpoint, yet they evade a solution that is practical, economical, and socially just. These are complex, community-based, public health problems that disproportionally impact minority and immigrant populations. This book explores this topic in greater detail. Specifically, what have we, as public health academicians and practitioners learned when partnering with minority and immigrant community members to help them address persistent public health issues that affect them and their families on a daily basis? These are lessons that need to be shared so disadvantaged populations can build their capacity to address and solve persistent public health problems in their communities.

This new book provides an overview of health behavior intervention priorities in LMICs. It covers the most important health risks or problems in LMICs including childhood and maternal undernutrition, other diet-related risk factors and physical inactivity, sexual and reproductive health, addictive substances, road traffic injury and violence, common mental health risk, parasitic infections and environmental risks. For all these health risks, health behaviour interventions are comprehensively described, with application to LMICs.

Health education is the profession of educating people about health. Areas within this profession encompass environmental health, physical health, social health, emotional health, intellectual health, and spiritual health. Recent statistics show that, in many countries, one in four individuals will experience mental illness during their lifetime, with mental health conditions contributing more to disability than any other single disease group, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The Emergency Department (ED) may be the only site where some isolated and marginalized mentally ill populations such as the homeless receive their healthcare - medical as well as psychiatric. The authors of this book examine mental health and illness in the ED. Challenges presented in nursing patients who attend an ER following an incident of self-harm or attempted suicide is also examined. In addition, researchers have reported that children are involved in very few conversations with their doctors. Positive practices relating to improved doctor-child communications are discussed. Other chapters in this book examine the use of drugs among adolescents, children's and parents perceptions about managing their diabetes, a discussion on how the concept of spirituality is defined/described in the professional health literature, the importance of understanding lay appraisal of illness symptoms as a facet of successful health education interventions, and the role of primary care practice nurses in making patients aware of changes that could improve their health.

Health Issues in Chinese Contexts Volume 5 is the fifth of sequential collections of the observations and discussions on various health topics in Hong Kong. There are a total of 18 chapters showing some under-discussed health issues both in the Chinese and in the Western contexts. There are several foci of this book: a) anorexia nervosa (AN) in the thick description of the process and outcome of providing family treatment for a Chinese lady and her family, the discussion of anorexia nervosa with morality and social welfare, how medical profession can prevent the development of this illness, a feminist nursing research on AN; b) the gender inquiry of female medical students'struggle in their studying and profession trajectory in a Chinese society; c) the importance of drug monitoring; d) nursing roles in seasonal flu prevention, gerontological care with a postmodernist lens, leadership and reflectivity practice; e) the needs of family approaches such as the introduction of the proposed Octopus Approach to Family Therapy and family participation in the treatment of obesity of a family member; f)holistic views on disaster management like the tsunami; g) ageing related issues such as critical examination on longevity enhancement and social support; h) a discussion on Zombie Films with a health angle; and i) health and beauty products. All the above foci are lack of discussion in Chinese Literature which should be given some attention to enrich our understanding on health from multifaceted lenses.

This book highlights firefighting as one of the nation's most dangerous and hazardous jobs, with heart attacks, high physical stress levels, sprains, and strains all too common. Of all firefighters in the United States, 72 percent are volunteers. The leading cause of on-duty death among volunteers is heart attack. The leading cause of injuries for all firefighters is overexertion and strain. The prevalence of cardiovascular illness and deaths and work-inhibiting strains and sprains among firefighters illustrates the need for a comprehensive health and wellness program in every department. To address the issues specific to volunteers, the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) developed this guide to health and wellness for volunteer departments and members. In 2003, the NVFC launched the ground breaking Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program specifically to address heart disease in the fire and emergency services. This awareness and prevention campaign targets all firefighters and emergency personnel—both volunteer and career. This is an edited, excerpted and augmented edition of a U.S. Fire Administration publication.

Nutritional education programs have been implemented in the workplace and in schools in an effort to improve diet and lifestyle, and therefore, reduce the incidence of many chronic diseases linked to overweight and obesity including; diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Providing age-appropriate, culturally sensitive instruction and materials were connected to the success of nutritional education programs. This new and important book gathers the latest research from around the globe in the study of nutritional education and highlights such topics as: nutrition education in the workplace, metabolic syndrome in children, school feeding programs, maternal nutritional education during pregnancy, nutrition and tuberculosis, nutrition education in school-based childhood and adolescent programs, and others.

This book is a focus on the USDA and other public health agencies that have a long history of disseminating information about why and how to make food choices that promote health and prevent disease. Since 1980, recommendations on attaining adequate nutrition also include information about the benefits of maintaining a healthy body weight and limiting consumption of nutrients linked to chronic diseases. On the other side of the table, food manufacturers and marketers have discovered that certain psychological cues, such as packaging and presentation, are efficient ways to increase consumption of their products. These approaches have not been widely used in public health efforts aimed at improving diet quality and reducing body weight. The sharp increase in overweight and obesity among Americans has occurred concurrently with increased awareness and publicity regarding the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Examining this phenomenon provides an opportunity to incorporate elements of behavioral economics into consumer food choice analysis.This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.

HIV/AIDS is holding firm as one of the worst diseases in history and the leading cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. This collection of essays shares various case studies from sub-Saharan Africa and one from the African Diaspora that demonstrate how multi-faceted women's lives, and thus their HIV risk, are. Notwithstanding women's marginalization, the essays in this volume maintain that women in Africa are not merely puppets of globalization, cultural norms, or biological imperatives, but rather agents in their own livelihoods. In each case we see women presented with many challenges that they must navigate in order to mitigate their HIV risk. Some of the most trying challenges are based on economic and political structures that occur at various scales, from the global to the household. While structural factors are indeed important, the authors in this volume also show that traditional norms, cultural beliefs, and gender roles are equally necessary to consider when planning HIV prevention programs. Gender disempowerment is of particular importance, as it is seen in all of these case studies. In order for the HIV epidemic to dissipate in sub-Saharan Africa, prevention programs that truly understand the local circumstances and strive for gender equality must be instituted immediately and broadly.The book is divided into three parts, each concentrating on a different aspect of women and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. The first part provides case studies of the social, political, economic, cultural, and geographic dynamics that play into women's and girls'risk for the virus. The second part transitions into case studies of prevention, concentrating on condom use. The chapters in the final section expand on Part II by highlighting other ways of promoting HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention across the region. In short, the papers in this volume highlight the complicated decision making processes that women in countries of sub-Saharan Africa must make when it comes to HIV risk. In many cases, women find themselves in economically dependent relationships with men whereby they must stay in sexually risky situations to be able to feed themselves and, very often, their children.

Health Issues in Chinese Contexts - Volume 1. is a collection of the health care professional research studies and writings in Chinese contexts like Hong Kong. This book has four major purposes: to show some qualitative health researches; to introduce some creative primary health care programs; to discuss the importance and roles of health care leadership training workshops; and to share some teaching observations and experiences on health promotion, autobiographical writings, stress management and crisis management from the postgraduate teaching levels. This book demonstrates the wisdom and work experiences of many contributors who are the front-line health care providers on an international level having a multidisciplinary position which is due to the uniqueness and creativity of the topics and contents mentioned. The significance of this book are to provide the evidence-based research data that can enhance health knowledge understanding and practice; to offer some practical health care programs and workshops that can shed some light for other health contextual services and training; and to show some classroom teaching and observations of health care courses that can let other educators reflect their own conceptual skills of teaching and learning.