Books by Joav Merrick

Book SynopsisYouth gambling represents a potentially serious public policy and health issue. Nevertheless, the rise in youth gambling issues and problems in the global context is not matched with a parallel increase in research on adolescent gambling. As such, there is an urgent need to conduct more studies on adolescent gambling behaviour. Recently significant advances in the knowledge of the risk factors associated with adolescent problems has emerged. This book addresses issues related to prevalence, assessment, prevention and treatment of youth gambling problems as well as concerns related to technological changes associated with youth problem gambling.

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Book SynopsisPsychiatric disorders in adolescents are an important social problem which is relevant to almost all healthcare professionals. According to the results of The National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement (NCS-A), the lifetime prevalence of anxiety, behavior, mood, and substance use disorders among adolescents was 31.9%, 19.1%, 14.3%, and 11.4%, respectively. Approximately 40% of participants in this survey with one class of disorder also met criteria for another class of lifetime disorder. Comorbidity is increasingly recognized as a key feature of mental disorders among adolescents. Female adolescents are more likely than males to have mood and anxiety disorders, but less likely to have behavioral and substance use disorders. Regretfully, medical professionals are not sufficiently trained about adolescent psychiatric disorders. For example, primary care providers correctly identify less than a fourth of youth with a depressive or anxiety disorder. Also, many clinicians underestimate the importance of the problem of adolescent psychiatric illnesses and suicidal behavior. Lack of skilled medical providers impedes the delivery of needed services to adolescents with mental health issues. This coupled with a lag in the ability of primary health care services to incorporate psychiatric interventions, and a failure of public health initiatives to pay attention to adolescent mental health problems has led to continuing gaps in care over decades despite the public pronouncements of needs. In this book you will find relevant information for health professionals, since we believe that the mental health of adolescents is essential for sustaining healthy and productive societies.

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Book SynopsisThe Corona hype, the Corona panic, has manifested the common cold as a brand new disease. What we present here is the psychosomatic hypothesis for COVID-19. We are living in a time of change. It is easy to assume that we live in a safe and stabile world, but the Corona COVID-19 pandemic has shown the whole world that this is not the case. Mighty forces changes our way of living, thinking and things changes fast. It is difficult to understand what is happening, for you need to be an expert in many different fields in order to really get it: medicine, economy and politics. You even need psychology, sociology and maybe even consciousness-research to fully comprehend what we are dealing with in the 2019-2020 Corona pandemic. This book tries to give you sufficient background in different areas to at least get an idea of what is happening around us in all parts of the world.

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Book SynopsisThe "Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS)" is a World Health Organization and United States "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)" collaborative effort in helping countries to assess various behavioural risk and protective factors in their communities, including mental health, suicidal behaviour, protective factors, substance use, violence and unintentional injury" among adolescents. In this book we used the most recent GSHS data (2016-2017) to describe a range of interpersonal and self-directed violence among adolescents in 15 countries: Liberia, Lebanon, Myanmar, Jamaica, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Paraguay, Bhutan, Dominican Republic, Vanuatu, United Arab Emirates, Trinidad and Tobago, Tonga, Morocco and Suriname. The results of the various papers will inform stakeholders of the relevance of school and youth health programmes and related policies targeting interpersonal and self-directed violence in the adolescent population.Table of ContentsPreface; Introduction; Interpersonal and Self-Directed Violence among Adolescents; Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Violence among a Nationally Representative Sample of In-School Adolescents in Liberia; Prevalence and Correlates of Peer Violence among a Nationally Representative Sample of In-School Adolescents in Lebanon; Prevalence and Correlates of Being Physically Attacked among In-School Adolescents in Myanmar: Results from a National Cross-Sectional Survey in 2016; Single and Multiple Suicide Attempts: Prevalence and Correlates in School-Going Adolescents in Jamaica in 2017; Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Attack and Fighting in School-Going Adolescents in Mauritius: A Cross-Sectional National Survey in 2017; Prevalence and Correlates of Infrequent and Frequent Bullying Victimization in Sri Lanka: Results of a National Cross-Sectional Survey among School-Going Adolescents in 2016; Prevalence and Correlates of Suicidal Behaviour in Paraguay: A Cross-Sectional National Adolescent School Survey in 2017; Prevalence and Correlates of Interpersonal Physical Violence among Adolescents in Bhutan: A Cross-Sectional National School Survey in 2016; Prevalence and Correlates of Dual-Victimization among a Nationally Representative Sample of In-School Adolescents in the Dominican Republic; Prevalence and Correlates of Single and Multiple Suicide Attempts among In-School Adolescents in Vanuatu: A National Cross-Sectional Survey in 2016; Prevalence and Correlates of Poly-Victimization among a Cross-Sectional Nationally Representative Sample of In-School Adolescents in United Arab Emirates; Prevalence and Correlates of Involvement in Physical Fighting and Experience of Physical Attacks among In-School Adolescents in Trinidad and Tobago in 2017; Prevalence and Correlates of Physical Assault among Adolescents in Tonga: Results of a National Cross-Sectional School Survey in 2017; Prevalence and Correlates of Poly-Violence among In-School Adolescents in Morocco: Results from the 2016 Global School-Based Student Health Survey; Prevalence and Correlates of Bullying Victimization among Adolescents: Results from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey in Suriname in 2016; About the Editors; About the ASEAN Institute for Health Development, Mahidol University, Salaya, Phutthamonthon, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand; Department of Research Administration and Development, University of Limpopo, Turfloop, South Africa; About the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Israel; Index.

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Book SynopsisNigeria -- a pluralistic society - is a sub-Saharan Africa country, home to about 200 million people from 371 cultural tribes. All tribes in Nigeria have their specific cultural beliefs and practices. As a matter of fact, many of these practices had been in existence for hundreds of years, even before British colonization (1800-1960). There exists a strong interrelationship between the society and health. Some practices in the society have negative health implications while some do not. Unfortunately, many of the traditional or cultural practices in the Nigerian society have more associated harms than benefits. In this book we have gathered research that describes health and health aspects of modern Nigeria, which we hope will be of interest to the reader.

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Book SynopsisLatin America represents about 10% of the global population distributed in 33 countries. There is huge social and economic heterogeneity even within and beyond the same country, particularly Brazil being the largest country, where Portuguese is the official language rather than Spanish. Furthermore, several ranking systems have considered Brazil a unique country within the 10 world highest economies. In view of the diversity in Latin America with different possibilities and realities we have found it essential to develop a textbook with focus on the Management of Cancer in Latin America, describing our daily reality, problems to overcome and our huge possibilities. In this volume, we discuss various cancers from melanoma to cost-effectiveness. We hope that this book will serve as a valuable resource of information for health care professionals, practitioners and policy makers.

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Book SynopsisToday, local, state, and federal funding agencies have recognised 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 neighbourhoods when the funding expires? This book explores this topic in greater detail.

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Book SynopsisThis yearbook compiles articles published in the International Public Health Journal, a peer-reviewed journal which provides an international multidisciplinary forum with a holistic approach to public health issues, health and medicine, health and social policy, service aspects, developmental aspects, epidemiology, rehabilitation, family and social issues, quality of life and all other aspects of public health over the whole age spectrum.

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Book SynopsisThis compendium brings together articles from the ''Journal of Alternative Medicine Research'' in 2009 with a broad research agenda on a global basis, addressing questions ranging from policy to practice, human development and a whole spectrum of issues also involving infancy and early childhood, to adolescence and adulthood. The information presented in this book is intended to generate new knowledge, link research to practice and policy, and help build networks of research collaborations and move science forward in this field.

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Book SynopsisYoung people are regarded as future assets of the society. Hence, adolescent prevention programs are commonly developed to tackle adolescent risk behaviour and positive youth development programs are designed to promote holistic development in adolescents. However, a survey of the literature shows that research on adolescents is mainly confined to the Western societies. For Chinese psychologists, paediatricians, psychiatrists, and allied human service workers, knowledge about adolescent development is largely developed in the Western culture. To what extent is Western knowledge on adolescent development applicable to Chinese young people? Are Chinese adolescent risk behaviours similar to those in Western societies? To what extent are intervention programs, such as adolescent prevention programs, applicable to Chinese people? These are important questions to be addressed by human service professionals working with Chinese adolescents and their families.

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Book SynopsisA team of researchers from five universities in Hong Kong have constructed a comprehensive positive youth development package for junior secondary school students in Hong Kong. This project is called P.A.T.H.S. (Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs) and the package focuses on various aspects of positive youth development used by more than 250 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Research has been performed on the effectiveness and educational implications of the teaching package, which opened a new page of study in the field of whole-person education and youth education in Chinese societies. In view of the data collected so far, the teaching package is well received by students, teachers and educators in Hong Kong. The new curriculum covered in this book is closely related to the emerging adolescent developmental issues in Hong Kong and the global contexts.

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Book SynopsisIn this Public Health Yearbook 2011 the authors will touch upon several topics like health risk communication, translational research, primary care, AIDS, tuberculosis, smoking, alcohol and drug screening and finally in the last section discuss primary health care development. Health risk communication deals with planned or unplanned communication to the public about the nature, impact and management of a wide array of health threats, such as cancer, HIV/AIDS or influenza pandemics. Current important research questions are raised and this book provides several comprehensive up-to-date reviews on important public health areas. World-wide partnerships, collaborations and communications between professionals and society so that new kinds of knowledge and knowledge networks can be developed.

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Book SynopsisLife is complex and human life is even more so. Holistic derives from the Greek word ????, holos, holos, meaning whole or complete. Looking at the whole organism minimises loss of meaning, when the chaos of the detail is examined. Holistic medicine aims to restore health to all levels of the human being, including body, mind, spirit and the environmental system in which the patient lives. We aim to understand the patient in their system and avoid imposing an alien system that detracts from being able to understand the fully functioning person. This year book 2011 brings together the work the authors did over the past year with a broad research agenda on a global basis, addressing questions ranging from pain, food additives, quality of life, integrative medicine to discussion of randomised clinical trial. The authors hope this book will provide the reader with new knowledge, link research to practice and policy, and help build networks of research collaborations and move science forward in this field.

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Book SynopsisThis book is based upon a special issue published in the International Journal on Disability and Human Development and permission has been obtained from the publisher De Gruyter in Berlin to publish this modified version of the papers in this book. There are several areas of research that should be conducted with reference to Chinese adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage. First, there is a need to understand how factors in different ecological systems influence the psychological well-being of poor adolescents. Second, as family social capital is an important resource within families experiencing economic disadvantage, studies on how different family processes affect adolescent development should be carried out. Third, as far as adolescent developmental outcomes are concerned, it is argued that besides measures of morbidity and symptoms, adolescent developmental assets and strengths should be studied. Fourth, as studies on parental differences on family processes are almost non-existent in the context of poverty, it is important to study this issue in adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage. In response to these research gaps, they were examined in the papers in this special issue. In this book, several papers reporting evaluation findings for the second piloting exercise are included. Because there are few validated positive youth development programs in the Chinese context, it is our modest wish that the accumulated evidence can give us some insights about the usefulness of having positive youth development subjects designed for university students.

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Book SynopsisResearch findings showed that secondary school students in Hong Kong face many challenges. In particular, morbid emphasis on academic excellence has created much competition and stress in high school students. It was estimated that around one-fifth of secondary school students in Hong Kong had different forms of mental disorders. In a three-year longitudinal study, it was found that the prevalence rates of Internet addiction in Secondary 1, Secondary 2 and Secondary 3 students were 26.4%, 26.6% and 22.5%, respectively. In the same study, suicidal ideation in junior secondary school students was found in more than one-tenth of the students. At the same time, there were more than two-tenths of students showing signs of self-harm and suicidal behaviour in junior secondary years. The number of adolescents experiencing economic disadvantage has increased while family solidarity has dropped in recent years. In spite of these adolescent developmental issues, the lack of life education and life skills training in secondary school students has made the situation worse. Although moral and civic education is one of the pillars in the new 6-year secondary school curriculum, there are several problems involved. First, the coverage on social and emotional learning in the curriculum guide is very thin. Second, although there are curricula materials on life skills training in the field, validated curricula are almost non-existent. In fact, in a review of adolescent prevention and positive youth development programs in Asia, Shek and Yu pointed out that there were very few validated evidence-based programs in Hong Kong. Third, training in social-emotional learning and adolescent prevention programs is grossly inadequate in Hong Kong. Finally, while nobody would dispute the importance of life skills and psychosocial competence, such topics are seldom taught in depth in the school contexts.

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Book SynopsisThe "global village" has resulted in the need to tackle cross-cultural issues in the health field. Especially the southern region of Israel (the Negev), which provides a unique opportunity to study the interaction between medicine and culture. The Negev population is a multicultural society, with Bedouin Arabs comprising almost a fifth of its population. This imposes tremendous challenges to the health establishment in the region and serves as a "cross-cultural laboratory" for educating health professionals in global health issues. Both the traditional Israeli medical school track, as well as the Medical School for International Medicine at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, incorporate studies of cross-cultural issues in various forms and to different degrees. Studies suggest that the exposure of students to international medical experiences increases their cross-cultural sensitivity, knowledge and expertise. In this book, you will find research from this region concerned with various aspects of Bedouin health, which we hope will give you a picture of various health issues from the southern region of Israel.

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Book SynopsisOnce upon a time, paediatrics was involved with infectious disease and acute disorders, but a new pattern of morbidity has emerged. Social difficulties, behavioural problems, developmental difficulties, disabilities and chronic disease have become main parts of the scope of paediatric practice. Among adults, multiple chronic disease is increasingly prevalent, whereas the prevalence of impairment and disability remain stable, but substantial and therefore, present day health professionals must be aware of disability and chronic disease. Just a few decades ago, children born with significant congenital anomalies or genetic and metabolic diseases perished at an early age and very few survived into their teens and even less into adulthood. Congenital heart disease, major errors in metabolism, cancer, cystic fibrosis and many other major diseases were fatal. Because of that, many physicians in adult primary care did not have the opportunity to see patients with these problems and thus were unable to learn how to care for them. With major advancements in medical knowledge, technology, imaging techniques, surgical skills and pharmaceutical products as well as prosthetic devices, many of these patients now live much longer lives and sometimes even close to the average life expectancy for the country, at least in the developed world. With that, a new medical care challenge has been created and we have to take a life span approach.

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Book SynopsisAdolescent violence is a very visible violence in our modern society, where you just have to open the newspaper or the television and you find yourself right in the middle of it. In order to understand the scope of the problem, we need to look at the epidemiology of global violence. Each year, more than 1.6 million people world-wide lose their lives to violence and for every person who dies as a result of violence, many more are injured and suffer from a range of physical, sexual, reproductive and mental health problems. Violence places a massive burden on national economies in health care, law enforcement and lost productivity. We are talking about a major public health problem. Programs for intervention have been researched and long-term follow-up indicates that early intervention is working and even if such programs would seem to demand a substantial economic investment, they have been proven cost-effective in the long run. In this book, we have gathered presentations on bullying, aggression, violence, suicide and prevention from an international perspective.

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Book SynopsisIndia or the Republic of India is a large country in South Asia, in fact the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. India is still struggling with malnutrition, high infant mortality rate, diseases such as dengue fever, hepatitis, tuberculosis, malaria and pneumonia with diarrhoeal diseases the primary causes of early childhood mortality. Maternal mortality in rural areas are among the highest in the world. In this book, we have gathered research papers from India published over the past three years in several Nova Science journals and it is our hope that you will find this research of interest and give you a small picture of health issues in modern India.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, a range of interesting and diverse papers are presented, which demonstrate the importance of the psychosocial domain to adolescents, as well as the need for intervention programs to facilitate the passage through adolescence to adulthood for young people experiencing difficulties with this developmental transition. The chapters are based on recent research conducted in different countries around the world (eg: Australia, Canada, Israel, Scotland, Ireland and Poland). The book trifurcates into three separate areas, which are reflective of the adolescent domain: the first area highlights the importance of a successful transition from preadolescence to adolescents; the second area highlights the types of difficulties that some adolescents experience when trying to find their identity and sense of place within society; and the third area provides insights into the types of interventions that can be put in place to help adolescents successfully transition into adulthood.

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Book SynopsisThe early years in the life of a child are critical for cognitive, social and emotional development. It is therefore important that we make sure that children grow up in an environment where their social, emotional and educational needs are met. Children who grow up in an environment where their developmental needs are not met are at risk for compromised health, well-being and sometimes developmental delays. Society must therefore work to ensure that children develop in safe, loving and secure environments. This yearbook compiles the work done in 2013 with a broad research agenda on a global basis, addressing questions ranging from policy to practice, and spanning the developmental spectrum from human genetics, infancy and early childhood, to adolescence and adulthood.

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Book SynopsisClassical medicine is about helping the patient back into happiness, good health and developing a constructive role in society by helping the patient to increase self-awareness and self-insight. The fruit of realising your own talents and character is the experience of being of value to one self and other people -- being of value in all relationships, private or professional. From the experience of this happy and constructive state of being comes all good things, a positive understanding of life, a positive state of consciousness, a positive state of existence and finally good physical and mental health, high quality of life, and excellent ability of functioning in all areas of life. Whether we call this classical medicine, "quality of life as medicine", consciousness-based medicine, character medicine, placebo medicine, holistic medicine or any other equivalent label, it is basically about helping the patient to know him or herself, and to live in accordance with this knowledge. This yearbook 2013 bring together the work we did over the past year with a broad research agenda on a global basis, addressing questions ranging from a discussion of positive youth development in Hong Kong to managed care. We hope this book will provide you with new knowledge, link research to practice and policy, help build networks of research collaborations and move science forward in this field.

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Book SynopsisIn this Public Health Yearbook 2013, we will touch upon several public health topics like community capacity building, global health and health promotion. If where we live impacts our health, then we need to start improving the health of communities at the local level. 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 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 neighbourhoods when the funding expires? How to we conduct health promotion and does it really help and increase health and quality of life? In this Public Health Yearbook 2013 we explore this in greater detail and hopefully will answer some of your questions.

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Book SynopsisIt is often stated that "it takes a village" to improve the health of a population. This proverb implies that it takes the work of many individuals, not necessarily from the same occupation or educational or social background, to achieve this goal. To improve the health of a population, a system comprised of educators, community leaders, public health and health care practitioners, researchers, faith-based leaders, municipal workers, and many others working, in diverse urban and/or rural communities, across the globe towards a common goal via evidence-based practice, policy development, education and health literacy initiatives, or a combination thereof, is required. Interprofessional collaborations can be fruitful endeavors with respect to improving health at a population and/or individual level. However, if we examine these interdisciplinary collaborations from a development standpoint, not every professional is trained to work with professionals from other disciplines. How do we prepare an interprofessional workforce capable of working collaboratively? You will find some of the answers in this book.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, we present research on health issues in diverse cultures and especially research around immigrants who came to the United States from diverse backgrounds. Hispanic and Asian Americans make up the fastest growing sector of the United States population and immigrants are often unable to access, seek, or receive health care due to several barriers. Research and also clinical experience have found that recent immigrants who migrate to the United States frequently experience a lack of access, high costs, and difficulty obtaining medical insurance along with barriers such as access to information, cultural or linguistic obstacles, and an inability to understand the healthcare system. Therefore in this book, we have tried to gain a better understanding for the readers of the experiences that immigrants undergo in the healthcare system through several research projects presented herein.

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Book SynopsisIn this yearbook we start out with chapters on mental health, stress, yoga and other interesting topic on alternative medicine, but the other three sections are related to psychiatry and dermatology. The skin has evolved over millions of years of life from a simple envelope to cover microscopic organisms to a complex organ system that has protected complex life from a harsh environment. The skin and central nervous system (CNS) develop together in utero and remain intricately connected throughout the life of Homo sapiens. Diseases of the skin have led to considerable medical as well as psychological morbidity, caustic contumely, and even Stygian mortality over the hundreds of years of the hominoid existence. When the skin is diseased, significant psychosomatic, behavioral, and psychiatric factors can result in a gallimaufry of primary and/or secondary disorders. Both dermatologists, primary care clinicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and others can learn from these chapters, take this knowledge and apply it to their patients.

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Book SynopsisChildren represent our future and healthy growth and development ought to be the prime concern of any society. President Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), elected as the 29th Vice President in 1920 and succeeded to the Presidency upon the sudden death of Warren G. Harding in 1923. Elected in his own right in 1924 he became the 30th President of the United States until 1929. He was in favour of the civil rights of African Americans, Catholics and in 1924 Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act, which granted full citizenship to all American Indians. Coolidge''s chronically ill mother died, perhaps from tuberculosis, when he was twelve years old and his sister died at the age of fifteen, when Coolidge was eighteen, which are maybe some of the reasons behind his proclamation for a national Child Health Day in 1928 (in 2014 it is child health day on 6 October, first Monday of October). Today about one in six children between the age 2-19 years is overweight with risk for serious health consequences like asthma, diabetes and heart disease and child health day is therefore also relevant today. In this Yearbook you will find interesting chapters on a broad spectrum relevant for health and human development in our time.

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Book SynopsisAdolescence identifies a critical period of human life that allows sufficient maturity for the human being to leave childhood dependency and pass through a dramatic period of immense physiological, psychological, and sociological consequences. The adolescent must accept the failures and successes of childhood with the initiation of puberty and in the end, starts his or her adult life as central nervous system maturity occurs. The tremendous peaks of growth and development are only exceeded by those seen in utero and in early childhood. This yearbook has research on pregnancy, cyberbullying, transition issues, body image, health issues and environmental health, which we hope you will find of interest. 

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Book SynopsisIn the past there has been much emphasis on child and adolescent developmental problems and while it is perfectly legitimate to look at child and adolescent problems, there are two problems with this approach. First, over-emphasis on problems can reinforce a pathological orientation. As such, children and adolescents may be seen as "problems" or "issues" to be fixed. Second, this approach may overlook talents, potentials and abilities in young people. Because of the limitations of the "deficiency" or "pathological" approach in understanding children and adolescents, there has been a greater interest in positive youth development programs in recent years with a shift from looking at the negative to turning the related programs and approach into something positive and highlighting the positive side of youth development. This has resulted in a focus on talents, strengths, interests and potential in order to facilitate a stronger and better youth development. Instead of viewing children and adolescents as "problems" or "issues" to be resolved, they are regarded as "resources" and "assets" to be developed. In this Yearbook 2015 we cover many aspects of child and adolescent development and health issues from newborn to adolescence and it is our humble wish that the chapters can help stimulate more interest and effort in developing and implementing programs for children and youth to ensure a good and positive development.

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Book SynopsisHuman sexuality is a complex phenomenon involving the interaction of biologic gender, core gender identity and gender role behavior. Successful completion of normal stages of sexual development is important for children and adolescents to allow for an optimal adult life. Controversies arise for clinicians as they work with their pediatric patients regarding health care sexuality issues. It is important that clinicians help these patients in an unbiased and neutral manner. As adults, these children and adolescents will function in a number of sexuality roles, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. In this book, the authors review many of these complex and critical issues that involve the fascinating development of human sexuality.

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Book SynopsisIn the 19th century, a greater understanding of childrens rights was acknowledged, and in the 20th century, child abuse was discovered in 1962 after many years of turning a blind eye. The number of reported cases of child abuse worldwide has since exploded into a public health epidemic with a much higher incidence than better-funded diseases such as juvenile cancer. The evaluation of child abuse and neglect is complex, with many professionals and agencies involved to try and decrease these incidences. This can be one of the reasons why the field has not been able to attract appropriate resources for prevention, treatment, education and research. Child abuse must be looked upon as a major public health problem, and professionals must make the 21st centurya century for the child. In this book, the authors have given a short review of the field.

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Book SynopsisIn this Yearbook we have looked at issues and new phenomena commonly emerging in developed countries for children and adolescents. Although many of the chapters are from Hong Kong, Chinas most international city, with a focus on Chinese children and adolescents, key developmental issues are reviewed and new research agenda are discussed with implications for other cultures and cities. We hope this Yearbook will be of interest to researchers who want to develop a new framework for understanding some of the most intriguing developmental issues of todays youth. In the chapters, they may find new perspectives and precious hints for planning future research. The Yearbook may also interest teachers, psychologists, social workers, and mental health practitioners in general, as they need to design prevention or intervention programs to reduce the risk factors for adolescents.

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Book SynopsisTropical diseases have become a prominent focus with the United Nations Millennium Development Goals and previously neglected diseases now have the funding for research. As a result there have been enormous leaps in our understanding of diseases, such as malaria and schistosomiasis. The hope of the United Nations has been to incorporate this research into clinical improvement for those impoverished by these diseases. In addition, interest in travel, rapid transportation of tourists and immigrants seeking education and employment as well as climate changes have made tropical diseases a worldwide phenomenon. In this yearbook we have several chapters on tropical diseases, but also some interesting chapters on mental health issues and holistic health from around the world.

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Book SynopsisSport and recreation is a positive influence on the lives of children and youths. Bicycling is great for human health and getting/keeping in shape. It can be a part of physical activities or it can be a means of transportation. However, there are also risks, and bicycle accidents happen and can cause serious injury. Helmet use can substantially reduce the risks associated with bicycle injuries, as these protective devices can prevent an array of serious facial and cranial injuries. In this book, the authors present survey studies conducted in various settlements around the world, looking into the bicycle and helmet use of adolescents and young adults.

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Book SynopsisA variety of topics are presented in this book that seek to reflect on medical history before and after the golden age of the Medical Renaissance. These topics include newborn care, the story of adolescence, behavioral pediatrics, psychopharmacology, substance abuse, psychodermatology, the story of diabetes mellitus, specific organ systems that range from the lungs, gastrointestinal tract, kidney and the heart in pediatrics, and other motifs. Reflections on adolescence are provided based on societys classic disdain and envy of its youth seen throughout the ages of human life. In this book, the authors include a variety of scholars, who stood on the shoulders of giants and made exponential progress in medicine of their own. Throughout the centuries, from the Mesopotamian masters to present physicians, these giants advanced the field of medicine to represent what has been understood as the standard of current medical care, and perhaps we can learn what it will be like in the future. These esteemed experts learned from the past, made mistakes, exhibited amazing courage, and faced scientific and sometimes sacerdotal criticism. Their courage was astonishing, as many were confronted by minacious, inauspicious, portentous, and unpropitious attacks on their ethics and accomplishments. However, they persisted and were able to develop verifiable data that others could independently substantiate and sometimes improve upon for the benefit of all humans. This book celebrates their astounding, awe-inspiring achievements.

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Book SynopsisIn this Yearbook 2017 we cover several aspects of health issues in children and youth. We start out with integration of autistic students into the higher education system, nutrition aspects, HIV, antibiotics and then two whole sections on disability and abuse and finally many aspects of youth suicide, prevention and experience of interventions. We hope that these chapters can help stimulate more interest and effort in developing and implementing programs for children and youth to ensure a good and positive development for raising future generations of children.

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Book SynopsisWhile much needs to be done in order to minimize the suicide attempts and suicides of adolescents, the work of Stop Youth Suicide (SYS) campaign and the comprehensive grassroots approach is showing signs of success in the state of Kentucky. The 2013 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) showed that for the first time, indicators of youth suicide in the state are at or below the national average, where they were previously always above. In the three rural counties where the school systems have partnered with SYS and the Division of Adolescent Medicine in Lexington, there is an actual absence of completed suicides compared to the average of three per year prior to this partnership. In order to maintain and improve that statistic, we must ensure that students do not have easy access to weapons, guns and drugs by ensuring that these items are properly stored in homes where children are present. Kentuckys educators must continue to develop ways to provide safe and supportive school environments. In this book, the authors have gathered presentations from the 2017 Annual Stop Youth Suicide Campaign Conference, which we hope will be of interest and help to the readers.

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Book SynopsisPublic Health Yearbook 2017 present research on: adolescent alcohol use in the Caribbean region; discussion about how to break the cycle of child and adolescent environmental health disparities affecting development; serious debate about parental refusal of childhood vaccinations; food security; social and health issues surrounding Chinese adolescents; and a world tour of suicide ideation in school-age teenagers. We hope this Yearbook and the research will be of interest to our readers.

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Book SynopsisYoung people are expected to learn academic or technical knowledge in a manufacturing economy, which can be referred to as hard skills (for example, to produce a car through assembly lines). In many countries today, countries have been shifting from a manufacturing economy to a service economy, which has resulted in young people expecting to gain skills that are non-technical and widely transferable to different settings. This skills are referred to as soft skills, which are basically related to the qualities of an individual. In this book, the authors include several chapters on soft skills development in adolescents with particular reference to Chinese culture. This book includes conclusions based on the data collected from the third year of the community-based P.A.T.H.S. Project in Hong Kong. It also discusses dreams, aspirations, hopes and related constructs in Chinese adolescents. Additionally, the authors also present chapters on the relationships between pornography consumption and positive youth development qualities; and the last few chapters document attempts to promote soft skills in university students. With the emergence and consolidation of a service or knowledge-based economy, the desired qualities in adolescents have changed. Obviously, soft skills development plays an important role in the employability of young people. It is also vital to the complete development of young people as individuals in the present and future.

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Book SynopsisThis book is based on the conference on Movement and Cognition held in July 2018 at the Joseph B. Martin Center at Harvard Medical School in Boston, where an opportunity was provided for researchers and practitioners from various disciplines to share their knowledge and experience in an academic environment that has supported learning and social change for hundreds of years. In this book, readers will find all the abstracts from this conference gathered together in this publication, which the authors hope will be of interest to the scientific community.

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Book SynopsisBreak the Cycle of Children''s Environmental Health Disparities (BTC) is an annual, collaborative, interdisciplinary research and training program involving university students in academic tracks that focus on the impact of adverse social, economic, and environmental factors on children''s health, development, and education. The target populations are communities where environmental hazards are related to circumstances of social and economic disadvantage. Each student develops a project that focuses on preventing or reducing adverse environmental factors to benefit the children who live in these communities. At the end of the project, the students present their studies and findings at a national conference and write papers that are then published. This book is the result of the 13th BTC projects. The projects cover a range of factors that have an influence on individual, community, and social perspectives. Most importantly, they inform us about children''s environmental health disparities, and propose solutions to reduce and eliminate health disparities in order to promote health equity for all children. The authors also cover a brief history of human habitation and the associated environmental degradation, accompanied by what has been done to address the process. They recommend a constructive approach to breaking the cycle of environmental degradation, moving toward the promise of a positive future for our planet in good ecological balance with health and well-being for generations to come.

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Book SynopsisMeasles is still the cause of disease and even death around the world, and with the modern widespread travel around the globe, it can be spread from one site to another with ease. Rubella infection, especially during pregnancy, can also have important effects on the fetus and the family involved. The WHO African regional target of eliminating measles by 2020 seems unlikely, but in Zambia great strides have been made to eliminate measles. Following the successful implementation of the MR (measles-rubella) vaccination campaign, the MR vaccine should be introduced in the routine immunization program to replace single measles containing virus vaccine. In this book, we review the status of measles and rubella vaccination campaigns and incidence rates of these diseases in Zambia. Vaccination campaigns were conducted in 2010 and 2012 using a single measles vaccine and in 2016, a combined measles-rubella vaccine was administered in a campaign. The measles incidence rate reduced following the campaigns in 2010 and 2012. However, the incidence of measles slightly increased after the 2016 vaccination campaign. Meanwhile, the incidence of rubella increased in 2011 following the 2010 measles vaccination campaign. Thereafter, the decline in the incidence of rubella was observed and sustained with the measles-rubella vaccination campaign in 2016. There has been great progress towards the control and elimination of measles in Zambia. (Imprint: Nova Medicine and Health)

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Book SynopsisThis book is really a reflection of the past more than 20 years of work with teens and suicide prevention in the state of Kentucky. The work to establish the "Stop Youth Suicide Campaign (SYS)" has resulted in contact with many young adults, and we have found that the most important thing for all of them was finding a caring person they trust and can talk to. Because of the constant need, the SYS went from a goal of being a one-year awareness campaign to becoming a major community resource, working with the state and local governments and state legislators to add as many resources as possible. We have witnessed for the first time a drop of youth suicide rates below the national average, according to the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance done biannually by the Center for Disease Control. In this book, we will tackle various topics and specific populations in relation to suicide written by people who work with teens and care about them. Professor Hatim A Omar, MD, FAAP, is professor of paediatrics and obstetrics/gynaecology, Children''s Miracle Network Chair, Division of Adolescent Medicine and Young Parents Program, Kentucky Children''s Hospital, UK Healthcare, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Joav Merrick, MD, MMedSci, DMSc, born and educated in Denmark is professor of paediatrics at the Division of Pediatrics, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Mt Scopus Campus, Jerusalem, Israel, Kentucky Children''s Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States and professor of public health at the Center for Healthy Development, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States, the former medical director of the Division for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, Jerusalem and the founder and director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Israel.

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Book SynopsisIn the traditional Chinese culture, families showed several characteristics. First, male members generally held a superior position whereas females typically occupied a submissive role. Second, under the strong influence of Confucianism, filial piety was strongly upheld with a central focus on the father-son relationship. Third, because of the importance of maintaining harmony in the family, the collective interest (ie: family interest) was placed above individual interest. In this book we try to convey the traditional and contemporary influences of parenting and family life in Hong Kong. We also attempt to conduct more theoretical integration and consider ways that can help to promote the family life of adolescents in the Chinese setting.Table of ContentsIntroduction; Parenting and Family Life in Hong Kong: Traditional Perspective, Contemporary Research and Intervention; Parental Expectations amongst Chinese Parents in Hong Kong: Profiles and Demographic Correlates; Gendered Expectation towards Sons and Daughters in Chinese Parents in Hong Kong; Division of Labor in Parenting amongst Chinese Parents in Hong Kong; Parental Beliefs about Parental Roles and Responsibilities in Chinese Parents: Pioneer Findings; Parenting in Contemporary Hong Kong: Observations and Reflections; Di Zi Gui (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child): Implications for Children and Youth Development And Parenting; Promotion of Family Life Quality amongst Adolescents: The Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong; About the Editors; About the Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong; About the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; About the Book Series Public health: Practices, Methods And Policies; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book is a celebration of the emergence of knowledge in the field of pediatric hepatology and is written for primary care clinicians to help update their knowledge of the field. The current and future shortage of pediatric gastroenterologists and hepatologists necessitates steady, rejuvenated information on liver and gastrointestinal disorders for primary care clinicians as they care for children and adolescents with complex hepatologic/gastroenterologic dilemmas and disorders. In view of this shortage and the rapidly increasing knowledge in pediatric gastroenterology as well understanding indications for referral to pediatric gastroenterologists in the 21st century, au courant assiduous information aimed at primary care clinicians in these areas becomes increasingly important.Table of ContentsDedication; Preface; Introduction; History of the Hepato-Biliary System: From Promethius to the Prodigious Pantheons of Progress in the past and Present; Pediatric Perspectives on Hepatitis; Hepatic-Related Hematologic Disorders in Children; Diabetes Mellitus in Children and Adolescents; Cystic Fibrosis Liver Disease; Common Pediatric Liver Surgical Conditions; Hyperlipidemia and the Gastrointestinal Tract; Obesity in Children and Adolescents; Pediatric Liver Cancer; Gaucher Disease; Mucopolysaccharoidoses: Current Concepts and Perspectives in the 21st Century; Concepts of Metabolic Disorders; Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and the Liver; Niemann-Pick Disease; Wilsons Disease: The Liver, Brain, Eyes and More; Drug-Induced Liver Injury (DILI); Mitochondrial Hepatopathies; Parasitic Disease of the Liver in Children; Intestinal/Lung/Liver Flukes; Circumcision; The Pediatric Liver: Mental Health Considerations; Psychosocial Adaptation to Chronic Illness and Disability (CID) for Children and Adolescents: A Global Perspective; Behavioral Aspects of Chronic Illness; Physicians Use of Brief Counseling Models in a Pediatric Outpatient Setting; Chronic Disease and the Dying Adolescent; About the Editors; About the Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States; About the Childrens Hospital of the Kings Daughters (CHKD), Norfolk, Virginia, United States; About the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Israel; Index.

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Book SynopsisBreak the Cycle of Children's Environmental Health Disparities (BTC) is an annual collaborative interdisciplinary research and training program involving university students in academic tracks that focus on the impact of adverse social, economic and environmental factors on children's health, development and education. The target populations are communities where environmental hazards are related to circumstances of social and economic disadvantage. Each student develops a project that focuses on preventing or reducing adverse environmental factors to benefit the children who live in these communities. At the end of the project, the students present their studies and findings at a national conference and write papers which are then published. The papers in this publication represent the work of students who participated in the 14th Annual Break the Cycle program. The phrase "Break the Cycle" in this context uses the ecological construct of the cycle of environmental health disparities and represents a framework for reducing health disparities and promoting health equity among children who are vulnerable as a consequence of adverse social, economic, environmental and political factors. The student projects are intended to break the cycle and liberate children from the intergenerational cycle of health disparities, so they can grow and develop to their full potential. Through this academic process, the students gain knowledge, insight and skills to enable them to advance in their careers and become future leaders.Table of ContentsFor more information, please visit our website at:https://novapublishers.com/shop/child-environmental-health-disparities-looking-at-the-present-and-facing-the-future/

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