Child Health: A Population Perspective

by Alice A. Kuo

Children in the U.S. are not faring well. Despite major advances in public health, hygiene, and treatment for acute infections, child health outcomes in the U.S. are among the bottom for developed countries. As we enter the third decade of a child obesity epidemic, children born in the last ten years are now likely to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Coupled with an epidemic of childhood mental health issues — many of them unaddressed due to stigma or lack of recognition — plus the impacts of gun violence, poverty, and youth incarceration contribute to an overall culture that fails to prioritize the health and welfare of our youngest members of society.

Child Health: A Population Perspective examines both the history of child health and the three dynamics that most define it: the principles and dynamics between children, families, and communities; social determinants of health; and life course health development. With both theoretical grounding and illustrative case studies, this book provides a core framework for students in maternal and child health to better understand the issues facing children today — and how to serve them best.

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