Reducing Birth Defects

Reducing Birth Defects
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2003-10-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309166837

Each year more than 4 million children are born with birth defects. This book highlights the unprecedented opportunity to improve the lives of children and families in developing countries by preventing some birth defects and reducing the consequences of others. A number of developing countries with more comprehensive health care systems are making significant progress in the prevention and care of birth defects. In many other developing countries, however, policymakers have limited knowledge of the negative impact of birth defects and are largely unaware of the affordable and effective interventions available to reduce the impact of certain conditions. Reducing Birth Defects: Meeting the Challenge in the Developing World includes descriptions of successful programs and presents a plan of action to address critical gaps in the understanding, prevention, and treatment of birth defects in developing countries. This study also recommends capacity building, priority research, and institutional and global efforts to reduce the incidence and impact of birth defects in developing countries.

Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders

Reducing Risks for Mental Disorders
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 636
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309049393

The understanding of how to reduce risk factors for mental disorders has expanded remarkably as a result of recent scientific advances. This study, mandated by Congress, reviews those advances in the context of current research and provides a targeted definition of prevention and a conceptual framework that emphasizes risk reduction. Highlighting opportunities for and barriers to interventions, the book draws on successful models for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, injuries, and smoking. In addition, it reviews the risk factors associated with Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, alcohol abuse and dependence, depressive disorders, and conduct disorders and evaluates current illustrative prevention programs. The models and examination provide a framework for the design, application, and evaluation of interventions intended to prevent mental disorders and the transfer of knowledge about prevention from research to clinical practice. The book presents a focused research agenda, with recommendations on how to develop effective intervention programs, create a cadre of prevention researchers, and improve coordination among federal agencies.

Epidemiology

Epidemiology
Author: K. Vuylsteek
Publisher: IOS Press
Total Pages: 382
Release: 1994
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9789051991505

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this to the control of health.

The Epidemiology of Childhood Disorders

The Epidemiology of Childhood Disorders
Author: Ivan Barry Pless
Publisher:
Total Pages: 558
Release: 1994
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 9780195075168

This book gathers the research efforts of the last quarter century in pediatric epidemiology under a single cover for the first time. It draws on the experience of an international group of pediatric epidemiologists, all of whom are world authorities in their fields. In a consistent format they discuss biological considerations, patterns of occurrence, risk factors, and the impact of interventions for each type of disorder. The disorders reviewed include not only the old morbidity of childhood such as infections, birth defects, asthma, and cerebral palsy, but also the new morbidity: emotional problems, intentional and non-intentional injuries, and suicide. These reviews are grouped in five parts: perinatal disorders, infectious disorders, mental and behavioral disorders, injuries and violence, and chronic disorders. This book is aimed at a wide audience: pediatricians, epidemiologists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, health administrators, and those in maternal and child health care. One reason it succeeds is that the contributors have the personal expertise and background to enable them to cross the disciplinary lines between pediatrics and epidemiology.

Health Services Reports

Health Services Reports
Author: United States. Health Services and Mental Health Administration
Publisher:
Total Pages: 840
Release: 1995
Genre: Audio-visual materials
ISBN:

Communities in Action

Communities in Action
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 583
Release: 2017-04-27
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0309452961

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.