Though the U.S. health care system is among the best in the developed world, access to chronic care remains a problem for many, in part, because the system is not ideally suited to treat long-term conditions. Consequently, economic and societal costs associated with chronic disease are rising rapidly. To complement traditional pathogenic chronic…

Thirty years after expressing concerns about the translation and communication of science to the public and to policy makers, this reflection finds that the same issues face public health education perhaps even more urgently today with the advent of politicians who actively dispute science, and a public that has voted in support of their campaign…

The recent Amethyst Initiative argues that a minimum legal drinking age (MLDA) of 21 has created a culture of heavy alcohol use on college campuses by making drinking clandestine and extreme. This group and others argue that lowering the MLDA will reduce the problem of "binge drinking" on college campuses. However, such a policy change would…

Russia's future is put in jeopardy by a decline in both the size of the population and its health and human capital. There is an urgent need for policies to deal with this problem.

The authors present a case study examining the potential for policies to be "evidence-based." To what extent is it possible to say that a decision to implement a complex social intervention is warranted on the basis of available empirical data? The case chosen is whether there is sufficient evidence to justify banning smoking in cars carrying…

Damage to the brain or nervous system at an early developmental stage creates lifelong challenges for the individual. To examine one source of harm to the developing nervous system, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment's (CHE) Learning and Developmental Disabilities Initiative (LDDI) (Collaborative on Health and the Environment, 2009)…

This reaction to the Major Contribution presents a conceptualization of health disparities as another form of oppression of marginalized populations in our society. Consistent with this view, health disparities are then situated within a larger, national context, showing that counseling psychologists' involvement is an integral part of a…

In September 1987, a task force met to review and prepare recommendations on the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) training needs within the public health field. Representatives on the task force included public health leaders from academia, state agencies, city and local health departments, public health associations, and individuals with…

During the first decades of the federal government's Indian boarding schools, stories of morbidity and mortality among students were prevalent. In August 1915 Commissioner of Indian Affairs Cato Sells arrived in San Francisco to address the Congress of Indian Progress, an organization dedicated to the social advancement of American Indians. Waxing…

The lack of adequate conceptualization of a public health strategy for alcohol abuse prevention contributes significantly to the problems of abuse in the black community. It is recommended that priority be given to the development of national policies on primary prevention services targeted for minority populations. (TJH)

In November 1987, a task force met to review the major organizational, structural, and policy-related issues for health care administration professionals related to the growing impact of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on the health care delivery system and to make recommendations on the training needs of persons within the health care…

The 1996 Surgeon General?s Report (SGR), "Physical Activity and Health," was one of the more significant U.S. Federal documents to outline national priorities for health and physical activity. In this monograph Marlene Tappe and Charlene Burgeson and Stephen Cone remind us that "Physical Activity and Health" was the third in a…

Discusses the individual, public health, and public policy. The author advocates a healthy public policy which stresses holistic health maintenance, small-scale local solutions to health problems, and an ecological approach to worldwide health problems. (AM)

Environmental quality is essential for all human activities. The relationship of environmental issues to other societal concerns such as the economy, agricultural productivity, and human health must be considered or human populations will perish. (WB)

Changes in how society thinks about health include holistic and self-actualizing approaches, community development solutions to health problems, national health problems, national health-promoting policy, renewed interest in the environment, and new roles for health professionals in reforming systems of health care and awareness. (SK)