International Handbook on Adolescent Health and Development: The Public Health Response

This comprehensive reference uses an ecological perspective to sort out the complex mix of biological, psychological, social, and other factors influencing adolescent health as well as shaping professional responses to the needs of adolescents. Describing critical concerns at the global level and innovative strategies from selected countries, the book urges readers to develop and support practices and policies to enhance optimal youth development. Expert coverage centers on key areas: the global state of adolescent health and development, adolescent health issues and public health answers, making health systems more responsive to youth, and improving school health services. And bedrock themes such as social determinants of health, young people’s right to health care, and health and gender disparities are discussed throughout these chapters.  Included among the topics: • The epidemiology of adolescent health • Adolescent sexual health and sexuality education • Restorative justice and the mental wellbeing of adolescents • Critical issues in adolescent nutrition: needs and recommendations • Towards an adolescent competent workforce • Pairing children with health services: thechanging role of school health services in the 21st century The International Handbook on Adolescent Health and Development is essential to medical schools, public schools, and college libraries; teaching faculty; graduate and post-graduate students in public health, medicine, social work, other behavioral sciences and health disciplines (e.g., nursing, allied heath); as well as practitioners interested in better orienting their services to the health needs of adolescents.

Table of Contents:
Introduction.- Establishing Global Standards for the Provision of Adolescent Health Care and Services.- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health.- Mental Health.- Violence and Injuries.- Nutrition and Physical Activity.- Special Considerations for Adolescents with Chronic Conditions.- Adolescent Evolving Capacity and Autonomous Decision Making.- Adolescent Responsive Health Systems.- Adolescent Health Competencies Needed by Health Care Workers.- Financial Responsibility and Universal Access to Care.

About the Author :
Mary E. Dillon, EdD, MSW, has been working in the social services field since the late 1980s, during which time she began working with homeless women and children. Her interest in women's issues led to her working as the executive director of a non-profit after-school program for high-at-risk adolescent girls and their families located in inner-city Miami, Florida. Her research and interest in drug and alcohol abuse and teen pregnancy led to two book chapters in 2001 and 2002 entitled "Adolescent and Teen Pregnancy: A Global View" and "Abuse of Alcohol and Other Drugs: A Global View." From 2003 to 2008, Dr. Dillon was an associate evaluator on the OU Oklahoma Co-occurring State Incentive Grant, a SAMSHA-funded program. Her primary focus of research is on women who present with the co-occurring disorders of mental health and substance abuse. While in Oklahoma, she was an adjunct professor in the University of Oklahoma School of Social Work in Tulsa. Dr. Dillon co-­authored abook entitled Social Work Practice: Using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders published in 2010. In 2014, she was co-editor of a book entitled International Handbook of Adolescent Pregnancy: Medical, Psychosocial, and Public Health Responses. Since 2011, she has held the position of lecturer at University of Central Florida, School of Social Work in Orlando. Andrew L. Cherry, DSW, has been working in the helping professions since 1969. He previously worked as a psychiatric social worker at Bryce Hospital (a mental hospital) in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Between 2003 and 2014, he has held the position of the Oklahoma Medicaid Endowed Professor of Mental Health at the University of Oklahoma School Of Social Work in Tulsa. Professor Cherry conducts research and evaluations in the areas of co-occurring disorders, addiction, social services to children and families, and the influence of social bonds on human behavior. Hehas authored 18 books and chapters, numerous professional journal articles, and conference presentations. His most recent book, co-authored with Mary Dillon and published in 2014, is titled, International Handbook of Adolescent Pregnancy: Medical, Psychosocial, and Public Health Responses. Valentina Baltag, MD, MSc, PhD, is responsible for Adolescent Health Policies, Planning and Programmes in the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health at the Headquarters of the World Health Organization. She is a strong advocate of adolescents' rights to quality health care services and protective social policies. Dr. Baltag's work focuses on supporting Member States to develop and implement comprehensive policies that address adolescent health from a life-course perspective and include a focus on main areas of concern such as sexual and reproductive health, mental health, nutrition, violence, etc. Dr. Baltag is a medical doctor and holds a PhD from the Medical University in Chisinau, Republic of Moldova and an MSc in Public Health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She authored publications on primary care organization, quality of care, school health services, and preconception care.