Books in the SpringerBriefs in Public Health series

This concise volume guides public health advocates on how to successfully advocate for their cause, strengthen their messaging and communication strategies, build coalitions, and gather political allies.In the book, the author shares lessons learned from an exploratory study in which key legislators from the Massachusetts General Court (legislature) were interviewed to determine their level of awareness and knowledge regarding health disparities. Racial and ethnic disparities in health are a major concern for citizens, states, and the nation and are important to study and understand to strategically address and eliminate such inequities. Through these lessons, public health advocates gain an understanding of whether and how factors affect knowledge and awareness of health disparities and learn to communicate more effectively with legislators, key stakeholders, and other decision-makers. The brief also features ΓÇ£Notes from the Field" from those working in the "trenches" that highlight different perspectives on health disparities and provide first-hand advice for advocates hoping to close the disparities gaps and create a more equitable nation for all.  Successful Public Health Advocacy is a relevant resource for advocates, as well as students, in public health, public policy, and related fields who wish to gain a better understanding on how legislators gather their health information for policy-making or constituent work and apply this data to develop and implement effective public health advocacy campaigns.  

This open access book is a collection of research papers on COVID-19 by Germán Velásquez from 2020 and early 2021 that help to answer the question: How can an agency like the World Health Organization (WHO) be given a stronger voice to exercise authority and leadership? The considerable health, economic and social challenges that the world faced at the beginning of 2020 with COVID-19 continued and worsened in many parts of the world in the second-half of 2020 and into 2021. Many of these countries and nations wanted to explore COVID-19 on their own, sometimes without listening to the main international health bodies such as WHO, an agency of the United Nations system with long-standing experience and vast knowledge at the global level and of which all countries in the world are members. In this single volume, the chapters present the progress of thinking and debate ¿ particularly in relation to drugs and vaccines ¿ that wouldenable a response to the COVID-19 pandemic or to subsequent crises that may arise. Among the topics covered:COVID-19 Vaccines: Between Ethics, Health and EconomicsMedicines and Intellectual Property: 10 Years of the WHO Global StrategyRe-thinking Global and Local Manufacturing of Medical Products After COVID-19Rethinking R&D for Pharmaceutical Products After the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 ShockIntellectual Property and Access to Medicines and VaccinesThe World Health Organization Reforms in the Time of COVID-19Vaccines, Medicines and COVID-19: How Can WHO Be Given a Stronger Voice? is essential reading for negotiators from the 194 member countries of the World Health Organization (WHO); World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) staff participating in these negotiations; academics and students of public health, medicine, health sciences, law, sociology and political science; and intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations that follow the issue of access to treatments and vaccines for COVID-19.

As a follow-up to COVID-19 in New York City: an Ecology of Race and Class Oppression, which showed that decades of discriminatory public policies shaped the Bronx into the epicenter of the first wave of COVID-19, this book examines the build up to the crest and subsequent ebbing of the second wave of COVID-19 across the 62 counties of New York State (NYS) and 152 ZIP Code areas of the four central boroughs of New York City (NYC). Like its predecessor, the sequel examines the vulnerabilities that give rise to spikes in infection rates that form epicenters. Unlike the first wave, NYC was not the epicenter of the second wave; high-incident counties just outside NYS formed an extended initial epicenter and exported COVID-19 to neighboring counties of NYS. Rural NYS counties differed significantly from urban ones socioeconomically and in infection rates during the cresting period. Before the crest, no socioeconomic factor was associated with county infection rates; rather, the major associating factor was political and cultural: percent of the 2020 vote garnered by Trump. Rural counties voted heavily for Trump. This association disappeared post-crest by mid-January 2021. In NYC, the Bronx again behaved like a single high-incidence entity, unlike the other three boroughs that had patches of high and low infection incidence. Among the topics covered:The Second COVID Wave Washes Over New York StateThe Second Wave Storm-Surges Across New York CityDiscussion of County Data from the Second Wave of COVID-19Parsing Meaning From the 152 ZIP Code Data The book closes with a prescription for pandemic response planning based on empowered communities and workers interacting with health departments as equals. The Recurrence of COVID-19 in New York State and New York City is a valuableresource for social epidemiologists, public health researchers of health disparities, those in public service tasked with addressing these problems, and infectious disease scientists who focus on spread in human populations of new zoonotic diseases. The brief also will find readership among students in these fields, civil rights scholars, science writers, medical anthropologists and sociologists, medical and public health historians, public health economists, and public policy scientists.

This book prepares and guides individuals who are about to embark (or already have embarked) on a health/medical PhD journey, with a specific focus on Public Health. Based on the author''s experience as a recently graduated Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) student, readers benefit from the knowledge imparted and lessons learned, including an analysis of the different aspects of a Public Health doctoral degree, and practical tips and guidance on how to go about this journey from the initial phase of choosing a research niche up until the oral examination (also called defence). All throughout the book, the author shares examples from her own journey to show that in spite of sacrifices and hurdles along the way, hard work, perseverance, and supportive resources can help see you through, eventually, to a hopefully positive outcome at the end.Using an informal style, the author provides a step-wise guide, from chapter to chapter, on the various essential aspects that need to be considered, including:The initial steps towards a PhDProposal, permissions and fundingThe fieldworkThe art of data analysisThe hurdles along the way ΓÇô a personal experienceWhat comes after the completion of a PhD?Intended to be a compact go-to guide for students throughout their PhD journey, both from an academic and personal perspective, To Do or Not to Do a PhD? engages readers who are about to enroll in or who already have started a PhD, especially in public health, epidemiology, and health/medical fields of study. The brief also would appeal to postgraduate and undergraduate students who are interested in learning about how to write a research proposal, draft a scientific paper for publication in a journal, or prepare a thesis.

This salient resource offers clinicians a comprehensive multi-tiered framework for identifying, addressing, and reducing food insecurity among children and their families. Reinforcing the importance of food insecurity as a key social determinant of health, this monograph reviews the epidemiology and presents in-depth guidelines for screening for food insecurity and hunger. Recommendations for screening in a busy clinical setting as well as the strengths and limitations of widely-used instruments are discussed. The monograph also outlines a variety of clinic-level interventions, potential community-based resources, and opportunities for clinical-community partnerships to improve familiesΓÇÖ food access and security. Further, contributors provide workable plans for large-scale advocacy through greater engagement with professional and community resources as well as policymakers.  The monograph concludes with an outline of the critical steps to implement a food insecurity screening process and the key components to train the next generation of provider-advocates. Included in the coverage:          Epidemiology and pathophysiology of food insecurity        Screening tools and training         Scope of interventions to address food insecurity        Creation and evaluation of the impact of food insecurity-focused clinical-community partnerships on patients and populations         Development of an action plan to fight food insecurityIdentifying and Addressing Childhood Food Insecurity in Healthcare and Community Settings will find an engaged audience among physicians and other clinicians who want to address food insecurity in their healthcare and/or community setting. Institutions that are starting to address social determinants of health, including food insecurity, will find guidance on screening tools, processes and evaluation of impact.                                                                                                             

Chapter 1. Incidence and Prevalence of Child Sexual AbuseChapter 2. Clinical PerspectiveChapter 3. Related Issues Chapter 4. Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Coping Strategies among Child-Serving ProfessionalsChapter 5. Policy Direction-Focus on Prevention

This timely resource brings child health to the forefront of global health and the crucial goal of universal equity of care. Its resource-based framework offers contemporary perspective on factors driving child health disparities, specific vulnerabilities of underserved children, and ways readers can become effective advocates for children. The book critiques current child health policy worldwide, examining both policies that are helping to alleviate and are contributing to further inequities. And the authors provide an extensive toolkit to aid professionals in multidimensional screening for child, newborn, maternal, and post-natal health as well as socioeconomic determinants of health. Included in the coverage:┬╖  What is global health? ┬╖  The current state of global child health and disparities ┬╖  Global health disparities in high-resource settings ┬╖  Pathologies disproportionally affecting the underserved ┬╖  Policy and advocacy framework ┬╖  Navigating the domestic resources (an advocateΓÇÖs well child check) Global Child Health will find a ready audience among child health providers (physicians, advanced practice providers, nursing staff, social workers, allied healthcare providers, public health professionals), medical educators (medical schools, departments of pediatrics, schools of public health, nursing schools and programs, schools of allied health), and child health policymakers (staff at USAID, Health and Human Services, health services researchers in child and global health policy, health advocacy-related nonprofit organizations).

This book looks at health policy through the lens of public versus private: population health versus the somatic, social, or emotional experiences of a patient.

Reviews implications for the public health workforce. Integrative Health Services benefits public health students, pre-med students, and those with an interest in health policy and health trends.

This compelling book examines mortality risk among former Hispanic and African-American players in Major League Baseball (MLB) during the 40-year period following desegregation in the League. Analyzing a variety of biological, cultural, social, and environmental factors, the author illustrates the potential health effects of racial disparities on these elite athletes and fills a significant gap in the mortality literature.Included in the coverage:The history and evolution of professional baseball in both the United States and Latin AmericaLiterature and statistical reviews of racial and ethnic inequalities in mortality in the US general populationOverview and evaluation of methodologies used to statistically analyze mortality risk in this professional-athlete populationImplications and applications of research findings related to Hispanic and African-American MLB-player mortalityA unique perspective on a pressing public health issue, Mortality Among Hispanic and African-American Players After Desegregation in Major League Baseball is a salient read for public health professionals including epidemiologists, medical professionals, and social scientists, as well as athletes, historians, and those with broad interest in African American and Latino health.

This innovative resource offers a unique, multidisciplinary approach for the utilization of planning theory to eliminate health disparities in rural communities. The book provides tools in the public health, policy, and planning disciplines to help resolve significant differences in life expectancy and quality of life in these communities, concluding with a progressive vision for alleviating geographical health disparities on a local, national, and global scale. Chapters highlight models and approaches best suited to addressing this public health concern, suggesting action strategies focused around each of the three focus areas:1. Public health: Elucidation of the contextual factors impacting the health of rural communities by: reporting statistical updates on a range of chronic and infectious diseases that disproportionately affect rural populations both globally and in the U.S.; providing discourse on the importance of addressing critical social determinants (global and national) that impede optimal health outcomes among rural populations; and, acknowledging the compositional factors of individuals who reside in rural spaces.2. Public policy: Application of specific policy models to garner both public and political will towards sustainable policy change to improve healthy living in rural spaces.3. Rural planning: Identification of national and international planning models that can be used to design strategic plans targeted to improve quality of life, create sustainable development, and establish economic well-being and growth in rural communities.Rural Health Disparities: Public Health, Policy, and Planning Approaches will find an engaged audience among non-profit organizations, planners, public health practitioners, policy analysts, and public interest groups, as well as rural health advocates and students enrolled in planning, public policy, and/or public health courses.

This timely Brief offers up-to-date findings about bullying--from trends and outcomes to assessment and identification--and workable approaches to combat this social epidemic on multiple fronts. The book examines links between bullying and mental health issues, the complex dynamics between bully and bullied (especially since bullies themselves may be victimized by others) and new challenges presented by youth involvement in social media. Effects of whole-school interventions involving students, teachers, and administrators, on bullying and its consequences, are concisely presented. And clinicians have guidelines for coordinating with children, parents, schools and the community. Included in the coverage:State statutes and federal anti-bullying efforts.A parent''s perspective on the bullying of special-needs children.School-based prevention programs.Bullying and special populations.Parent strategies to reduce cyber-bullying.Best practices for promoting awareness and advocacy.Practical Strategies for Clinical Management of Bullying is an important reference for clinicians, parents, professionals at child-serving agencies and organizations, school administrators and staff, policymakers and child advocates. Its coverage strikes the right balance between intervention and prevention, with effective methods for helping victims--and bullies--heal.

This thought-provoking treatise argues that current human fertility rates are fueling a public health crisis that is at once local and global. Its analysis and data summarize the ecological costs of having children, presenting ethical dilemmas for prospective parents in an era of competition for scarce resources, huge disparities of wealth and poverty, and unsustainable practices putting irreparable stress on the planet. Questions of individual responsibility and integrity as well as personal moral and procreative issues are examined carefully against larger and more long-range concerns. The authorΓÇÖs assertion that even modest efforts toward reducing global fertility rates would help curb carbon emissions, slow rising global temperatures, and forestall large-scale climate disaster is well reasoned and more than plausible.Among the topics covered: ┬╖         The multiplier effect: food, water, energy, and climate.┬╖         The role of population in mitigating climate change.┬╖         The carbon legacy of procreation.┬╖         Obligations to our possible children.┬╖         Rights, what is right, and the right to do wrong.┬╖         The moral burden to have small families.Toward a Small Family Ethic sounds a clarion call for bioethics students and working bioethicists. This brief, thought-rich volume steers readers toward challenges that need to be met, and consequences that will need to be addressed if they are not.