Measures Of Early Life Brain Health At Population Level

Brain health is increasingly attracting attention thanks to scientific and technological advances. Investing in brain health across the life course through education, access to health care, and healthy environments is essential for meeting modern societal challenges and driving innovation. However, there is no simple, direct or global metric to measure brain health across the life. Existing efforts to quantify for instance early-life brain health rely on proxy measures such as stunting and extreme poverty, account only for individual aspects of brain functioning and fail to include direct measures of brain structure. With the intent to overcome these shortfalls, WHO convened an interdisciplinary expert group in May 2023 to discuss the development of a brain health measurement framework with a focus on early life. Meeting attendees concluded that an ideal brain health metric would combine psychometrics, neuroimaging and neuro-modelling, incorporate important brain health determinants and be able to predict relevant outcomes later in life.

More children born today will survive to adulthood than at any time in history. It is now time to emphasize health and development in middle childhood and adolescence--developmental phases that are critical to health in adulthood and the next generation. Child and Adolescent Health and Development explores the benefits that accrue from sustained and targeted interventions across the first two decades of life. The volume outlines the investment case for effective, costed, and scalable interventions for low-resource settings, emphasizing the cross-sectoral role of education. This evidence base can guide policy makers in prioritizing actions to promote survival, health, cognition, and physical growth throughout childhood and adolescence.

How we raise young children is one of today's most highly personalized and sharply politicized issues, in part because each of us can claim some level of "expertise." The debate has intensified as discoveries about our development-in the womb and in the first months and years-have reached the popular media. How can we use our burgeoning knowledge to assure the well-being of all young children, for their own sake as well as for the sake of our nation? Drawing from new findings, this book presents important conclusions about nature-versus-nurture, the impact of being born into a working family, the effect of politics on programs for children, the costs and benefits of intervention, and other issues. The committee issues a series of challenges to decision makers regarding the quality of child care, issues of racial and ethnic diversity, the integration of children's cognitive and emotional development, and more. Authoritative yet accessible, From Neurons to Neighborhoods presents the evidence about "brain wiring" and how kids learn to speak, think, and regulate their behavior. It examines the effect of the climate-family, child care, community-within which the child grows.

The anthrax incidents following the 9/11 terrorist attacks put the spotlight on the nation's public health agencies, placing it under an unprecedented scrutiny that added new dimensions to the complex issues considered in this report. The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century reaffirms the vision of Healthy People 2010, and outlines a systems approach to assuring the nation's health in practice, research, and policy. This approach focuses on joining the unique resources and perspectives of diverse sectors and entities and challenges these groups to work in a concerted, strategic way to promote and protect the public's health. Focusing on diverse partnerships as the framework for public health, the book discusses: The need for a shift from an individual to a population-based approach in practice, research, policy, and community engagement. The status of the governmental public health infrastructure and what needs to be improved, including its interface with the health care delivery system. The roles nongovernment actors, such as academia, business, local communities and the media can play in creating a healthy nation. Providing an accessible analysis, this book will be important to public health policy-makers and practitioners, business and community leaders, health advocates, educators and journalists.

This book examines the current research in gene-environment transactions (GEX) and its potential use in developing interventions and applications tailored to individual genetic makeups. Key concepts underlying GEX studies in this area are defined, identifying fundamental challenges in devising informed research questions and conducting valid and useful experiments. Chapters analyze GEX models inspired by the present day genome-based frameworks, particularly in terms of advances in identifying and understanding complex environmental factors, using examples from common psychological conditions, such as antisocial behavior, chronic physical aggression, and chronic internalizing disorder. In addition, the book presents new and potential applications of the framework in the contexts of prevention science and intervention research. Topics featured in this book include: Epigenetics and the biology of gene x environment interactions. Gene by environment interactions and its potential use for intervention strategies in anxiety disorders. The challenges and potential for research on gene-environment interactions within autism spectrum disorder. Using genetically informed prevention trials to test gene x environment hypothese. Challenges for intervention research within the GEX framework. Gene-Environment Transactions in Developmental Psychopathology is a must-have resource for researchers/professors, clinicians, and related professionals as well as graduate students in developmental psychology, psychiatry, human genetics, and related disciplines.

Mental, neurological and substance use (MNS) disorders are highly prevalent, accounting for a substantial burden of disease and disability globally. In order to bridge the gap between available resources and the significant need for services, the World Health Organization launched the Mental Health Gap Action Programme (mhGAP). The objective of mhGAP is to scale-up care and services using evidence-based interventions for prevention and management of priority MNS conditions. The mhGAP Intervention Guide version 1.0 for MNS disorders for non-specialist health settings was developed in 2010 as a simple technical tool to allow for integrated management of priority MNS conditions using protocols for clinical decision-making. With uptake in over 90 countries, mhGAP-IG 1.0 version has had widespread success. It is our pleasure to present mhGAP version 2.0, with updates incorporating new evidence-based guidance, enhanced usability, and new sections to expand its use by both health care providers as well as programme managers. It is our hope that this guide will continue to provide the road-map to deliver care and services for people with MNS disorders around the world and lead us closer to achieving the goal of universal health coverage.

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.