Psychiatric services in the former Soviet Union were characterized by high rates of institutionalization and a strong focus on biological treatment. In the post-Soviet states, these features remain—there is strong resistance to the introduction of modern, community-based, and user-oriented services [1]. In many cases, psychiatric reform programs have come to a halt or even been reversed [2]. It...

Volunteer service opportunities for older adults may soon be expanded. Although volunteering is thought to provide health benefits for healthier older adults, it is not known whether older adults in less than very good health are suitable candidates for high-intensity volunteering and can derive health benefits. This manuscript presents a prospective analysis of 174 older adult volunteers servi...

DOES HEALTH HOOPS KENTUCKY IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA? Yu-Ting Chen, M.P.H. November 12,2010 Asthma is the most common chronic disease among children aged 7 to 17 years of age in the United States. An average, one of every ten school-aged children has asthma, and 13 million school days are missed each year due to asthma. Interventions to prevent or reduce the severity of asthma ...

Making meaningful contact with marginalized populations is a challenge that public health practitioners continually face. Vulnerable populations that are targeted in health promotion initiatives are frequent users of community-based organizations, making these agencies an important point of contact. The relationships communitybased organizations have with vulnerable populations are under-utiliz...

November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month. Epilepsy is a brain disorder characterized by recurrent seizures and affects an estimated 2.3 million adults and 450,000 children in the United States (1,2). Eighty-seven percent of parents of children with epilepsy have reported needing care coordination, and of these, 45% had unmet needs (3). Community-based care coordination can improve outcomes...

Whether and when genomics will lead to public health benefit via reductions in chronic disease burden has provided fodder for debate (1,2). A point of agreement among both proponents and skeptics is that directing genomics research to achieve this end will require integration of knowledge across multiple disciplines and levels of analysis (i.e., biological, behavioral, social, and environmental...

Children's School Placement in Germany: Does Kindergarten Attendance Matter? The positive effects of early childhood programs on children's school success have been demonstrated in the literature. However, most studies were completed in the U.S.A., where early childhood programs vary widely, based on differing auspice, regulation, cost, and other factors. In European countries, early childhood ...