Publication: Critical Health Issues for Children and Youth

• Behrman, Richard E.

The varied topics selected for this issue of the journal are
individually very important to the future of children. In
addition, several themes recur in these articles despite
the diversity of subject matter. In one way or another, the
family is central to each of the health problems faced by
children and youth whether the issue is ambulatory illness,
care of an infant of a single mother, or the violent
behavior of a teenager from a two-parent household.
Further, the need for an effective public health
infrastructure cuts across many of the issues from the
untoward consequences of involuntary smoke exposure to
protecting adolescents from the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Finally,
an appreciation of ethnic differences in the United States
is increasingly important to helping children and youth
overcome the financial and nonfinancial barriers to
obtaining health care, whether the issue is private health
insurance coverage or public education relating to
violence, HIV/AIDS, or smoking.

The articles presented here summarize knowledge and
experience in selected areas that we believe are relevant
to improving public policies in the United States which
have an impact on the well-being of children and youth. We
hope the information and analyses these articles contain
will further understanding of the important issues and thus
contribute to reasonable changes in policies which will
benefit children and youth.