Handbook of Life Course Health Development

This handbook springs from the 2013 MCH Life Course Research Agenda-Setting Meeting organized by the Life Course Research Network (LCRN) and funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration-Maternal and Child Health (HRSA-MCHB) and represents a groundbreaking effort to:Explore the history and theory of the field of life course health developmental science Take stock of what is known and not known about how health is maintained and disease develops Provide practitioners and policymakers with guidance regarding the kinds of interventions and efforts that can be beneficial Lay the foundation for a life course health development research agenda that will help both researchers and funding entities strategically target their resources The handbook synthesizes and analyzes countless studies that have been conducted during the past several decades linking early life events and experiences with adult health conditions, delineating the developmental origins of common chronic health conditions, and specifying the processes by which both adversity and opportunity are embedded into developing bio-behavioral systems. It not only seeks to establish greater understanding of the processes by which health is maintained and disease develops but also increase awareness of the kinds of individual- and population-level strategies that have the potential to optimize health by minimizing the impact of adversity, increasing protective factors, and targeting health-promoting interventions to coincide with sensitive periods of health development. The handbook focuses its editorial lens on the growing momentum between researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to connect the dots between what we know and what we do - that is, between the rapidly expanding evidence base from the emerging field of life course health developmental science and the practices and policies that are implemented within the fields of medicine, public health, nursing, mental health, education, urban planning, community development, social welfare, among others. At the same time, there is a strong impetus among researchers to continue to fill the substantial gaps in knowledge and to ensure that research findings are appropriately synthesized and translated before being applied on the ground. Each chapter is written by a team of leading experts that, in most cases, spans several disciplines and, therefore, reflects a wide range of perspectives on how innovative research, practice, and policy can begin to address the most pressing health challenges. The Handbook of Life Course Health Development Science is a must-have resource for researchers, clinicians and related professionals, and graduate students in developmental psychology/science, maternal and child health, social work, health economics, educational policy and politics, and medical law as well as many interrelated subdisciplines across the fields of psychology, medicine, public health, mental health, education, social welfare, economics, sociology, law, and more.