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Uchitel J, Alden E, Bhutta ZA, Goldhagen J, Narayan AP, Raman S, Spencer N, Wertlieb D, Wettach J, Woolfenden S, Mikati MA. The Rights of Children for Optimal Development and Nurturing Care. Pediatrics 2019; 144:peds.2019-0487. [PMID: 31771960 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2019-0487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Millions of children are subjected to abuse, neglect, and displacement, and millions more are at risk for not achieving their developmental potential. Although there is a global movement to change this, driven by children's rights, progress is slow and impeded by political considerations. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a global comprehensive commitment to children's rights ratified by all countries in the world except the United States (because of concerns about impingement on sovereignty and parental authority), has a special General Comment on "Implementing Child Rights in Early Childhood." More recently, the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund have launched the Nurturing Care Framework for Early Childhood Development (ECD), which calls for public policies that promote nurturing care interventions and addresses 5 interrelated components that are necessary for optimal ECD. This move is also complemented by the Human Capital Project of the World Bank, providing a focus on the need for investments in child health and nutrition and their long-term benefits. In this article, we outline children's rights under international law, the underlying scientific evidence supporting attention to ECD, and the philosophy of nurturing care that ensures that children's rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled. We also provide pediatricians anywhere with the policy and rights-based frameworks that are essential for them to care for and advocate for children and families to ensure optimal developmental, health, and socioemotional outcomes. These recommendations do not necessarily reflect American Academy of Pediatrics policy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Errol Alden
- International Pediatric Association and Department of Pediatrics, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland
| | - Zulfiqar A Bhutta
- Division of Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University, Karachi, Pakistan.,Centre for Global Child Health, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Goldhagen
- Division of Community and Societal Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Jacksonville, Florida
| | | | - Shanti Raman
- International Pediatrics Association Standing Committee, International Society of Social Pediatrics and Child Health, Geneva, Switzerland.,Division of Community Pediatric, South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Nick Spencer
- Division of Mental Health and Wellbeing, Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Donald Wertlieb
- Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development, School of Arts and Sciences, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts
| | - Jane Wettach
- Duke Children's Law Clinic, School of Law, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina; and
| | - Sue Woolfenden
- Discipline of Paediatrics, School of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Mohamad A Mikati
- Division of Pediatric Neurology and .,Early Childhood Development Standing Advisory Group, International Pediatrics Association, St Louis, Missouri
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Kadir A, Shenoda S, Goldhagen J, Pitterman S, Suchdev PS, Chan KJ, Howard CR, McGann P, St Clair NE, Yun K, Arnold LD. The Effects of Armed Conflict on Children. Pediatrics 2018; 142:peds.2018-2586. [PMID: 30397168 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2018-2586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
More than 1 in 10 children worldwide are affected by armed conflict. The effects are both direct and indirect and are associated with immediate and long-term harm. The direct effects of conflict include death, physical and psychological trauma, and displacement. Indirect effects are related to a large number of factors, including inadequate and unsafe living conditions, environmental hazards, caregiver mental health, separation from family, displacement-related health risks, and the destruction of health, public health, education, and economic infrastructure. Children and health workers are targeted by combatants during attacks, and children are recruited or forced to take part in combat in a variety of ways. Armed conflict is both a toxic stress and a significant social determinant of child health. In this Technical Report, we review the available knowledge on the effects of armed conflict on children and support the recommendations in the accompanying Policy Statement on children and armed conflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayesha Kadir
- Centre for Social Paediatrics, Herlev Hospital, Herlev, Denmark
| | - Sherry Shenoda
- Division of Community and Societal Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine–Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida; and
| | - Jeffrey Goldhagen
- Division of Community and Societal Pediatrics, University of Florida College of Medicine–Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida; and
| | - Shelly Pitterman
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Regional Representative for the United States and the Caribbean, Washington, District of Columbia
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Smith KE, Stewart EA. Academic advocacy in public health: Disciplinary 'duty' or political 'propaganda'? Soc Sci Med 2017; 189:35-43. [PMID: 28780438 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.07.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2016] [Revised: 07/17/2017] [Accepted: 07/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
The role of 'advocacy' within public health attracts considerable debate but is rarely the subject of empirical research. This paper reviews the available literature and presents data from qualitative research (interviews and focus groups conducted in the UK in 2011-2013) involving 147 professionals (working in academia, the public sector, the third sector and policy settings) concerned with public health in the UK. It seeks to address the following questions: (i) What is public health advocacy and how does it relate to research?; (ii) What role (if any) do professionals concerned with public health feel researchers ought to play in advocacy?; and (iii) For those researchers who do engage in advocacy, what are the risks and challenges and to what extent can these be managed/mitigated? In answering these questions, we argue that two deeply contrasting conceptualisations of 'advocacy' exist within public health, the most dominant of which ('representational') centres on strategies for 'selling' public health goals to decision-makers and the wider public. This contrasts with an alternative (less widely employed) conceptualisation of advocacy as 'facilitational'. This approach focuses on working with communities whose voices are often unheard/ignored in policy to enable their views to contribute to debates. We argue that these divergent ways of thinking about advocacy speak to a more fundamental challenge regarding the role of the public in research, policy and practice and the activities that connect these various strands of public health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Smith
- Global Public Health Unit, School of Social & Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9LD, Scotland, UK.
| | - E A Stewart
- Centre for Population Health Sciences, Usher Institute, Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9AG, Scotland, UK
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Persson LÅ, Rahman A, Peña R, Perez W, Musafili A, Hoa DP. Child survival revolutions revisited - lessons learned from Bangladesh, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Vietnam. Acta Paediatr 2017; 106:871-877. [PMID: 28295602 PMCID: PMC5450127 DOI: 10.1111/apa.13830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2016] [Revised: 02/05/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Analysing child mortality may enhance our perspective on global achievements in child survival. We used data from surveillance sites in Bangladesh, Nicaragua and Vietnam and Demographic Health Surveys in Rwanda to explore the development of neonatal and under‐five mortality. The mortality curves showed dramatic reductions over time, but child mortality in the four countries peaked during wars and catastrophes and was rapidly reduced by targeted interventions, multisectorial development efforts and community engagement. Conclusion: Lessons learned from these countries may be useful when tackling future challenges, including persistent neonatal deaths, survival inequalities and the consequences of climate change and migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Åke Persson
- International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH); Department of Women's and Children's Health; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
- Department of Disease Control; Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; London UK
| | - Anisur Rahman
- International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr,b); Dhaka Bangladesh
| | - Rodolfo Peña
- International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH); Department of Women's and Children's Health; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
- Pan American Health Organization; San Salvador El Salvador
| | - Wilton Perez
- International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH); Department of Women's and Children's Health; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
| | - Aimable Musafili
- International Maternal and Child Health (IMCH); Department of Women's and Children's Health; Uppsala University; Uppsala Sweden
- Pediatric and Child Health Department; University of Rwanda; Kigali Rwanda
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