Foreword

Article Outline

• Copyright

Much has been made recently of the United States’ rather dismal showing in health status among industrialized nations [UNICEF. Progress For Children: A Child Survival Report Card (Volume 1, 2004)]. While there is no doubt that we could and should be doing better for the health of American children, the contrast between the health of children in the developed countries compared with countries that are still struggling economically is stunning. A child in the least developed countries of the world is more than 30 times more likely to die before age 5 than a child born in an industrialized nation.

Many pediatric health care providers in the developed world want to help in some way—and the best way to start is to become informed. In this issue of Current Problems in Pediatric and Adolescent Health Care, Melanie Rosenberg of Children’s National Medical Center describes the state of global child health, the causes of these huge disparities, and some of the potential solutions to the problem. This thorough review will not only make you better informed, it might also inspire you to spend some time helping to solve these problems! Research, policy change, and on-the-ground clinical work are all ways we as pediatric health care providers can contribute. The AAP’s section on International Child Health is an excellent place to get started: http://www.aap.org/sections/ich/aboutus.htm.

We commissioned this issue and chose to publish it in October of 2007 in response to an initiative by the Council of Science Editors. Over 200 journals worldwide will participate in the Global Theme Issue on Poverty and Human Development in October 2007, simultaneously publishing articles on this important topic to raise awareness and interest and to stimulate research into poverty and human development. To see the list of journals, go to: http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/globalthemeissue.cfm. CPPAH is proud to be a part of this international effort.