"Diseases related to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene are a huge burden in developing countries. It is estimated that 88% of diarrhoeal disease is caused by unsafe water supply, and inadequate sanitation and hygiene (WHO, 2004c). Many schools serve communities that have a high prevalence of diseases related to inadequate water supply, sanitation and hygiene, and where child malnutrition and other underlying health problems are common. Schools, particularly those in rural areas, often completely lack drinking-water and sanitation and handwashing facilities; alternatively, where such facilities do exist they are often inadequate in both quality and quantity. Schools with poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, and intense levels of person-to-person contact, are high-risk environments for children and staff, and exacerbate children's particular susceptibility to environmental health hazards. Children's ability to learn may be affected by inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene conditions in several ways. These include helminth infections (which affect hundreds of millions of school-age children), long-term exposure to chemical contaminants in water (e.g. lead and arsenic), diarrhoeal diseases and malaria infections, all of which force many schoolchildren to be absent from school. Poor environmental conditions in the classroom can also make both teaching and learning very difficult. Girls and boys are likely to be affected in different ways by inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene conditions in schools, and this may contribute to unequal learning opportunities. Sometimes, girls and female teachers are more affected than boys because the lack of sanitary facilities means that they cannot attend school during menstruation. The international policy environment increasingly reflects these issues. Providing adequate levels of water supply, sanitation and hygiene in schools is of direct relevance to the United Nations (UN) Millennium Development Goals of achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equality and reducing child mortality. It is also supportive of other goals, especially those on major diseases and infant mortality." - p. iii

This comprehensive handbook provides an authoritative source of information on global water and health, suitable for interdisciplinary teaching for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students. It covers both developing and developed country concerns. It is organized into sections covering: hazards (including disease, chemicals and other contaminants); exposure; interventions; intervention implementation; distal influences; policies and their implementation; investigative tools; and historic cases. It offers 71 analytical and engaging chapters, each representing a session of teaching or graduate seminar. Written by a team of expert authors from around the world, many of whom are actively teaching the subject, the book provides a thorough and balanced overview of current knowledge, issues and relevant debates, integrating information from the environmental, health and social sciences.

The Nutrition-Friendly Schools Initiative (NFSI) was developed in 2006 to provide a framework for ensuring integrated school-based programmes which address the double burden of nutrition-related ill health and to become the nutrition module of the Health Promoting Schools. The NFSI has since been used around the world, including as a self-appraisal tool for schools in 18 countries, in national NFSI programmes and as part of academic research and evaluation projects. The NFSI Framework outlines 26 essential criteria within five broad components: 1. school nutrition policies, 2. awareness and capacity building of the school community, 3. nutrition and health promoting curricula, 4. supportive school environment for good nutrition, and 5. supportive school nutrition and health services. This review summarizes the synthesized evidence from 117 reviews identified as relating to the five components and the 26 essential criteria of the NFSI. The findings may be used — in conjunction with existing UN and WHO guidance and tools — to inform the work of governments, policy-makers and researchers concerned with school-based health and nutrition promotion programmes and initiatives.

This book outlines the findings and suggestions of the Law and Society Association’s International Research Collaborations, which focused on the African Union’s Agenda 2063. This outlined the ideal Africa aspired to by the year 2063: ‘the Africa we want’. The authors examine socio-economic rights issues and their impact on developing a strong educational agenda that can drive Africa to realize Agenda 2063. As Africa’s development has remained slow in the face of many challenges, the need to embrace good governance, rule of law and human rights obligations are major tools to realize the continent’s potential. The project focuses in particular on the central place of education law and policy in achieving the goals of Agenda 2063.

Women around the world are dealing with hormone and menstrual problems; evidence linking high levels of menstrual distress to harmful health effects continues to emerge. Premenstrual, or late luteal, menstrual misery is quite frequent, with many women reporting physiological and psychological symptoms linked with it. Additionally, hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle have been linked to a variety of unpleasant mental and physical symptoms. Further study on the many challenges and health concerns associated with menstrual and premenstrual distress is required to provide women with appropriate support and treatment. Perspectives on Coping Strategies for Menstrual and Premenstrual Distress sheds light on the various distress tolerance approaches and coping strategies during menstrual and premenstrual phases and highlights some of the contemporary issues and problems faced by women in today’s era. Covering key topics such as alternative medicine, stressors, menstrual health, and cognitive coping, this reference work is ideal for healthcare professionals, nurses, policymakers, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, instructors, and students.

In Poland, for almost three decades, education in the field of public health has been provided in medical universities with the aim of creating an expert workforce to ensure appropriate action in this area. The book draws on the experience and knowledge of teachers associated with the School of Public Health of the Jagiellonian University – undoubtedly a leading institution in the country in this area – but experts from other centres also were invited in order to provide content of an appropriately high quality. (...) The textbook on public health, edited by professor Stanisława Golinowska, is highly recommended not only to medical university students, but also to all persons involved in health protection activities in Poland. For all interested in public health, this is must-read. Prof. Zbigniew Gaciong, MD, Medical University of Warsaw This textbook perfectly addresses the health challenges of the contemporary stage of civilization development in which public health is becoming an extremely complex and at the same time, dynamically evolving field. The scope of the textbook is clearly defined and its division into chapters and within them, into sections dedicated to specific issues, facilitates the search for the required content. The textbook also provides a wholesome understanding of public health, which covers the theoretical foundations, an overview of problems and challenges, as well as a description of the tools used both in research and in public policy at multiple levels: global, European, national and local. Prof. Andrzej M. Fal, Wrocław Medical University, President of the Polish Society of Public Health