Geographies of children and young people is a rapidly emerging sub-discipline within human geography. There is now a critical mass of established academic work, key names within academia, growing numbers of graduate students and expanding numbers of university level taught courses. There are also professional training programmes at national scales and in international contexts that work specifically with children and young people. In addition to a productive journal of Children’s Geographies, there’s a range of monographs, textbooks and edited collections focusing on children and young people published by all the major academic presses then there is a substantive body of work on younger people within human geography and active authors and researchers working within international contexts to warrant a specific Major Reference Work on children’s and young people’s geographies. The volumes and sections are structured by themes, which then reflect the broader geographical locations of the research.

Volume numbers determined from Scope of the guidelines, p. 12-13.

There is an increased emphasis on promoting wellbeing, active engagement and preventive measures in healthcare, rather than treating sickness alone. This innovative book follows this trend by making a case for the role of play and playfulness in public health. Drawing on a broad range of research evidence and practice experience, this book looks at the impact of play on brain development, the early years, end-of-life experiences, building good relationships, family life, the healthy workplace, interactions with digital worlds and our surroundings. Discussing the art and science of public health, it explores creative approaches for drawing society's more vulnerable members in as well as for introducing playfulness into the mainstream. Outlining the benefits that play and playfulness can confer on health and wellbeing, this book is an important resource for students, academics and practitioners interested in play, creative approaches to health and wellbeing, and public health.

Physical inactivity is a key determinant of health across the lifespan. A lack of activity increases the risk of heart disease, colon and breast cancer, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, osteoporosis, anxiety and depression and others diseases. Emerging literature has suggested that in terms of mortality, the global population health burden of physical inactivity approaches that of cigarette smoking. The prevalence and substantial disease risk associated with physical inactivity has been described as a pandemic. The prevalence, health impact, and evidence of changeability all have resulted in calls for action to increase physical activity across the lifespan. In response to the need to find ways to make physical activity a health priority for youth, the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Physical Activity and Physical Education in the School Environment was formed. Its purpose was to review the current status of physical activity and physical education in the school environment, including before, during, and after school, and examine the influences of physical activity and physical education on the short and long term physical, cognitive and brain, and psychosocial health and development of children and adolescents. Educating the Student Body makes recommendations about approaches for strengthening and improving programs and policies for physical activity and physical education in the school environment. This report lays out a set of guiding principles to guide its work on these tasks. These included: recognizing the benefits of instilling life-long physical activity habits in children; the value of using systems thinking in improving physical activity and physical education in the school environment; the recognition of current disparities in opportunities and the need to achieve equity in physical activity and physical education; the importance of considering all types of school environments; the need to take into consideration the diversity of students as recommendations are developed. This report will be of interest to local and national policymakers, school officials, teachers, and the education community, researchers, professional organizations, and parents interested in physical activity, physical education, and health for school-aged children and adolescents.

This evidence-based book focuses on contemporary issues related to human health and well-being. Drawing on the first-hand experiences of academics and researchers, it provides a holistic perspective on the importance of both mental and physical health for quality of life. It is divided into seven sections: changing perspectives on well-being; the mental health of students; the well-being of elderly people and marginalized populations; the role of family and teachers; psycho-social support; the right to health; and future perspectives. Covering current topics, such as the challenges posed by pandemics like COVID-19, the book discusses future strategies for addressing contemporary and emerging health issues and the overall well-being of the general public, an area not covered in any of the previous volumes. Furthermore, it explores the need for the involvement of multidisciplinary professionals in examining general health and well-being issues. Given its scope, it is an indispensable resource for a wide range of professionals and researchers from various fields, such as the social sciences, law, public health, medicine, education, and environmental studies. In addition, the book appeals to health policymakers, educational administrators, law enforcement agencies, as well as health workers, psychologists, and social workers dealing with clients in hospitals, educational institutions, and at the community level.

In an era of increasingly patient-centered healthcare, understanding how health and illness play out in social context is vital. This volume opens a unique window on the role of play in health and wellbeing in widely varied contexts, from the work of Patch Adams as a hospital clown, to an Australian facility for dementia treatment, to a New Zealand preschool after an earthquake, to a housing complex where Irish children play near home. Across these and other featured studies, play is shown to be shaman-like in its transformative dynamics, marshaling symbolic resources to re-align how patients construe and experience illness. Even when illness is not an issue, play promotes wellbeing by its power to reimagine, invigorate, enliven and renew through sensory engagement, physical activity, and symbolism. Play levels social barriers and increases flexible response, facilitating both shared social support and creative reassessment. This book challenges assumptions that play is inefficient and unproductive, with highly relevant evidence that playful processes actually work hard to dislodge unproductive approaches and thereby aid resilience. Solid research evidence in this book charts the course and opens the agenda for taking play seriously, for the sake of health. This book was originally published as a special issue of the International Journal of Play.

The role of play in human and animal development is well established, and its educational and therapeutic value is widely supported in the literature. This innovative book extends the play debate by assembling and examining the many pieces of the play puzzle from the perspective of public health. It tackles the dual aspects of art and science which inform both play theory and public health policy, and advocates for a ‘playful’ pursuit of public health, through the integration of evidence from parallel scientific and creative endeavors. Drawing on international research evidence, the book addresses some of the major public health concerns of the 21st century – obesity, inactivity, loneliness and mental health – advocating for creative solutions to social disparities in health and wellbeing. From attachment at the start of life to detachment at life’s ending, in the home and in the workplace, and across virtual and physical environments, play is presented as vital to the creation of a new ‘culture of health’. This book represents a valuable resource for students, academics, practitioners and policy-makers across a range of fields of interest including play, health, the creative arts and digital and environmental design.