Currently a great deal of public discourse around health is on the assumed relationship between childhood inactivity, young people’s diets, and a putative steep rise in obesity. Children and young people are increasingly being identified as a population at ‘risk’ in relation to these health concerns. Such concerns are driving what might be described as new ‘health imperatives’ which prescribe the choices young people should make around lifestyle: physical activity, body regulation, dietary habits, and sedentary behaviour. These health imperatives are a powerful force driving major policy initiatives on health and education in a number of countries in the Western world. Schools in particular have been targeted for the implementation of a plethora of initiatives designed to help children and young people lose weight, become more active and change their eating patterns inside and outside school. Addressing these issues requires an innovative theoretical approach. Neither the fields of ‘eating disorders’ nor ‘obesity research’ has addressed these issues from a sociological and pedagogical perspective. The contributors to this edited collection draw on a range of social theories, including Michel Foucault and Basil Bernstein to interpret the data collected across three countries (Australia and New Zealand, United Kingdom) and from a range of primary and secondary schools. Each chapter addresses various aspects of the relationship between health imperatives as constituted in government policies, school programs and practices, their recontextualised in school practices and the impact of this on the subjectivities of children and teachers. This book was originally published as a special issue of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.

Currently a great deal of public discourse around health is on the assumed relationship between childhood inactivity, young people’s diets, and a putative steep rise in obesity. Children and young people are increasingly being identified as a population at ‘risk’ in relation to these health concerns. Such concerns are driving what might be described as new ‘health imperatives’ which prescribe the choices young people should make around lifestyle: physical activity, body regulation, dietary habits, and sedentary behaviour. These health imperatives are a powerful force driving major policy initiatives on health and education in a number of countries in the Western world. Schools in particular have been targeted for the implementation of a plethora of initiatives designed to help children and young people lose weight, become more active and change their eating patterns inside and outside school. Addressing these issues requires an innovative theoretical approach. Neither the fields of ‘eating disorders’ nor ‘obesity research’ has addressed these issues from a sociological and pedagogical perspective. The contributors to this edited collection draw on a range of social theories, including Michel Foucault and Basil Bernstein to interpret the data collected across three countries (Australia and New Zealand, United Kingdom) and from a range of primary and secondary schools. Each chapter addresses various aspects of the relationship between health imperatives as constituted in government policies, school programs and practices, their recontextualised in school practices and the impact of this on the subjectivities of children and teachers. This book was originally published as a special issue of Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education.

Bioterrorism, drug-resistant disease, transmission of disease by global travel . . . there's no shortage of challenges facing America's public health officials. Men and women preparing to enter the field require state-of-the-art training to meet these increasing threats to the public health. But are the programs they rely on provide the high caliber professional training they require? Who Will Keep the Public Healthy? provides an overview of the past, present, and future of public health education, assessing its readiness to provide the training and education needed to prepare men and women to face 21st century challenges. Advocating an ecological approach to public health, the Institute of Medicine examines the role of public health schools and degree-granting programs, medical schools, nursing schools, and government agencies, as well as other institutions that foster public health education and leadership. Specific recommendations address the content of public health education, qualifications for faculty, availability of supervised practice, opportunities for cross-disciplinary research and education, cooperation with government agencies, and government funding for education. Eight areas of critical importance to public health education in the 21st century are examined in depth: informatics, genomics, communication, cultural competence, community-based participatory research, global health, policy and law, and public health ethics. The book also includes a discussion of the policy implications of its ecological framework.

"The Nation has lost sight of its public health goals and has allowed the system of public health to fall into 'disarray'," from The Future of Public Health. This startling book contains proposals for ensuring that public health service programs are efficient and effective enough to deal not only with the topics of today, but also with those of tomorrow. In addition, the authors make recommendations for core functions in public health assessment, policy development, and service assurances, and identify the level of government--federal, state, and local--at which these functions would best be handled.

Risk Society and School Educational Policy explores the impact of risk society on policy in the US, UK and Australia through both practical and theoretical perspectives. The book develops an in-depth understanding of risk society itself, and guides the reader in applying this knowledge to the problem of how this impacts policy and practice in school education. Drawing on work by Ulrich Beck and Anthony Giddens, Rodwell explores the development of risk society as a field of interest, discussing its history, contemporary significance and links with neoliberalism, school education, and both mainstream and social media. He also examines its impact on government policies and the practical implications of how this impacts the educational experiences of children around the globe today. A book for policy professionals, researchers, academics and postgraduate students interested in Education Studies, Theory and Policy, and International and Comparative Education, Risk Society and School Educational Policy is the first international academic monograph published in the field.

This book will benefit specialists in the field of the education sciences. It represents significant progress in knowledge production. Self-directed learning has become increasingly important, not only for education in South Africa but also for education sciences in the international arena. This is a result of the changing education landscape, caused by the demands of the 21st century as well as the rapid change in knowledge production. Learners should be equipped with skills to take responsibility for their own learning. New innovative strategies should be incorporated into teaching and learning in order to meet the changing demands in education. Traditional teacher-centred practices are still the norm in most South African schools and higher-education institutions and do not adequately prepare students for lifelong learning in the 21st century. The content focuses on the theory behind self-directed learning, explores strategies such as cooperative learning, problembased learning, case-based teaching and large-group teaching that enhance self-directed learning and the use of blended learning in a self-directed learning environment. The book demonstrates how self-directed learning can be enhanced in mathematics, computer-science and life-science education and through the use of student tutors for geography. Digital technology could, for example, also be used in innovative ways for education in isiZulu folk poetry. The findings are based on original empirical research and a sound theoretical-conceptual framework. In an environment of rapidly changing knowledge production, this book responds to the challenge of how to equip learners with the necessary skills to take responsibility for their own learning. The book presents innovative teaching and learning strategies for meeting the changing demands in education. Group activities, the responsibilities of learners and the obstacles that hinder their learning are analysed, and the way in which educators can support them is discussed. Educational values such as mutual trust are discussed, and self-directed assessment is explored. This is a timely collective work authored by experts who subscribe to the approach of self-directed learning. Educators should discover new teaching and learning strategies and value the integration of self-directed learning in the classroom.

The quality of cancer and palliative care is going through unprecedented change and development as a result of policy initiatives. The impact of these policies on education is unparalleled and it is essential that clinicians and educationalists are aware of the policy formation processes and educational strategies that meet the demands of these changing times. This book takes a holistic approach to patient care and draws on the diverse experience in hospices and highlights best practice to present a comprehensive and practical guide. However, it does more. New topics are given an educational perspective; those with limited educational experience are given sound advice; the implication of policy change is outlined. This is an important book and one which should be read by all clinicians, educators and managers responsible for improving services in cancer and palliative care.