Child and Adolescent Health: Challenges and Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

The ‘life course’ concept recognizes the opportunity to prevent and control possible diseases at key stages of life from preconception through pregnancy, infancy, childhood, and adolescence to adulthood. Indeed, unhealthy behaviours adopted from preconception (e.g., no intake of folic acid, tobacco and alcohol use during pregnancy, etc.) to adolescence (e.g., eating habits, physical activity, sedentary behaviors, etc.) can influence health outcomes during early development and in adult life as well. Alcohol and tobacco use, obesity, and overweight are the main risk factors that could be modified during the first phases of life to prevent chronic diseases in later life.

Public health surveillance is essential to collecting health indicators and promoting the planning, implementation, and evaluation of public health interventions.

Health care workers, family, and school are the main actors that support healthy lifestyles and change unhealthy habits among young people and pregnant women.

This Special Issue will focus on: 1) preconception, prenatal, and newborn prevention and care; 2) life styles and risk behaviours in childhood; and 3) life styles and risk behaviors in adolescence as predictors of a healthy adulthood. Papers on physical activity, eating and dieting, family, mental health, and sexual habits as well as studies describing differences and inequalities in women’s and young people’s health (also during a pandemic period) are welcome. We also encourage the submission of interdisciplinary work and multi-country collaborative research.

Dr. Daniela Pierannunzio
Dr. Silvia Ciardullo
Dr. Paola Nardone
Guest Editors

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