Public Health is one of the fastest growing university programs in the United States today. At the same time, the challenges that face the practitioner continue to grow and become more complex. This Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion, 2nd ed covers more than 250 topics, taking a lifespan approach to the fields of public health and prevention. The encyclopedia is divided into four volumes: 1. Foundational Topics 2. Early Childhood and Childhood 3. Adolescence 4. Adulthood and Older Adulthood Within each volume, issues of illness prevention and health promotion (sometimes referred to as "positive psychology") are addressed in chapter-length entries arranged alphabetically. An international group of contributors synthesizes research focusing on improving the physical and mental health of the community as a whole. Each entry will have a structured format: Introduction, Definition of Terms, Prevalence, Theories, Empirical Studies, and Strategies (What Works, What Is Promising, What Doesn't Work). Each entry concludes with a look ahead to the coming decades of Public Health - what are the next steps to primary prevention and health promotion - and a "See Also" box recommending books, films, or articles by the editors for further reading. The encyclopedia is designed for practitioners, students, and researchers working in prevention, public health, and psychology. It will also serve as reference for practitioners in sociology, social work, nursing and medicine. The second edition more than doubles the number of entries in the first edition by adding entries focusing on gender, African American and Latino issues, social support, social and emotional learning, and physical health and disease. All entries from the first edition will be rewritten and expanded, reflecting the most up to date thinking in the field.
About the Author: Thomas P. Gullotta is C.E.O. of Child and Family Agency and a member of the psychology and education departments at Eastern Connecticut State University. His scholarship encompasses co-authorship of two college textbooks, the founding editorship of The Journal of Primary Prevention (Kluwer/Academic 1980 - 2000), co-editor, Advances in Adolescent Development: An Annual Book Series (Sage 1985 - 2000), editor, Prevention in Practice Library: A Monograph Series (Plenum, 1996 - 2001), senior editor, Issues in Childrens' and Families' Lives: A Book Series (Springer 1990 - present). In addition to authoring nearly 100 chapters, papers or reviews, he has co-edited or authored over thirty volumes devoted to illness prevention / promotion of health or the treatment of children, adolescents, and families. Tom was the senior editor for the first edition of the Encyclopedia of Primary Prevention and Health Promotion (Kluwer / Academic, 2003) and has returned to that same role for the anticipated four volume second edition of that reference work (Springer, in progress). His most recent edited volume with Bob Hampton, Handbook of African American Health (Guilford, 2010) was recently recognized by the American Journal of Nursing as the most valuable text of 2010 in the category Community Public Health.