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Health Sciences · Health Professions

Child and Adolescent Health
Research Guide

What is Child and Adolescent Health?

Child and Adolescent Health is a field in health sciences that examines pediatrics, community health, advocacy, primary care, health equity, public health, training, children's rights, social determinants, and healthcare systems for children and adolescents, with a focus on Europe.

The field includes 178,202 works addressing evolution and challenges of child health services. Papers emphasize training to tackle social determinants and children's rights for improved healthcare systems. Key topics cover asthma in early life, mental health diagnostics, and adolescent wellbeing.

Topic Hierarchy

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graph TD D["Health Sciences"] F["Health Professions"] S["General Health Professions"] T["Child and Adolescent Health"] D --> F F --> S S --> T style T fill:#DC5238,stroke:#c4452e,stroke-width:2px
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178.2K
Papers
N/A
5yr Growth
759.3K
Total Citations

Research Sub-Topics

Why It Matters

Child and Adolescent Health informs primary care and public health interventions by addressing wheezing and asthma risks in infants, as Martínez et al. (1995) in "Asthma and Wheezing in the First Six Years of Life" identified transient wheezing in most cases but persistent risks in a minority linked to asthma predisposition. Mental health tools like the NIMH DISC-IV enable reliable diagnosis of common disorders, supporting 3498 citations for its use in ascertaining child diagnoses (Shaffer et al., 2000). The Lancet commission "Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing" (Patton et al., 2016) outlines strategies reducing 4 million neonatal deaths through targeted public health (Lawn et al., 2005). Recent preprints highlight global overweight prevalence and COVID-19 anxiety in youth, while NIH strategies prioritize child mental health funding, such as $12 million restored for rural care and disability identification.

Reading Guide

Where to Start

"Asthma and Wheezing in the First Six Years of Life" by Martínez et al. (1995) provides a foundational understanding of common pediatric respiratory issues with clear distinctions between transient and persistent cases, making it accessible for entry into child health diagnostics.

Key Papers Explained

Martínez et al. (1995) "Asthma and Wheezing in the First Six Years of Life" establishes early respiratory patterns, complemented by Shaffer et al. (2000) "NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NIMH DISC-IV): Description, Differences From Previous Versions, and Reliability of Some Common Diagnoses" for mental health assessment tools. Fixsen et al. (2005) "Implementation research: a synthesis of the literature" builds on these by synthesizing how to deploy such interventions effectively. Patton et al. (2016) "Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing" extends to holistic adolescent frameworks, integrating physical and mental health insights.

Paper Timeline

100%
graph LR P0["Asthma and Wheezing in the First...
1995 · 3.8K cites"] P1["Social psychology: handbook of b...
1997 · 4.9K cites"] P2["The mini international neuropsyc...
1998 · 5.9K cites"] P3["Motivational interviewing: prepa...
2002 · 7.1K cites"] P4["Implementation research: a synth...
2005 · 3.8K cites"] P5["4 million neonatal deaths: When?...
2005 · 3.6K cites"] P6["No health without mental health
2007 · 3.7K cites"] P0 --> P1 P1 --> P2 P2 --> P3 P3 --> P4 P4 --> P5 P5 --> P6 style P3 fill:#DC5238,stroke:#c4452e,stroke-width:2px
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Most-cited paper highlighted in red. Papers ordered chronologically.

Advanced Directions

Recent preprints examine screen time at age 1 and developmental delays at ages 2 and 4, global overweight prevalence, and COVID-19 depressive/anxiety symptoms in youth. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 analyzes mental disorders in ages 10–24 from 1990–2021, focusing on prevalence and YLDs. News covers NIH agencywide strategies, FDA priority review for centanafadine in child mental health, and $12 million funding restoration for rural pediatric care.

Papers at a Glance

# Paper Year Venue Citations Open Access
1 Motivational interviewing: preparing people for change. 2002 7.1K
2 The mini international neuropsychiatric interview 1998 European Psychiatry 5.9K
3 Social psychology: handbook of basic principles 1997 Choice Reviews Online 4.9K
4 Implementation research: a synthesis of the literature. 2005 3.8K
5 Asthma and Wheezing in the First Six Years of Life 1995 New England Journal of... 3.8K
6 No health without mental health 2007 The Lancet 3.7K
7 4 million neonatal deaths: When? Where? Why? 2005 The Lancet 3.6K
8 NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV (NI... 2000 Journal of the America... 3.5K
9 Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellb... 2016 The Lancet 3.5K
10 Education and Treatment of Children 2014 Encyclopedia of Specia... 3.2K

In the News

Code & Tools

GitHub - hl7dk/kl-children: Implementation guide for municipality health prevention for children
github.com

This repository contains Local Goverment Denmark FHIR profiles and documentation for the reporting of data from the Danish health promotion and dis...

GitHub - hl7au/au-fhir-childhealth: Child health implementation guide
github.com

## Repository files navigation # au-fhir-childhealth FHIR STU3 profiles for National Children's Digital Health Collaborative (NCDHC) ## About Chi...

GitHub - carriedaymont/gradual-who-cdc: Growth charts that gradually transition from WHO to CDC values from 2 to 5 years. Files available for download: printable charts and tables as well as data tables, code and further instructions for implementation.
github.com

**Description**: Growth charts that gradually transition from WHO to CDC values from 2 to 5 years. Files available for download: printable charts a...

GitHub - erik1066/anthstat-statistics: AnthStat computes z-scores for children and adolescents using the WHO 2006 Child Growth Standards, the WHO 2007 Growth Reference, and the CDC 2000 Growth Charts. A z-score-to-percentile converter is also provided.
github.com

AnthStat computes z-scores for children and adolescents using the WHO 2006 Child Growth Standards, the WHO 2007 Growth Reference, and the CDC 2000 ...

GitHub - WorldHealthOrganization/smart-ra
github.com

Feedback and issues about this empty framework can be submitted via the issues page, and will be incorporated into subsequent releases. The Core Ar...

Recent Preprints

Latest Developments

Recent developments in child and adolescent health research include upcoming international conferences such as the Pediatric Research 2026 in London (scheduled for August 24-25, 2026) and the World Child Health and Adolescent Medicine Conference in Dubai (October 2025), which focus on sharing groundbreaking research and clinical practices (research.pediatricsconferences.com, child-adolescent-medicine.utilitarianconferences.com)). Additionally, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research highlighted ongoing efforts and upcoming events in this field (cihr-irsc.gc.ca). Recent publications also include the Lancet Child & Adolescent Health journal, which publishes influential research to promote child health (sciencedirect.com). As of early 2026, these initiatives and publications represent the forefront of ongoing research and collaboration in this area (published 2026).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children Version IV?

The NIMH DISC-IV is an instrument for ascertaining a comprehensive range of child and adolescent diagnoses. Shaffer et al. (2000) demonstrated its acceptability, low cost, and convenience. It shows reliability for common diagnoses.

How does wheezing in early childhood relate to asthma?

Most infants with wheezing have transient conditions tied to diminished airway function at birth without later asthma risks. Martínez et al. (1995) in "Asthma and Wheezing in the First Six Years of Life" found a minority experience persistent wheezing due to asthma predisposition. This distinction guides pediatric interventions.

What role does motivational interviewing play in child health?

Motivational interviewing prepares people for change by addressing ambivalence. Miller and Rollnick (2002) in "Motivational interviewing: preparing people for change" outline phases for building motivation and responding to resistance. It supports behavior change in pediatric and adolescent care.

Why is implementation research key in child health services?

Implementation research bridges the gap between effective treatments and services received by children. Fixsen et al. (2005) in "Implementation research: a synthesis of the literature" highlight underuse of known interventions. It promotes behavioral outcomes in public health systems.

What are major challenges in adolescent health?

Adolescent health faces issues in wellbeing and mental health integration. Patton et al. (2016) in "Our future: a Lancet commission on adolescent health and wellbeing" address these comprehensively. Prince et al. (2007) in "No health without mental health" stress mental health's foundational role.

How many neonatal deaths occur annually?

Approximately 4 million neonatal deaths happen each year. Lawn et al. (2005) in "4 million neonatal deaths: When? Where? Why?" analyze their timing, location, and causes. This data drives global child health priorities.

Open Research Questions

  • ? How can implementation strategies from Fixsen et al. (2005) be adapted to scale motivational interviewing in European pediatric primary care?
  • ? What distinguishes transient early wheezing from persistent asthma-prone patterns in diverse populations beyond Martínez et al. (1995)?
  • ? How do mental health diagnostics like NIMH DISC-IV and MINI integrate with adolescent wellbeing frameworks from Patton et al. (2016)?
  • ? What training models address social determinants and children's rights to close gaps in child health services?
  • ? How have neonatal death patterns evolved since Lawn et al. (2005) amid changes in healthcare equity?

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