Addressing Millennial Morbidities: Accentuate the Positive

“Millennial morbidities” are those chronic and sometimes intractable medical problems—such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and family violence—that originate at the interface between biological, psychological, social, and environmental dimensions.

As public interest in the social determinants of health is increasing, the associations among these dimensions are getting more attention within pediatrics and other child- and family-serving professions. Unfortunately, this attention tends toward emphasizing the toxicity of challenging social circumstances rather than broadly considering how practice and policies can support the healthy development of children.

In a new piece published in JAMA Pediatrics, Ed Schor, MD, senior vice president at the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health, argues that while all stakeholders should work for social change and the reduction of poverty and inequality, pediatric practitioners should focus in particular on promoting child health and well-being by engaging with and supporting family members around the strengths they have individually and as a group. Read more.

Posted by kidsdata.org

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