In this textbook for graduate students in health professions, Kotch (children's environmental health, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) brings together 20 chapters mainly by current and former students and faculty from the U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill working in maternal and child health, public health, and other areas. Chapters correspond to courses at the university and describe children's rights and maternal and child health history, the family context, and maternal and child health throughout the developmental cycle, with discussion of demography, history, epidemiology, programs, policy, and issues. Subsequent chapters address issues across developmental stages--health disparities, women's health, children with special needs, nutrition, and global health--and public health skills such as research and planning. This edition has new chapters on children's environmental health, the life course perspective, oral health, and monitoring and evaluation; streamlined chapters on assessment and planning, maternal and child health research, rights and justice, and advocacy and policy development; new and added material on global health and health disparities; and new material on life course theory. Annotation ©2013 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)