Burden of Mental Disorders Gaining Recognition
Mental and neurological disorders affect more than 450 million people around the world. Mental illness is considered expensive and difficult to treat, and it carries a negative stigma that discourages many people from seeking medical help. But some light is filtering into the dark world of mental illness, thanks to a growing recognition that "there is no health without mental health," bolstered by the work of the global Disease Control Priorities Project. (October 2006)

Strategies for Sustainable Development: Case Studies of Community-Based Population, Health, and Environment Projects
PRB, in partnership with nongovernmental organizations in the Philippines, has produced five case studies that document approaches to the implementation of integrated population, health, and environment programs. The interactive nature of the case studies, which include discussion questions, makes them idea for use in a classroom or workshop setting. (October 2006)

Lessons From the First Generation of Integrated Population, Health, and Environment Projects
An assessment conducted for USAID and the Packard Foundation found that an integrated approach to population, health, and environment projects is one that simultaneously addresses conservation, family planning, and health needs. The assessment includes descriptions of successful models for action from the Philippines to Madagascar. (September 2006)

Designing Health and Population Programs to Reach the Poor

 This report draws from recent literature on promoting greater equity in the health sector, including the findings and lessons from the World Bank's Reaching the Poor Programs. The program, completed in 2005, sought to find and encourage the adoption of strategies to ensure that disadvantaged groups benefit more fully from health, nutrition, and population services. (September 2006)

2006 World Population Data Sheet

 PRB's 2006 World Population Data Sheet contains the latest population estimates, projections, and other key indicators for more than 200 countries, including births, deaths, natural increase, infant mortality, life expectancy, urban population, HIV/AIDS prevalence, contraceptive use, land area, percent of population living below $2/day, and population per square mile. New for the 2006 Data Sheet are data on net migration rates, percent of surface area protected, and population with access to improved sanitation. (August 2006)

Working With the Community for Improved Health

 Does community participation help or hurt health programs in developing countries? This Health Bulletin explores community participation in health, using five case studies of participatory processes and their role in instigating important health and well-being benefits. (July 2006)

The Neglected Link Between Food Marketing and Childhood Obesity in Poor Neighborhoods
Childhood obesity is epidemic among racial and ethnic minority U.S. children, and tailoring public education messages and other efforts to promote healthy eating to reach low-income communities would more effectively address this epidemic. Yet public health strategies largely neglect the specific nutritional needs of these communities. (July 2006)

Best Buys and Challenges for Malaria Prevention in Sub-Saharan Africa
While malaria treatment remains a high priority in Africa, effective prevention techniques are available that could—if made widely accessible—vastly improve the health profile of Africa's children and pregnant women. However, challenges to implementing effective prevention programs on the ground are vast. (June 2006)

China's Concern Over Population Aging and Health
China is not prepared to meet the health needs of its growing elderly population, but its government has recognized these challenges and is starting to develop a comprehensive response. However, while China's economy continues to grow rapidly, whether it will be able to allocate enough income to meet these rising health care costs remains as a major concern. (June 2006)

Overcoming Obstacles to Vaccines for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Cervical Cancer
Novel approaches to financing vaccine investment and delivering human papillomavirus vaccines to adolescents (a key target group for all three diseases) have given analysts hope that new vaccines for these diseases can be developed and introduced in developing countries. (June 2006)