Public health, childhood and adolescence: a pending challenge.

The debate concerning public health priorities has a relevant place in academic and political discussion. Although topics relating to early childhood care have been recognised for a long time now, the needs and possibilities of approaching childhood and adolescence from the public health point of view have not yet been discussed sufficiently. This supplement for the Revista de Salud Pública is thus being presented to provide some pertinent contributions to such discussion in which the authors deal with differ ent aspects of this debate by adopting an interdisciplinary approach. The articles may be classified into three large categories, one dealing with policy and programmes, another with health situations affecting the aforementioned section of the population and a third considering possible action aimed at directly benefitting childhood and adolescent health conditions. The first presents an evaluation of the aspects regarding quality related to local gov ernment management in Colombia, benefitting this group of the population and analyses topics such as dealing with forced displacement or environmental policy and their effects on these communities. The second section presents research into problems such as communicative health, mortality associated with epidemic outbreaks, attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and psychoactive substance consumption. The third section includes approaches such as health education and developing action and specific programmes such kangaroo mother care. It is firmly hoped that the material will lead to significant debate concerning the best ways to deal with childhood and adolescence from a health-based approach, in dif ferent scenarios, concerning this stage of life and the social group directly experi encing it.