New Updates for A Story of Health, Multimedia eBook

One in ten children has asthma. . . One in six children has a developmental disability... Although still rare, childhood leukemia has increased by 55% over the past 35 years...  These are powerful statistics, but the relationships between our natural, built, and social environments are complex and sometimes difficult to understand. A Story of Health multimedia eBook explores the complicated answers behind how or why a person gets sick or develops a disability.   Child health is told through the lives of fictional characters and their families – Brett, a young boy with asthma; Amelia, a teenager with developmental disabilities; and toddler Stephen, recently diagnosed with leukemia. Each fictional case focuses on real risk factors and features the latest scientific research about disease origin and helpful facts about disease prevention.   We are learning more and more about the importance of early-life experiences on health, particularly during critical windows of development of a child. There is accumulating evidence that environmental factors contribute to the overall risk of many childhood diseases, including those in these families. A Story of Health eBook explores the wide range of factors that have an impact on our health every day, including the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat and our social and economic circumstances, in a way that is accessible and understandable.   Colorful illustrations, graphics, and videos enhance each page. Pop-ups with essential “key-concepts,” link to a wide range of additional resources and hundreds of scientific papers enrich each story with information you can use today to promote health and prevent disease. A Story of Health includes multiple levels of detail useful to readers ranging from health professionals to health advocates, from policymakers to those working in the health and science media.

Access and download A Story of Health eBook today!

   Join in the next story, the story of Brett, a young boy with asthma, on March 12, 2015. To Register CLICK HERE   Go to the Collaborative on Health and the Environment to listen to the January 22 teleconference on “Stephen’s Story”, a childhood leukemia story. An MP3 recording is available along with the slides.   Free Continuing Education Credits for Health Professionals The eBook offers FREE continuing credits offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Each story is accredited separately with information available in the eBook. See more about registration for credits.  

– More on A Story of Health –

A Story of Health was developed by ATSDR, the Collaborative on Health and the Environment (CHE), the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, California EPA (OEHHA), the Science and Environmental Health Network (SEHN), and the University of California, San Francisco, Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (UCSF PEHSU).