An article on violence and today's youth reviews the state of knowledge about the magnitude of this problem, its causes and consequences, and the effectiveness of interventions. Another article examines the implications of the changing American family for children's health insurance coverage and the use of ambulatory care services. An article on the health of Latino children in the United States examines the demography and the social and health status of this diverse population of children, focusing on the implications for the formulation of public policy and the implementation of programs. Public policy implications of HIV/AIDS in adolescents are discussed in another article. It reviews the special risks of this epidemic to adolescents, the role of youth in the spread of HIV/AIDS, and the importance of effective school-based education intervention programs. The article on involuntary smoking and children's health addresses research findings that show exposure to involuntary smoking is detrimental to the health of children. It also considers the measures taken to decrease their exposure and the additional interventions that might be considered. An article examines the risks to children from inappropriate, discretionary coverage decisions by private health care insurance plans that result in restricted access to needed health care. The concluding article analyzes the ethnic and racial makeup of the childhood population in the United States. Article tables and notes