Promoting Health, Preventing Disease: The Economic Case - The Economic Case

This book provides an economic perspective on health promotion and chronic disease prevention, and gives a rationale for assessing the economic case for action. It provides a comprehensive review of the evidence base in support of a broad range of public health interventions, addressing not only their effectiveness in improving population health, but also their implementation costs, impacts on health expenditures and wider economic consequences. An economic perspective is about more than counting the costs associated with poor health. It is about understanding how economic incentives can influence healthy lifestyle choices in the population. The book provides tools for developing effective and efficient policy strategies and addressing trade-offs between the goals of improving population health, while being mindful of the need to tackle inequalities in health outcomes across individuals and populations. The book:

• practically illustrates methods and measures of cost and outcome used in the evaluation of interventions
• covers specific risk factor areas including tobacco smoking, alcohol, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, poor mental health and harmful environmental factors
• considers cross-cutting themes including key implementation issues, health inequalities, and the merits of early life interventionsThe book is designed for health policy makers and all those working or studying in the areas of public health, health research, medicine or health economics.
  
  
  

  List of contents

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Part I: Introduction
  1. Introduction to the economics of health promotion and disease prevention
  2. Supporting effective and efficient policies: the role of economic analysis
  3. Measurement challenges in the economic evaluation of public health interventions
  Part II: Making the economic case for tackling key risk factors for health
  4. Curbing tobacco smoking
  5. Tackling alcohol-related harms
  6. Promoting physical activity
  Appendix: the effectiveness of interventions for physical activity
  7. Improving the quality of nutrition
  8. Addressing environmental risks for child health
  9. Preventing road-related injuries
  10. Protecting mental health, preventing depression
  Part III: Broader perspectives on the economics of health promotion and disease prevention
  11. Social determinants of health: early childhood development and education
  12. Health promotion, disease prevention and health inequalities
  Part IV: Translating evidence into policy
  13. Evidence into policy: the case of public health
  14. Making an economic case for intersectoral action
  15. The economics of health promotion and disease prevention: the way forward
  Index
  
  
  
  

  About the author

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  David McDaid is Senior Research Fellow in Health Economics and Health Policy at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.Franco Sassi is Senior Health Economist in the Health Division of the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs at the OECD in Paris, France.Sherry Merkur is Research Fellow and Health Policy Analyst at the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
  
  
  

  Summary

  This book is designed to provide an economic perspective on health promotion and chronic disease prevention.

Product details

• Authors: David McDaid, David Sassi Mcdaid, Sherry Merkur, Franco Sassi
• Publisher: Open University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 16.06.2015
• EAN: 9780335262267
• ISBN: 978-0-335-26226-7
• No. of pages: 368
• Series: UK Higher Education Humanities & Social Sciences Health & Social Welfare
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Medicine > General; Social sciences, law, business > Business > Economics