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"Even with all the extraordinary twentieth-century advances in medicine, good health is elusive to far too many in the United States. Despite healthcare spending that far exceeds other wealthy countries, technological innovations, and unprecedented knowledge about risk factors for disease, we are struggling with unacceptably high rates of chronic illness. Research from a range of disciplines including epidemiology, psychology, sociology, behavioral medicine, and population health, show that the web of social relationships that surround us have significant effects on our behaviors and outcomes. An approach to health that considers these realities aligns better with how we live our lives and what we need to thrive"--
List of contents
List of figures; List of boxes; Acknowledgments; 1. Introduction; 2. How social relationships matter for health; 3. The relationship-driven factors in obesity, opioid use disorder, and depression in older adults; 4. Current practices of medical intervention for obesity, opioids, and social isolation; 5. Strategies for relational healthcare; 6. Relational health policy priorities; 7. Conclusions; Index.
About the author
Laura Richman, Ph.D. is a Visiting Professor at George Washington University, USA, and has been a Professor at Duke University, USA, since 2003. She is a health psychologist who has published widely in the field of social drivers of health. This book was developed when Richman was a fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University from 2019–2020.
Summary
Focusing on evidence-based solutions, Relational Health aims to incorporate social relationships into health care policy and delivery. This book is primarily written for students in population health, public policy, sociology, medicine, and social work, introducing them to ways in which relationships impact our health.
Foreword
Relational health offers a new framework for prevention and treatment efforts to improve health outcomes.
