Read more
This accessible book shows how social structures and social norms shape both individual and collective health. It provides readers with an insightful understanding of the relationship between society, health and illness and highlights issues to inform a progressive, patient-centred approach to contemporary healthcare.
The book begins by discussing how health has been defined and understood over the last century before examining how social issues such as deprivation, class, employment, housing, gender, ethnicity and policy shape health and contribute to health inequities. The book then discusses public health initiatives such as health promotion and screening programmes, the impact of resource allocation and the role that politics and policy play in supporting a healthy society. To bring concepts to life, the book uses case studies from the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
Guided by the fundamental principle that everything in a society has some effect or impact upon its health, and assuming no prior knowledge of the social sciences, this is the ideal book for healthcare students across nursing, medicine, midwifery and pharmacy, as well as anyone interested in the relationship between health and society.
List of contents
1 Introduction: what is health? 2 The social context of health: the social and structural determinants of health. 3 How people understand their health. 4 Health-related behaviours. 5 Promoting health and wellbeing. 6 Politics and health. 7 Sustainable healthcare: future-proofing the health of Britain. 8 Conclusion. 9 Test yourself.
About the author
Alexis Paton is Director of the Centre for Health and Society at Aston University, where she is a senior lecturer in social epidemiology and the sociology of health and the programme director of the Masters of Public Health. She is also the lead for the Social and Psychological Aspect of Health curriculum for Aston Medical School, where she has developed the current curriculum in line with General Medical Council requirements and learning outcomes for graduates.
