Essential Public Health: Theory and Practice

by Stephen Gillam , Jan Yates , Padmanabhan Badrinath

• ISBN13: 9780521689830
• ISBN10: 052168983X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-12-03
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

How can society most effectively prevent disease and promote health? This is the challenge addressed by this textbook. Public health has been defined as the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society. The 'science' is concerned with making a diagnosis of a population's health problems, establishing their cause, and determining effective interventions. The 'art' is to address these problems creatively. The aim of this book is to capture both the art and the science of the field. Essential Public Health is divided into two major sections. The first part provides a toolkit of skills the practitioner must acquire, and the second half describes the global challenges faced, and how to go about the task. This will be essential reading for all public health trainees and health professionals, and includes a CD containing interactive, self-assessment questions and exercises to test understanding.

Author Biography

Stephen Gillam is Director of Undergraduate Public Health Teaching, Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the Institute of Public Health, University of Cambridge and a GP in Luton/Visiting Professor at the University of Luton Jan Yates is a Public Health Specialist with experience of public health practice in Primary Care Trusts and acute hospital and mental health settings. She is a qualified teacher Padmanabhan Badrinath is a Consultant in Public Health Medicine in Suffolk Primary Care Trust and an Affiliated Clinical Lecturer, Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the Institute of Public Health University of Cambridge

Table of Contents

List of contributors	p. vii
Foreword	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The public health toolkit
Demography	p. 11
Epidemiology	p. 24
Evidence-based health care	p. 59
Improving population health	p. 76
Screening	p. 94
Health needs assessment	p. 111
The health status of the population	p. 124
Health care evaluation	p. 138
Decision-making in health care	p. 149
Health protection and communicable disease control	p. 165
The challenges of public health in practice
The health of children and young people	p. 185
Adult public health	p. 207
Public health and ageing	p. 225
Tackling health inequalities	p. 240
Health policy	p. 257
Quality measurement and improvement in health care	p. 271
International development and public health	p. 285
Public health - the future - be part of it...	p. 307
Glossary	p. 312
Index	p. 323
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.