Healthier Societies From Analysis to Action

by Heymann, Jody; Hertzman, Clyde; Barer, Morris L.; Evans, Robert G.

• ISBN13: 9780195179200
• ISBN10: 019517920X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2005-11-17
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Extensive research has shown that social factors are as important as biological ones in determining health, and their impact is enormous in both adults and children. The challenge of changing public policies and programs remains. Healthier Societies: From Analysis to Action addresses thefundamental questions which will lead the way toward countries investing seriously in improving social conditions, as a way of improving population health. The book is divided into three parts. Section one addresses to what extent health is determined by biological factors, by social factors, and more fundamentally, by the interaction between the two. Section two examines four case studies that demonstrate the ways in which social change candramatically affect adults' health, as well as launch children's lives onto healthy trajectories. This section analyzes the cases of nutrition, working conditions, social inequalities, and geographic disparities. The third section of the book takes a serious look at what would be involved intranslating the research findings described throughout the book into action.

Table of Contents

About the Editors,	xv
About the Contributors,	xvii
Healthier Societies: An Introduction,	3	(8)
Jody Heymann and Clyde Hertzman
Part I: The Complex Relationship between Social and Biologic Determinants of Health
1. Interactive Role of Genes and the Environment,	11	(24)
John Frank, Geoffrey Lomax, Patricia Baird, and Margaret Lock
2. Biological Pathways Linking the Social Environment, Development, and Health,	35	(23)
Clyde Hertzman and John Frank
3. Global and Local Perspectives on Population Health,	58	(25)
Margaret Lock, Vinh-Kim Nguyen, and Christina Zarowsky
4. A Life Course Approach to Health and Human Development,	83	(24)
Clyde Hertzman and Chris Power
5. Universal Medical Care and Health Inequalities: Right Objectives, Insufficient Tools,	107	(28)
Noralou P. Roos, Marni Brownell, and Verena Menec
Part II: An In-depth Look at Several Determinants of Health
6. Food, Nutrition, and Population Health: From Scarcity to Social Inequalities,	135	(38)
Lise Dubois
7. Work and Health: New Evidence and Enhanced Understandings,	173	(29)
Cam Mustard, John N. Lavis, and Aleck Ostry
8. Income Inequality as a Determinant of Health,	202	(35)
Nancy Ross, Michael Wolfson, George A. Kaplan, James R. Dunn, John Lynch, and Claudia Sanmartin
9. Role of Geography in Inequalities in Health and Human Development,	237
James R. Dunn, Katherine L. Frohlich, Nancy Ross, Lori J. Curtis, and Claudia Sanmartin
Part III: Moving from Research to Policy
10. Social Welfare Models, Labor Markets, and Health Outcomes,	267	(29)
Joachim Vogel and Thres Theorell
11. Changing Trends in Economic Well-being in OECD Countries: What Measure Is Most Relevant for Health?	296	(31)
Lars Osberg and Andrew Sharpe
12. Reallocating Resources across Public Sectors to Improve Population Health,	327	(21)
Greg L. Stoddart, John D. Eyles, John N. Lavis, and Paul C. Chaulk
13. Taking Different Approaches to Child Policy,	348	(33)
Anita L. Kozyrskyj, Lori J. Curtis, and Clyde Hertzman
14. Where Do We Go from Here? Translating Research to Policy,	381	(24)
Alison Earle, Jody Heymann, and John N. Lavis
Index,	405