1st Edition

Health and Inequality Applying Public Health Research to Policy and Practice

Edited By Angela M. Tod, Julia Hirst Copyright 2014
    172 Pages
    by Routledge

    172 Pages
    by Routledge

    How can research on the social determinants of health be translated into real life public health practice? Challenging the research-practice gap, this text shows readers from a range of professions how their practice can help to minimise health inequalities. The social model of health embraces individual lifestyles, social and community networks, socio-economic, political and cultural influences and the plethora of factors that can impact on public health, for instance, education, work, welfare benefits, environment, housing, health and social care. All of these can have a significant effect on people’s experiences of health and well-being, and are often unrecognised sources of health inequalities.

    This innovative textbook outlines and discusses key public health principles and the social model of health. Drawing on a range of case studies and the international literature, it looks at how public health research has been applied to policy and practice. The book discusses the transferability that these findings have had and their capacity to influence and provide evidence for practice. Health and Inequality covers a broad range of social determinants of health, encountered throughout the life-course, including:

    • Pre-birth and early years
    • Breastfeeding and teenage mothers
    • Health inequalities for mothers and babies in prison
    • Children in full time education
    • Sexuality, relationships and sexual health of young people
    • Early adulthood
    • Welfare rights and health benefits
    • Women, employment and well-being
    • Adults in later life

    Practical and clearly structured, this text will be useful to a range of health and social care professionals involved in public health work, particularly those undertaking courses on public health, health promotion or the social determinants of health.

    1. Public Health for a Fairer Society  Angela Tod and Julia Hirst  2.  Fairer Society, Healthy Lives  Chris Bentley  3. Pre-birth and Early Years (up to age five)  Chris Bentley  4. Giving Children the Best Start  Zoe Brownlie  5. Addressing Health Inequalities for Mothers and Babies in Prison  Kathy Albertson, Caroline O'Keeffe, Catherine Burke, Georgina Lessing-Turner and Mary Renfrew  6. Children in Full Time Education (ages 5 – 16)
    Chris Bentley  7. Promoting Positive Sexualities, Relationships and Sexual Health for Young People in Educational Settings  Julia Hirst  8. The Emotional Health and Well-Being of Young People who Identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Trans  Eleanor Formby  9. Early Adulthood (Ages 17 – 24)  Chris Bentley  10. Breastfeeding: Engaging Teenage Mothers in Healthy Lifestyle Change  Lindsey Reece and Anna Clack  11. Preventing Ill-health: Assessing the Potential Impact of NICE Guidance to Promote and Offer Hepatitis C Testing within Drug Services  Ray Poll  12. Adults of Working Age (ages 25 – 64)  Chris Bentley  13. Welfare Rights and the Health Benefits of Benefits  Peter Allmark  14. Women, Employment and Well-Being  Linda Grant  15. Adults of Retirement Age (65+)  Chris Bentley  16. The Little Society  Nick Pollard  17. Keeping Warm and Well in Later Life  Angela Mary Tod  18. Conclusion: Looking to the Future  Angela Mary Tod, Julia Hirst and Peter Allmark

    Biography

    Angela M. Tod is Professor in Health Services Research at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

    Julia Hirst is a Reader in Sociology and Public Health Lead at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

    '..the book is readable for those starting out in public health but also an excellent review book for those more experienced in the field. Many of the public health concepts will be familiar to those working in occupational health. There is little use of jargon and the chapters are harmonized appropriately following logically from one to the next. In summary, the book has a place on any occupational health practitioner’s shelf…' - Subhashis Basu, Occupational Medicine

    ‘This book brings to life the world of public health policy and practice. It provides tangible examples of how wider social determinants of health can impact on people's lives and ultimately prevent them from getting the care they need. This will be a valuable addition to every reading list for undergraduate and postgraduate courses concerned with health and wellbeing. It has a broad appeal across academic disciplines as well as health and social care professions.’ – Linda Burke, Pro Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Education & Health, University of Greenwich, UK.

    ‘Julia Hirst and Angela Tod show that the strength of public health lies not only in the clinics and inside medical settings but crucially also in the societies in which people have to cope with systemic inequality and different access to care and support. With the rapid political and economic changes that so many societies are facing public health needs are increasingly diverse and challenging. This book shows how public health and social care can be transformed and engages the reader in how theory and practice can combine and influence policy development. The range of topics covers most aspects of life and the eclectic mix of research is engaging and diverting and shows how public health can be effective and sustained.’ – Mary Crewe Director Centre for the Study of AIDS, University of Pretoria, South Africa