Public Health and Epidemiology at a Glance / Edition 2

by Margaret Somerville, K. Kumaran, Rob Anderson

Overview

First Prize in Public health in the 2017 BMA Medical Book Awards

Public Health and Epidemiology at a Glance is a highly visual introduction to the key concepts and major themes of population health. With comprehensive coverage of all the core topics covered at medical school, it helps students understand the determinants of health and their study, from personal lifestyle choices and behaviour, to environmental, social and economic factors.

This fully updated new edition features:
• More coverage of audit and quality improvement techniques
• Brand new sections on maternal and child health, and health of older people
• New chapters on social determinants of health and guideline development
• Expanded self-assessment material

This accessible guide is an invaluable resource for medical and healthcare students, junior doctors, and those preparing for a career in epidemiology and public health

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781118999325
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/08/2016
Series:	At a Glance
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	8.30(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Margaret Somerville is Director of Public Health and Health Policy at NHS Highland. Previously she was Senior Lecturer and Director of Public Health Learning in the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry.

Kumaran Kalyanaraman is Clinical Scientist and Senior Lecturer, MRC Life course Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton Medical School.

Rob Anderson is Associate Professor of Health Economics and Evaluation at the University of Exeter Medical School.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition vii

Acknowledgements viii

About the Authors ix

How to Use Your Textbook x

Part 1 Introduction 1

1 Introduction to public health 2

2 Public health old and new 4

Part 2 Epidemiology and evidence-based practice 7

3 Incidence and prevalence 8

4 Risks and odds 10

5 Hierarchy of evidence and investigating causation 12

6 Bias, confounding and chance in epidemiological studies 14

7 Standardisation 16

8 Ecological and cross-sectional studies 18

9 Case–control studies 20

10 Cohort studies 22

11 Trials (experimental studies) 24

12 Systematic reviews and meta-analysis 26

13 Diagnostic tests 28

14 Developing clinical guidelines 30

Part 3 Assessing population health 33

15 Health and illness 34

16 Demographic and epidemiological transitions 36

17 Health information 38

18 Measuring population health status 40

19 Determinants of health 42

20 Lifestyle determinants of health 44

21 Social determinants of health 46

22 Environmental determinants of health 48

23 Inequalities in health 50

24 Health needs assessment 52

25 Maternal and infant health 54

26 Health of older people 56

Part 4 Improving and protecting health 59

27 Disease prevention 60

28 Principles of disease transmission 62

29 Communicable disease control 64

30 Surveillance 66

31 Immunisation 68

32 Screening principles 70

33 Screening programmes 72

34 Health promotion 74

35 Changing behaviour 76

Part 5 Health economics 79

36 Economic perspectives on health 80

37 Economic evaluation 82

38 Economic perspectives on measuring health-related outcomes 84

39 Economics of public health problems 86

Part 6 Effective healthcare 89

40 Healthcare systems 90

41 Planning health services 92

42 Improving services 94

43 Healthcare evaluation 98

Self-assessment questions 100

Self-assessment answers 102

Appendix: practical issues in conducting epidemiological studies 105

Further reading 107

Index 108

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Margaret L Chorazy, MPH, PhD (University of Iowa College of Public Health)
Description: This introductory book on public health provides brief (2-page) overviews and illustrations of fundamental concepts related to epidemiology, population health, disease prevention and health promotion, health economics, and healthcare systems. This is an update of the 2012 first edition.
Purpose: It is intended to provide a fundamental understanding of public health and to promote interest in public health among healthcare students and professionals. The authors succinctly cover many salient points of the topic, keeping their audience in mind.
Audience: Books in the "at a Glance" series are intended for medical students and newly qualified practitioners. Material from a medical school course and the authors' professional experiences is used as the basis for the chapters in this book. It would be equally helpful and accessible to any undergraduate or graduate student interested in the health sciences or public health.
Features: As with the first edition, this book is divided into five major sections, which provide brief overviews of key concepts and methods for each major topic. Within a section, each topic is allotted 2 pages with one page devoted to explanatory figures, charts, and illustrations. The first section provides an understanding of basic epidemiological concepts, measures, and study designs. The second section provides an overview of population health concepts including determinants of health, health disparities, and assessment. The next chapter focuses on ways in which public health works toward its goals disease prevention and health promotion, including but not limited to surveillance and screening programs. The final two sections provide a brief introduction to health economics and healthcare systems. The second edition adds self-assessment questions and answers at the end of the book.
Assessment: This is a helpful book for students and professionals seeking a basic introduction to public health. The examples are from a U.K. perspective and may be most useful to students and professionals in the United Kingdon. The second edition is justified by the expansion of topics such as health disparities, determinants of health, and epidemiological study designs and the addition of topics such as the development of public health practice and maternal and infant health.

Doody's Review Service