Public Health: An Introduction to the Science and Practice of Population Health

Public Health:: An Introduction to the Science and Practice of Population Health is a foundational textbook designed for students who are launching their public health studies and preparing for professions in the field. Our health is generated throughout our lives and by the world around us—by where we live, where we work, and who we interact with on a daily basis. This book therefore takes a unique approach to teaching public health. It combines an eco-social framework with a life course perspective on population health to help the student understand how our experiences and our context shape our health and how this informs the practice of public health. Written by leading public health educators, the textbook begins with the foundations—a history of public health and a discussion of the core values of health equity and disease prevention at the heart of public health. An engaging survey of the eco-social framework and life course factors affecting health follows. The book concludes with a section dedicated to population health methods, implementation science, community engagement, advocacy, and health promotion. The book is illustrated throughout by cases that cross disciplines, that engage the student with issues of contemporary concern that are the remit of public health, and that offer systematic analyses that point toward solutions. With a focused approach to public health, guiding the student through the causes of health—across levels and across stages in the life course—this groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind textbook integrates the core components of the field in clear and lucid language. Timely and relevant case studies, practical learning objectives, discussion questions in all chapters, numerous tables and illustrations throughout, chapter-based audio content, and more make Public Health an innovative and lively platform for understanding the science of population health and the practice of public health. Key Features:: A modern approach to the field that grounds the study of public health in life course and eco-social frameworks to better organize the science of population health and the practice of public health Explains the central role that prevention and health equity play in improving population health Features cases studies that discuss contemporary issues affecting population health, including heart disease, Ebola, environmental exposures, gun violence, the opioid epidemic, health policy, and many more High volume of figures and tables to illustrate key points Includes a robust Instructor ancillary package with PowerPoints, Instructor's Manual, test banks, discussion questions, audio content, and conversation guides digital version for digital download included