Ian McDowell

This book assembles a wide range of explanatory perspectives on social inequalities in health. Everywhere in the world, those with less advantage die younger and suffer more illness than the wealthy. Decades of research have documented this reality and yet we lack a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms through which social circumstances ultimately influence the biological processes that lead to disease. Explanations have been proposed from various disciplines – economics, psychology, behavioral science, geography, and neuroscience – and each sheds light on parts of the overall process. But very few texts assemble these insights into an overall explanatory paradigm.Through a review of concepts and theories from a wide range of disciplines, the author outlines how these may be woven together to offer a more complete picture of how social influences 'get under the skin' to affect health and disease. As well as understanding individual health, the book assembles explanations for social disparities in health. It concludes with a proposal for a set of explanatory models that cross disciplinary boundaries. Topics explored include:Social Inequalities in HealthExplanation and Causal Models for Social EpidemiologySocial and Economic Theories to Explain Patterns of DiseaseBiological Pathways Linking Social Determinants to HealthTheoretical Models of Health BehaviorWork Environment and HealthSocial Networks, Social Support and HealthPositive Influences on Health: Coping and ControlThe Relationship Between Personality and HealthUnderstanding Health Determinants: Explanatory Theories for Social Epidemiology is a textbook for graduate students in epidemiology, health sciences, health policy, and psychology, as well as social science students who are studying health. It will also be of interest to general readers, and can serve as a reference for researchers in epidemiology and the health sciences who are planning studies of the social determinants of health. The book reviews theories that could be tested in such studies.

This book assembles a wide range of explanatory perspectives on social inequalities in health. Everywhere in the world, those with less advantage die younger and suffer more illness than the wealthy. Decades of research have documented this reality and yet we lack a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms through which social circumstances ultimately influence the biological processes that lead to disease. Explanations have been proposed from various disciplines – economics, psychology, behavioral science, geography, and neuroscience – and each sheds light on parts of the overall process. But very few texts assemble these insights into an overall explanatory paradigm.Through a review of concepts and theories from a wide range of disciplines, the author outlines how these may be woven together to offer a more complete picture of how social influences 'get under the skin' to affect health and disease. As well as understanding individual health, the book assembles explanations for social disparities in health. It concludes with a proposal for a set of explanatory models that cross disciplinary boundaries. Topics explored include:Social Inequalities in HealthExplanation and Causal Models for Social EpidemiologySocial and Economic Theories to Explain Patterns of DiseaseBiological Pathways Linking Social Determinants to HealthTheoretical Models of Health BehaviorWork Environment and HealthSocial Networks, Social Support and HealthPositive Influences on Health: Coping and ControlThe Relationship Between Personality and HealthUnderstanding Health Determinants: Explanatory Theories for Social Epidemiology is a textbook for graduate students in epidemiology, health sciences, health policy, and psychology, as well as social science students who are studying health. It will also be of interest to general readers, and can serve as a reference for researchers in epidemiology and the health sciences who are planning studies of the social determinants of health. The book reviews theories that could be tested in such studies.

Worldwide concerns over the cost of medical care have highlighted the importance of evidence-based medicine. Resulting clinical trials require instruments to monitor the outcome of care and the output of the health system. Measuring Health is a reference text that provides in-depth reviews of over 100 leading health measurements used for these purposes. It guides the reader in choosing among rival methods and provides the information needed to apply and interpret each instrument. The book also provides a technical and historical introduction to the field of health measurement, and discusses future directions in the field. This third edition updates the information on each of the measures previously reviewed; it includes additional measures in each of the chapters and adds a chapter on anxiety measurement. Other chapters include disability, psychological well-being, depression, mental status, social health, pain and quality of life.