Contemporary Health Studies. Louise Warwick-Booth

How to use this book

      This section is designed to help you get the most out of this book. The book aims to provide an in-depth multi-disciplinary overview of the field of ‘health studies’. Contemporary Health Studies focuses on what health studies is about as a discipline, examining how health is conceptualized in various ways and how it might be understood from a variety of different disciplinary perspectives. Health is known to be strongly influenced by social factors as well as individual ones and this book aims to explore this idea in some depth.

      The book does not promote a particular theoretical viewpoint because health studies as a discipline draws upon a range of theoretical stances to allow for different perspectives to be applied to health-related issues. Indeed, the discipline encourages students to engage critically in the numerous discourses surrounding health. The book therefore examines, throughout the text, human experience of health as it is mediated by individual, societal and global contexts, putting particular emphasis on the social, political and environmental dimensions of health. An understanding of these issues is absolutely essential for contemporary health practitioners. Thus, the book contains a strong, up-to-date, social-scientific focus all the way through. The book is primarily geared towards undergraduate students undertaking a public-health-related course. However, it will also be very useful for undergraduate students studying a wide range of generic health-related courses, including clinical programmes such as dietetics, environmental health and nursing. Students studying health promotion will also find this book invaluable. Students at all levels of undergraduate study will be able to engage with the content and it should prove to be a useful companion to undergraduate programmes other than health studies. Whatever the specific ‘health’ focus of their course this book should enable students to engage actively with their learning and contemporary debates about health by providing active and meaningful opportunities to learn and reflect.

      This book is designed to be used in several different ways. It can be read as a whole – from start to finish – since the chapters are organized in a logical sequence. Alternatively, readers might wish to select certain chapters for attention, depending on their interest or concerns and what might be relevant to them. Sections of each chapter that relate to other parts of the book have been highlighted in the text through cross-referencing, so that the reader can follow ideas and topic areas without having to read the whole book from cover to cover. The book is an introductory level text and so offers a comprehensive and contemporary framework of key topic areas within the discipline of health studies. It contains useful references to further reading, resources and additional material available on the companion website, allowing scope for those who wish to explore in more depth.

The book is also divided into three coherent parts and each part can be read independently of the whole. The first part sets the context for the book, exploring what health is, contemporary threats to health and how we investigate it; the second part focuses on disciplinary perspectives such as sociology, anthropology, health psychology and health promotion; the third part looks at influences upon health, ending with a set of contemporary case studies that brings everything together.

       Part I

       Chapter 1 – What is Health?

      Chapter 1 will be useful to students on any health-related and health-professional courses, as it explores the fundamental question ‘What is health?’, providing an overview of how health is conceptualized and understood. Understanding different perspectives and theories on health is foundational to learning about health and training, in any profession, to promote health. This chapter is also a necessary read in order to contextualize the debate within subsequent chapters.

       Chapter 2 – Contemporary Threats to Health

      This chapter identifies and explores contemporary threats to health. It is a useful and interesting read for all those working in the public-health field because it helps to identify public-health objectives within the UK and globally. The chapter also provides insight into the nature of these threats and the factors that influence specific issues that are identified as such threats. Hence, it encourages thought about the processes associated with defining contemporary threats to health and also identifies threats that are less obvious, such as terrorism. Ultimately, this chapter is a unique summary of the contemporary threats to health.

       Chapter 3 – Investigating Health

      In every profession, including health, there is the need to evaluate new information, particularly as evidence-based practice has become so important in recent years. However, there is often not enough evidence or there may even be competing research findings, so the need to evaluate and research constantly remains ever present. This chapter is therefore an essential read for all those studying health, as it will enable them to understand the key components of the research process and therefore to interpret research findings. Furthermore, a key stage of completing an undergraduate degree is the completion of an honours project or dissertation; this chapter has been written with this specifically in mind and so is an ideal guide to help students on their journey in completing such undergraduate projects. Indeed, many undergraduate Quality Assurance Agency benchmark statements make clear reference to the importance of research within their programmes, so this chapter is a fundamental read for all health students.

Part II

       Chapter 4 – Sociology

      Chapter 4 will be useful for all health students because it outlines the focus of the discipline of sociology specifically in relation to health and illness. Readers will gain an insight into the social world from the point of view of sociologists and therefore begin to be able to develop new perspectives, understand various theoretical viewpoints and think critically about social situations in terms of both structure and agency. The focus in this chapter upon health as social and the importance of health inequalities is a central theme for those completing health-studies degrees. In addition, this chapter is a useful introductory resource for broader health professionals such as nurses, allied health professionals and those studying health promotion, who are often required to complete sociology modules as part of their degree programmes.

       Chapter 5 – Social Anthropology

      This chapter gives an insight into the relationship between health and culture, demonstrating the importance of lay beliefs in relation to understanding health and treatment. It is important for those completing undergraduate health programmes because it further enhances their knowledge about the importance of the social in relation to health. The chapter also facilitates the ability of the reader to make comparisons

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