-Rick Thomas brings his 30 years experience in the field to the text making it very applied and accessible. -Lots of boxed material. -"Recommended" purchase for all librarians as reviewed in the June 2004 issue of CHOICE.

Current and comprehensive, Health and Society brings together fourteen original chapters to provide a compelling interdisciplinary introduction to the field of health studies. Exploring the social, cultural, political, and cultural dimensions of health, illness, and health care, this textencourages students to examine how health and health care are socially and culturally constructed; what ideologies, principles, and powers underpin health and healthcare; and the future health challenges we face as a society.

How do some families create more healthful environments for their children? How do we explain the health status differences between men and women, blacks and whites, and different communities or cultures? How is stress generated in the workplace? What accounts for the persistent social class differences in mortality rates? Why do societies experience higher rates of mortality after economic recession? Such fundamental questions about the social determinants of health are discussed in depth in this wide-ranging and authoritative book. Well-known contributors from North America and Europe assess the evidence for the diverse ways by which society influences health and provide conceptual frameworks for understanding these relationships. The book opens with a broad review of research on the social environment's contribution to health status and then addresses particular social factors: the family, the community, race, gender, class, the economy, the workplace and culture. The concluding two chapters examine the contribution of medicine to the improved health of Americans and recast the health care policy debate in a broad social policy context.

A concise introduction to the central issues concerning health and health care in contemporary society, Society and Health is written for all health professionals undergoing basic training. It explains social science concepts and theories and shows their relevance to work in health settings. Each chapter is short and focused on key learning points. 'concept boxes' highlight the main themes and facilitate revision exercises and activities enable students to apply knowledge to practice assumes no previous knowledge ideal for common foundation programme guided further reading

This book celebrates and captures examples of the excellent scholarship that Palgrave’s Health, Technology, and Society Series has published since 2006, and reflects on how the field has developed over this time. As a collection of readings drawn from twenty-two books, it is organized around five themes: Innovation, Responsibility, Locus of Care, Knowledge Production, and Regulation and Governance. Structured in this way, the book gives the reader a concise but nonetheless rich guide to the core issues and debates within the field. Complementing these narratives, the original authors have provided new reflection pieces on their texts and on their current work. This then is a book which in part looks back but also looks forward to emerging issues at the intersection of health, technology, and society. It uniquely encompasses and presents a range of expertise in a novel way that is both timely and accessible for students and others new to the field.

Health, Illness, and Society, Updated Second Edition provides a comprehensive yet concise introduction to medical sociology. In his accessible style, Steven Barkan covers health and illness behaviors, the social determinants of health problems, the health professions and health care system in the U.S., and how the U.S. system compares to that of other countries. The updated second edition adds a new chapter, “The COVID-19 Pandemic,” which highlights several ways in which the pandemic exhibits health and health behavior disparities resulting from social inequalities and the deficiencies of the U.S. health system. The book also critically examines the achievements and limitations of the Affordable Care Act and discusses efforts of the Trump administration to weaken the ACA. Each chapter opens with learning questions to guide the student and “Health and Illness in the News” stories that apply each chapter’s contents to contemporary events. Chapter summaries reinforce key ideas and “Give it Some Thought” boxes emphasize critical thinking. New to the Updated Second Edition New Chapter 14, “The COVID-19 Pandemic,” discusses several ways in which the pandemic reveals health and health behavior disparities New data on medical students and faculty, sexual harassment in medical school, and medical school debt provide students with a deeper understanding of the issues facing doctors New health care data on peer nations and discussion of health and health care rankings of U.S. women provide a critical examination of the quality and cost of health care in the U.S. versus its peer nations Enhanced examination of health insurance status and surprise medical billing, updated survey data on health care costs, and a discussion of high deductibles emphasize the patient financial burden created by a private system of medicine

"Presenting a theoretical model of the social process of "emerging" illness, the volume's introductory chapter identifies critical factors that shape different trajectories toward the construction of public health priorities. Through case studies of individual diseases and analyses of public awareness campaigns and institutional responses, later chapters provide important insights into the reasons why some illnesses receive more attention and funding than others."--Jacket.