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
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
