Understanding Health: A Determinants Approach.(Book review)

UNDERSTANDING HEALTH: A DETERMINANTS APPROACH Helen Keleher and Berni Murphy (eds) Oxford University Press, Melbourne: 2004, ISBN 019551661-3; PB 361pp; AUD 65.00

Understanding Health: A Determinants Approach sets out to provide a comprehensive introduction to the determinants of health to undergraduate students in different health and health-related disciplines. It is written so as to be accessible to newcomers in the field. One distinctive advantage of the book is that it shows the complexity of health and incorporates specialists from different disciplines. The focus on determinants of health also demonstrates logically the need for multisectoral action and multiple approaches when working to improve health.

The editors have included chapters on social, environmental and biological determinants of health, on population health and health in specific groups and health promotion approaches to areas like illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco and physical activity. Social exclusion is discussed both as a concept and in relation to specific groups who might be more vulnerable to exclusion. The different approaches and principles of health promotion and disease prevention are also presented extensively and there are several good examples of how the theoretical concepts in health promotion may be applied in practice. There are also examples of actions at different levels of implementation. For instance, in the chapter on health promotion in action, the concepts of the five action areas of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion are shown in a table illustrating how they might apply to different health promotion activities in practice in a very concrete manner (p.175).

The text is backed by ample, recent references to scientific papers, relevant text books and policy documents, and the book compares well with other European books in the same field. Undergraduate students who master the contents of this book will surely have a good basis for understanding different determinants of health and health promotion approaches.

The emphasis of the book is on health promotion and disease prevention, but many important perspectives on health equity, social and economic determinants of health, physical and psycho-social factors concerning workplace health are also addressed. It seems particularly important to provide these broad perspectives early to undergraduate students and newcomers to public health, to provide a structure in which their further knowledge can be placed. It may be challenging to be a new student to the area of understanding health and health promotion from a determinants approach, but the book does a good job at introducing the issues. The book also addresses more recent topics that are not always dealt with in other books in the same field, such as migrant ...