The rubric "Quality of Life" first came to the explicit attention of the medical profession a little over thirty years ago. Despite the undoubted fact that each one of us has his or her own Quality of Life, be it good or bad, there is still no general agreement about its definition, or the manner in which it should be evaluated. Although much has been written about quality of life, this work has been largely concerned with population-based studies, especially in health policy and health economics. The importance of "individual" quality of life has been neglected, in part because of a failure to define quality of life itself with sufficient care, in part perhaps because of a belief that it is impossible to develop a meaningful method of measuring individual variables.
The editors of this book believe that the primary focus of quality of life is and must continue to be the individual, who alone can define it and assess its changing personal significance. The challenge of presenting this belief

Discover how gay men 's health care can be improved Smearing the Queer: Medical Bias in the Health Care of Gay Men explores how social prejudices embedded in scientific research and practice often act as a detriment to gay men 's health. This book provides an agenda for addressing heterosexism in the health sciences and in medical care while broadening approaches to gay male wellness beyond the limited scope of HIV infection. This groundbreaking book explore a number of neglected concerns affecting the sexual health of gay men, calling for the recognition of their scientific, political, and cultural significance. In Smearing the Queer, gay men, HIV prevention workers, health care providers, mental health professionals, policymakers, researchers, and instructors in related fields will appreciate the in-depth examination of such issues as: research and development on rectal microbicides why many gay men should be receiving periodic anal Pap smears to screen for anorectal cancer an in-depth critique of the problematic diagnosis of "Gay Bowel Syndrome" gay men 's use of the Reality Female Condom for anal sex Viagara 's impact on gay men 's sexual cultures, erectile dysfunction, and recreational drug use a broad-based advocacy agenda for improving relations between gay men and the health sciences the politics surrounding gay men 's restricted access to new and prospective safer sex technologies Smearing the Queer challenges heterosexist bias within the health care delivery and health sciences research and calls for the development of public policy initiatives that address gay men 's wellness in more sophisticated and complex ways. This is the only publication that provides in-depth social, cultural, and political analysis of the topics of Gay Bowel Syndrome, gay men 's use of the female condom, rectal microbicides, and anal Pap smears while examining the social forces that direct scientific research under the guise of objectivity.

This timely book looks critically at the policy response to AIDS and its institutionalization over time. It raises important questions about who benefits, who decides, and in whose interests decisions are made. Taking the early international response to the epidemic as its starting point, and focusing on the work of agencies such as UNAIDS, it identifies two logics underpinning strategy to date. First, the idea of HIV as a 'global emergency' which calls for an extraordinary response. Second, the claim that medicine offers the best way of dealing with it. The book also identified the rise of something more dominant - namely Global AIDS - or the logic and system that seeks to displace all others. Promulgated by UNAIDS and its partner agencies, Global AIDS claims to speak the truth on behalf of affected persons and communities everywhere. Founded on solidarity claims concerning the international HIV movement, and distinctive knowledge practices which determine what needs to be done. Alternative views about the nature of the epidemic or the best response are rejected as irrelevant for falling outside the master framing of the epidemic that Global AIDS provides. But to what extent is this biomedical and emergency framing of the epidemic sustainable, and to what extent does it speak to the sustainability of lives as affected people wish them to be lived? Does scientific and biomedical advance provide all the answers, or do important social and political issues need to be addressed? This book provides an innovative framework with which to think about these and other sustainability challenges for the future.

This handbook examines the psychology of fatherhood throughout the lifespan and across multiple contexts. It synthesizes the trajectory of research and theorization of fathering that has traditionally dominated fatherhood literature. The book explores fathering within the developmental stages of children, from infancy to adulthood. In addition, it addresses the health and well-being of fathers from the perinatal period onward, with a focus on isolation, loss, trauma, and mental and physical health. The book emphasizes positive fatherhood and masculinity, thereby offering new perspectives of fatherhood. It synthesizes cutting-edge research on the intersectionality of fathering and provides knowledge of fatherhood for diverse populations, including military, LGBTQ, and fathers on the margins. The handbook reviews clinical assessment as well as community-based prevention and intervention strategies for issues of fatherhood and examines directions for future public policy and on-the-ground work. It offers recommendations for promoting the health and well-being of fathers and their families from multiple perspectives. Key areas of coverage include: Historical, multicultural, and future directions in the research of fatherhood. Fatherhood and child development, from infancy to emerging adulthood. Grandfathering and adult children. Fatherhood and men's mental and physical health and well-being. Positive masculinity and fatherhood. The Handbook of the Psychology of Fatherhood is an invaluable resource for researchers, clinicians and practitioners, and policy advocates as well as graduate students in developmental psychology, social work, public health, pediatrics, human development, family studies, child and adolescent psychiatry, school and educational psychology, and all interrelated disciplines.

The unfolding tragedy of the AIDS epidemic is an instance where a disease with local origins has created consequences worldwide. Todd Sandler (2001a) Health concerns are ?rmly embedded in the developing world. Conditions of poverty like inadequate health infrastructures and sanitation, limited access to treatment of diseases etc. have increased the susceptibility to diseases. However, there is an increasing awareness that health problems of the poor cross national borders and, hence, affect the well-being of people globally. Of all the health crises originating from the developing world the HIV/AIDS epidemic does not only seem to be the largest humanitarian concern but also possesses major economic, de- graphical and social consequences. AIDS could cause even bigger consequences in the future if the spread of HIV is not stopped. The international community has recognised this necessity by determining the 1 ?ght against AIDS as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs ).

The use of mathematical modeling te chniques in biomedical research is playing an increasingly important role aso ne seeks tounderstand the physiopathology of disease processes. This includes not only understand ing mechanisms ofphysiological processes, but diagnosis and treatment. In addition, its introduction in the study of genomics andproteomics is key in understanding the functional ch aracteristics of gene expression and protein assembly and secretion. Finally, with the increasing com plexity and associated cost of drug development, modeling techniques are being used to streamline the process. We have workedin c lose collaboration with colleagues in biomedical and pharmaceutical research for a number of years applying and refining mathematical modeling techniques to avariety o f problems. In addition, we haveworked incollaboration with colleagues in applied m athematics and statistics to develop new algorithms to solve new setsof problems as theyemerge ino ur research efforts. Finally, we have worked with colleagues in computer sciencet o develop new software tools that bring the power of mathematical modeling to a broad research community. This books brings together mucho f what we have learned over the years, and presents the material in a format that should be accessible both to the novice reader and those desiring more detailed information about specific techniques.

The best-selling look at how American cities can promote racial equity, end redlining, and reverse the damaging health- and wealth-related effects of segregation. Winner of the IPPY Book Award Current Events II by the Independent Publisher The world gasped in April 2015 as Baltimore erupted and Black Lives Matter activists, incensed by Freddie Gray's brutal death in police custody, shut down highways and marched on city streets. In The Black Butterfly-a reference to the fact that Baltimore's majority-Black population spreads out like a butterfly's wings on both sides of the coveted strip of real estate running down the center of the city-Lawrence T. Brown reveals that ongoing historical trauma caused by a combination of policies, practices, systems, and budgets is at the root of uprisings and crises in hypersegregated cities around the country. Putting Baltimore under a microscope, Brown looks closely at the causes of segregation, many of which exist in current legislation and regulatory policy despite the common belief that overtly racist policies are a thing of the past. Drawing on social science research, policy analysis, and archival materials, Brown reveals the long history of racial segregation's impact on health, from toxic pollution to police brutality. Beginning with an analysis of the current political moment, Brown delves into how Baltimore's history influenced actions in sister cities such as St. Louis and Cleveland, as well as Baltimore's adoption of increasingly oppressive techniques from cities such as Chicago. But there is reason to hope. Throughout the book, Brown offers a clear five-step plan for activists, nonprofits, and public officials to achieve racial equity. Not content to simply describe and decry urban problems, Brown offers up a wide range of innovative solutions to help heal and restore redlined Black neighborhoods, including municipal reparations. Persuasively arguing that, since urban apartheid was intentionally erected, it can be intentionally dismantled, The Black Butterfly demonstrates that America cannot reflect that Black lives matter until we see how Black neighborhoods matter.

Butterfoss' previous book, Coalitions and Partnerships in Community Health, is a theory-driven, comprehensive approach to coalitions that is an essential reference for academics and practitioners. Ignite Getting Your Community Coalition "Fired Up" for Change is a more concise, user-friendly book that was created precisely for community practitioners, leaders and activists who want to build and sustain innovative organizations and coalitions to improve the health and well-being of their communities. The elements that make strong coalitions are essential for building any solid organization, scout troop, club, or neighborhood association. That's why Ignite appeals to volunteers and professionals who are ready to build and sustain innovative organizations and community coalitions that change policies, systems, and environments. In Ignite building and sustaining a coalition is compared to planning, building, fueling, and sustaining a campfire. The book's four parts-Before You Build It, Build It, Make It Work, and Sustain It-are filled with useful tools that will spark ideas and resources to "fire up" any community for healthy, lasting change.

This edited volume examines how opportunities to realise children's rights and the experience of childhood itself have been changed by the pandemic. It brings together the voices of leading scholars, policy advisors, psychologists, charities engaged in empowering children, and children and young people themselves. By exposing children's own perspectives and ideas for change, the book aims to suggest ways in which children could be better supported during this crisis. Chapters connect the experiences of under-represented groups, including children with disabilities and housing-distressed children. Authors illuminate ways to see and hear children more clearly and enable children's participation during and beyond COVID-19. This book is part of a mini-series that explores the effects of COVID-19 on children's education, rights and participation. These books will expose and connect the struggles faced by particularly vulnerable children, including children with disabilities, housing-distressed children, and refugee and displaced children. They will explore how best to listen to and support children in diverse situations, in order to enable them to realise their rights more effectively.

Leading Systems Change in Public Health: A Field Guide for Practitioners is the first resource written by public health professionals for public health professionals on how to improve public health by utilizing a systems change lens. Edited by leaders from the de Beaumont Foundation and the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health with chapters written by a diverse array of public health leaders, the book provides an evidence-based framework with practical strategies, processes, and tools for enacting meaningful change. Complete with engaging stories and tips to illustrate concepts in action, this book is the essential guide for current and future public health leaders working across and within individual, team, organization, or community levels.The book addresses subjects such as change leadership, racial justice and power sharing, and readiness for change. It addresses best practices for enacting change at different levels, including at the personal, interpersonal, organizational, and team or cross-sector level and it describes the factors, personalities, skills, personnel, and culture required for leading complex change. It not only covers the process of leading systems change but also the importance of community organizing and coalition building, identifying a shared understanding of the problem, how to leverage the lessons of implementation science, and how to understand the relationship between sustainability and public health. Practical examples and stories highlight challenges and opportunities, systems change in action, and the importance of crisis leadership - from mental health services to lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Key Features: Enables practitioners to improve public health by utilizing a systems change approach Applies systems change strategies to help discover solutions for improved community health equity and racial justice Integrates practical public health examples and stories from innovative leaders in the field Includes tools for how to implement internal processes that generate creative and effective system change leadership

In the 1960s, feminists voiced their outrage about the health care system in the United States which routinely discriminated against women and, in so doing, literally jeopardized their health and well-being. Over a decade later, women's health advocates still stressed the need for reform of this male-dominated institution because of the on-going threat to the health of American women. In the 1990s, nearly 40 years after women began their fight for quality and equitable treatment from the medical profession, women unfortunately continue to confront problems on numerous levels including discrimination in medical research and in the availability of insurance and health care providers. Most alarming, however, is the fact that women today--like women in the '60s and before--lack information, understanding, and adequate diagnoses and treatment from their health caregivers.
This book extends from a program of research on women's health issues by the authors. More than 150 audio-taped, naturally occurring interactions between health caregivers and their female patients from three different health care settings--as well as ethnographic field notes in three additional settings which provide health care to women-- constitute the data for this investigation. They explore the consequentiality of relational issues during women's health care encounters and examine how health care participants save face, enact roles, co-construct their encounters, and accomplish the objective of education and medical care.
Unlike earlier works, this study utilizes an extensive data collection derived directly from hundreds of interactions between health care providers and their patients, as opposed to surveys or case studies of singular practitioners. The authors examine the data in light of insights from a variety of theoretical perspectives and are committed to exploring the implication that medical encounters are collaboratively managed by both patients and caregivers. Given these theoretical and empirical contributions, the authors believe this book will advance present understanding in the areas of health and relational communication, women's health care, gender issues in communication, conversation analysis, discourse processes, and institutional talk.

Seeking to assist professionals and care providers looking to develop culturally-based techniques for the care of dementia-afflicted elders, this book first presents the need for culturally sensitive care, and then describes how this method of care may be utilized, developed, approved, and evaluated. The book includes numerous case studies, and highlights the authors' model.; Dealing with facets of intercultural practice, Part 1 of the text centres around the professional or provider already engaged or seeking to engage in day-to-day contact with ethnically diverse clientele. The emphasis is on highlighting those skills which serve the practitioner to establish intercultural rapport on their daily cross- ethnic assignments. The central tenet of this section is that the worker's attention has to be on maintaining both the dementia-affected elders' and the ethnic family members' cultural dignity.

Questions concerning safety in aviation attract a great deal of attention, due to the growth in this industry and the number of fatal accidents in recent years. The aerospace industry has always been deeply concerned with the permanent prevention of accidents and the conscientious safeguarding of all imaginable critical factors surrounding the organization of processes in aeronautical technology. However, the developments in aircraft technology and control systems require further improvements to meet future safety demands.
This book embodies the proceedings of the 1997 International Aviation Safety Conference, and contains 60 talks by internationally recognized experts on various aspects of aviation safety. Subjects covered include:
Human interfaces and man-machine interactions; Flight safety engineering and operational control systems; Aircraft development and integrated safety designs; Safety strategies relating to risk insurance and economics; Corporate aspects and safety management factors --- including airlines services and airport security environment.

The adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in healthcare is driven by the need to contain costs while maximizing quality and efficiency. However, ICT adoption for healthcare information management has brought far-reaching effects and implications on the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath, patient privacy and confidentiality. A wave of security breaches have led to pressing calls for opt-in and opt-out provisions where patients are free to choose to or not have their healthcare information collected and recorded within healthcare information systems. Such provisions have negative impact on cost, efficiency and quality of patient care. Thus determined efforts to gain patient trust is increasingly under consideration for enforcement through legislation, standards, national policy frameworks and implementation systems geared towards closing gaps in ICT security frameworks. The ever-increasing healthcare expenditure and pressing demand for improved quality and efficiency in patient care services are driving innovation in healthcare information management. Key among the main innovations is the introduction of new healthcare practice concepts such as shared care, evidence-based medicine, clinical practice guidelines and protocols, the cradle-to-grave health record and clinical workflow or careflow. Central to these organizational re-engineering innovations is the widespread adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) at national and regional levels, which has ushered in computer-based healthcare information management that is centred on the electronic healthcare record (EHR).

Our health care system is crippled by desperate efforts to prevent the inevitable. A third of the national Medicare budget--nearly $175 billion--is spent on the final year of life, and a third of that amount on the final month, often on expensive (and futile) treatments. Such efforts betray a fundamental flaw in how we think about healthcare: we squander resources on hopeless situations, instead of using them to actually improve health.In "Predictive Health," distinguished doctors Kenneth Brigham and Michael M.E. Johns propose a solution: invest earlier--and use science and technology to make healthcare more available and affordable. Every child would begin life with a post-natal genetic screen, when potential risk--say for type II diabetes or heart disease--would be found. More data on biology, behavior, and environment would be captured throughout her life. Using this information, health-care workers and the people they care for could forge personal strategies for healthier living long before a small glitch blows up into major disease. This real health care wouldn't just replace much of modern disease care--it would make it obsolete. The result, according to Brigham and Johns, will be a life defined by a long stay at top physical and mental form, rather than an early peak and long decline. Accomplishing this goal will require new tools, new clinics, fewer doctors and more mentors, smarter companies, and engaged patients. In short, it will require a revolution. Thanks to a decade-long collaboration between Brigham, Johns and others, it is already underway.

An optimistic plan for reducing or eliminating many chronic diseases as well as reforming our faltering medical system, "Predictive Health" is a deeply knowledgeable, deeply humane proposal for how we can reallocate expenses and resources to prolong the best years of life, rather than extending the worst.

This text provides an account of the nature and applications of the Coliform Index. Since the beginning of the 20th century, indicator organisms, in particular the coliform group, have been used to ensure the microbial quality of drinking water. World-wide legislation to protect consumers is based on these out-dated and unreliable tests and while there is considerable concern among scientists over their use, the water industry and regulators continue to place near total reliance on the Coliform Index. This has serious implications for public health and necessitates the debate which this book enters.

The NHS is in crisis. The past 10 years of Tory real-terms cuts in funding has been disastrous. This book looks at the threat to the NHS posed by the combination of two years of a global pandemic with the relentless policies pursued by Tory-led governments since 2010. With contributions by 13 experts on different aspects of the crisis: Lobby Akkinnola, Covid-19 Bereaved Families for Justice Rehana Azam, National Secretary, Public Services GMB union; Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary, National Education Union, on Covid, education and schools; Sara Gorton, Head of Health UNISON, on pay and conditions of NHS staff; Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe, National Officer Unite, the Health & Care Bill, on ambulance and other staff; Roger Kline, Research fellow at Middlesex University, on equalities and BAME; Roy Lilley, health policy analyst, on management views; Michael Mansfield, barrister QC, on holding the government to account; Sir Michael Marmot, Prof. of Epidemiology & Public Health, University College London, Director of the UCL Institute of Health Equity, on health inequality. Martin McKee, Prof. European Public Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, on public health; Neena Modi, Prof. Neonatal Medicine at Imperial College, on child and adolescent health, including mental health; Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, on care for the elderly; David Wrigley, Deputy Chair British Medical Association, on primary care; ... a superb reply to what is happening with our beloved NHS. We need it to help us in our struggles to push back against those who are snatching it away from us. All struggles need resolve, solidarity and hope, but they also need information. - From the foreword by Michael Rosen

Public health erupted into the world’s consciousness in early 2020 with the Covid pandemic and its multiple social and economic consequences. What had been until then, for most people, a remote and specialized field of expertise suddenly became the very basis for the government of lives. The Worlds of Public Health analyzes the moral and political issues at stake in the practice of public health today, including the influence of positivism, the boundaries of disease, conspiracy theories, morality tests, and the challenges posed by the health of migrants and prisoners. This exploration transports readers from South Africa, the country most impacted by the AIDS epidemic, to Ecuador, with the supposedly highest maternal mortality rate in Latin America; from the scientific controversies concerning the so-called worm wars in Kenya to conflicts between doctors and patients around Gulf War syndrome in the United States; from lead poisoning and public housing in France to the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide. Through these case studies, Didier Fassin argues that, ultimately, public health is a politics of life, revealing the different and unequal ways in which life is valued – and either protected or not – in contemporary societies.

Manual Materials Handling MMH creates special problems for many different workers worldwide. Labourers engaged in jobs which require extensive lifting/lowering, carrying and pushing/pulling of heavy materials have suffered increasing rates of musculo-skeletal injury, especially to the back.; This guide is intended to include all activities involved in MMH lifting, pushing, pulling, carrying and holding. Recommendations are provided in the form of design data that can be used to design different MMH work activities.
The guide is divided into two parts. Part I outlines the scope of the problem, discusses the factors that influence a person's capacity to perform MMH activities and / or should be modified to reduce the risk of injuries, and reviews the various design approaches to solving the MMH problem. Part II provides specific design data in six distinct chapters. The seventh chapter of Part II of the guide describes various mechanical devices that are available to aid MMH activities.; The guide is aimed at all concerned with the health impact of MMH activities; occupational health and safety workers; senior human resource managers; ergonomists; workers' compensation lawyers; union representatives.

People have been using tobacco in a variety of forms for centuries. Remarkably, it was originally seen as something that could promote vigor and health. Of course, now we all know that tobacco use causes death and disability in epidemic proportions. If smoking is so bad for us, why in heaven’s name would anyone still smoke? Quite a bit has changed since tobacco first made the transition to a widely available agricultural product. Unfortunately, the general clinical approach to addressing this problem has failed to keep pace with tobacco technology and its addictive properties. People around the world who have fallen prey to the subtleties of nicotine addiction, or who care for those who have, would benefit from a deeper understanding of the ways in which nicotine can affect the brain’s function and change behaviors over a lifetime. Why People Smoke breaks down the science of tobacco dependence and presents it in a way that is both easily understandable and clinically useful for anyone interested in helping people break free of nicotine’s influence. Why People Smoke is a first-of-its-kind clinical guide to treating tobacco dependence. The book helps readers make meaningful connections between tobacco’s effects at the cellular level, the predictable behavioral manifestations of the disorder, and the social science and systems requirements required to make a fundamental impact on this disorder. Unlike previous publications like self-help books, step-by-step curricula, or clinical guidelines, Why People Smoke puts practical clinical insights—gained from twenty-five years of practice—into perspective, helping the reader understand how “brain change� translates into “mind change� and the persistent compulsion to smoke . . . despite a person’s desperate desire to stop. Reading Why People Smoke will change the way you see smoking forever.

The purpose of this book is to demystify the evaluation and management of common psychological disorders and psychosocial issues which impact all realms of medical and mental health practice. These types of issues are often seen as "medical quicksand" by treating professionals, employers, and insurers alike. Consequently, there is a system-wide avoidance of these disorders that significantly increase medical and disability costs. However, there is a considerable cost to individual and society as well in terms of the reduction in the quality of life of the individual and the high costs associated with chronic use of medical resources.

It is essential to note the complexity of the psychiatric and psychosocial disability conundrum. This dilemma is not limited solely to short-term, minor problems but leach into the full spectrum of disability systems: private insurance, disability insurance, and federal programs for disabled persons. This book will provide innovative tools to confidently navigate the disability process by implementing, for the first time, true objective information coupled with the state-of-the-art evidence-based research. Thus, all individuals involved in the psychiatric disability process will be able to properly manage the process, optimize the treatment for an optimal outcome and avoid iatrogenic disability. In particular, the book will provide a clear evidence-based guidance for the evaluation and treatment process not only for individuals with obvious psychological problems, but for symptomatic individual with no discernable etiology or who simply never seem to get well.

This volume examines one health issue -- breast implants -- across a series of contexts often thought to be separate -- media coverage, doctor-patient interaction, doctor-doctor professional communication, support group dialogues, public relations campaigns, and more. In so doing, it provides a narrative of how communication shapes the individual perceptions of health, government, and social policy concerning health care.
At the core of the silicone breast implant controversy is the need for people to act amid uncertainty about the health risks involved. This need to weigh action in the midst of uncertain risk characterizes a large number of health issues. The attempts of patients, physicians, drug manufacturers, and others to seek and provide both information and influence makes communication central to these issues. Consequently, the questions explored in this volume will interest a diverse group of readers. This audience includes plastic surgeons in particular, physicians in general, and anyone involved with women's health issues. As the medical profession struggles with its identity amid changes in public attitudes, government regulations, and medical practices, this volume's findings concerning media portrayals of doctors and medical devices become even more important.
Finally, this study reveals how interrelated public information and private decisions are, and how closely media and interpersonal relationships fit. Tracing one medical issue across interpersonal, organizational, public relations, and mediated forums has clearly demonstrated the multiple ways those communication channels overlap and inform one another.