How is sickness absences influenced by experienced illness, disease and social context? How should basic concepts like illness, disease and sickness be understood? This book seeks to understand long term sickness absence by analysing categories of illness, disease and sickness as relations between individuals and their psycho-social environments. A central assumption in the book is that sickness absence is a complex and social concept. In order to understand its many dimensions, it is necessary to combine empirical insight with a critical understanding of how individuals experience their sick roles as social roles. The chapters in the book are written by researchers from Norway and Sweden who have comprehensive knowledge of social aspects of health and sickness. Philosophical analyses and research from the Scandinavian countries are combined to give the reader an empirical and theoretical up-to-date understanding of problems and challenges related to sickness absence. The book offers new and original perspectives on the current debate we are witnessing in Scandinavia and many other countries, and it should be of interest to everyone who is interested in understanding how sickness absence is essentially a social phenomenon.

This book presents some of the most important public health topics to be faced in the 21st Century. The authors do not only analyse the challenges, but also propose solutions to researchers, practitioners and policy makers. Urbanisation is an on-going process throughout the world today. It has a profound impact on people's lives and health status. The globalisation of markets, increased use of communication and new information technologies are the driving forces behind this process. By 2025 it is estimated that about 60 percent of the world's population and 83 percent of Europeans will live in urban centers. Migration and immigration have an impact on social inequalities in health. Achieving good health is one of the major concerns of contemporary societies. Therefore future public health policy, practice and research have to focus not only on factors causing disease and injuries (pathogenesis), but also on factors promoting health (salutogenesis). Most of the chapters of the book reflect key presentations from the 12th EUPHA Conference in Oslo on 6-9 October 2004, including presentations from a pre-meeting on WHO's Global Strategy on Diet, Physical activity and Health. Some chapters illustrate the saluto-genetic way to health promotion and nature-culture-health activities, such as music and health, green areas in the cities, and healthy food. The 31 chapters of the book are written by 78 public health experts from all around the world. Our hope is that the book will be used by public health experts and students in different countries and by EU and WHO/EURO in setting up the new public health policy in Europe. Gunnar Tellnes PhD, MHA, MD is specialist in Community Medicine and Professor at the University of Oslo and Akershus University College, Norway. He is President of the European Public Health Association (EUPHA) and the Norwegian Society of Public Health.