In today's world "health" means far more than merely the absence of illness. Indeed the impact that social, cultural and economic pressures have on health is well documented. The main task for health promoters is therefore to create conditions which promote rather than damage health by bringing about changes in policy on a local, national and international level. In "Rethinking Health Promotion: A Global Approach," Theodore H. MacDonald sweeps away the confusion surrounding the function and position of health promotion. He retraces the history to show that, far from being a modern innovation, it has existed as a distinct and separate enterprise for as long as biomedicine. He argues that this difference should be reflected in the organization of health care services and cautions against health promotion becoming merely an off shoot of medical care.

In today's world "health" means far more than merely the absence of illness. Indeed the impact that social, cultural and economic pressures have on health is well documented. The main task for health promoters is therefore to create conditions which promote rather than damage health by bringing about changes in policy on a local, national and international level. In "Rethinking Health Promotion: A Global Approach," Theodore H. MacDonald sweeps away the confusion surrounding the function and position of health promotion. He retraces the history to show that, far from being a modern innovation, it has existed as a distinct and separate enterprise for as long as biomedicine. He argues that this difference should be reflected in the organization of health care services and cautions against health promotion becoming merely an off shoot of medical care.

This book contains a Foreword by Allyson Pollock, Professor and Head, Centre for International Public Health Policy, University of Edinburgh. Healthcare students, practitioners and researchers need a sound basis for making valid statistical inferences from health data. To make the best use of statistical software, it is necessary to understand how probabilistic inference works. This book explains that, along with the various ways statistical data can be described and presented. It is designed to develop insight rather than simply the mechanical skills found in other textbooks. This book is specifically designed to underpin the concepts of statistics and epidemiology. It is practical and easy to use and is ideal for people who can feel uncomfortable with mathematics. 'Excellent. A great primer for all students and research workers engaged in learning how to use statistical ideas in public health. It sets out the core concepts and explains them clearly, using worked examples as illustration. If followed carefully, the engaged reader should be able to use the standard statistical software packages intelligently and sensitively. It will stimulate the public health student, in whatever context, and new researchers, to approach the enterprise with enhanced confidence in interpreting and coherently explaining their findings.' - Allyson Pollock, in the Foreword.