Oxford Textbooks in Public Health

There is growing interest internationally in the contributions which the creative arts can make to wellbeing and health both in healthcare and community settings. This textbook is the first work of its kind tobring together contributions from practitioners and researchers in the creative arts in health field from around the world to provide a comprehensive account of the role the creative arts have in addressing public health needs at individual and community levels across the life-course. These developments are set firmly within a public health framework and argue that the creative arts can help in addressing some of the most pressing health challenges facing individuals and communities today. The creative arts can be seen as positive assets and resources contributing to the cultural vitality and wellbeing of any community, the building of social capital and the promotion of health. Access to opportunities for cultural engagement, creative expression and worthwhile leisure activities, are fundamental human rights to be valued in their own terms but also for the contributions they make to wellbeing and health. This book begins by providing a context in the development of public health as a discipline historically and the current concerns with health inequities and the social determinants of both illness and well-being. The historical context on the role of the arts in society and debates over the social utility of the arts are also explored. The book goes on to consider the place of the arts in different social settings and across the lifespan, and throughout concrete case studies provide insights into ways in which creative artists – in music, drama, the visual arts and dance are helping to address challenges to health and wellbeing in communities throughout the world.Less

Maternal morbidity describes complications during pregnancy and childbirth that are a leading cause of death, disability, and ill health among women of reproductive age, especially in low and middle-income countries. With the introduction of the new Sustainable Development Goals, the scope of global maternal health targets has been expanded, moving from a focus on preventing maternal mortality to formulating targets and emphasising the importance of maternal health and well-being. This book introduces the new concept of maternal morbidity, suggests how this relates to maternal mortality, summarises what is known about the burden of maternal morbidity globally and what interventions and research are needed to improve maternal health during and after pregnancy, with an emphasis on the context of low and middle-income countries.Less

The Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health is the ultimate resource on the subject of public health and epidemiology. It has been thoroughly revised and updated, offering a global and comprehensive perspective on wide-ranging public health needs and priorities in modern health care. It is divided into three areas: 'The Scope of Public Health' discusses the development of the discipline, determinants of health and disease, public health policies, and law and ethics; 'The Methods of Public Health' covers the main science behind the discipline – epidemiology; 'The Practice of Public Health' examines specific public health problems and the options for prevention and control. As well as identifying these issues by system or disease, there is also an awareness of the unique needs of particular population groups. This sixth edition also includes new topics, including climate change, genetic testing and epidemiology; new methods for measuring the burden of disease; life course approaches to epidemiology, behavioural economics; and physical activity, health and wellbeing.Less

The Oxford Textbook of Infectious Disease Control discusses the issues of geographical spread of human communicable diseases. Split into six chapters it tackles surveillance, quarantine, vaccination, and forecasting for disease control. A wide selection of representative maps and diagrams are used to illustrate the ideas explored. Less

Much literature on environmental health has described threats from the environment. The Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health: The Role of Nature in Improving the Health of a Population focuses on the role of nature for our health and well-being by demonstrating how we can gain multiple health benefits from nature, and how much we risk losing by destroying our surrounding natural environment. Providing a broad and inclusive picture of the multifaceted relation between human health and natural environments, the books covers all aspects of this relationship ranging from disease prevention; through physical activity in green spaces, to ecosystem services like climate change adaptation by urban trees preventing heat stress in hot climates. Nature’s potential hazardous consequences are also discussed including natural disasters, vector-borne pathogens, and allergies.Less

Spirituality and healthcare is an emerging field of research, practice and policy, and healthcare organisations and practitioners are therefore challenged to understand and address spirituality, develop their knowledge and implement effective policy. This is the first reference resource to provide a comprehensive overview of the key topics.Less

This online resource brings together an international team of experts to provide an extensive global account of the mortality and morbidity burden caused by violence. It does this by examining the causes of violence, and what can be done to prevent and reduce violence. Divided into six sections, it analyses how a public health approach can help to prevent violence. It tackles interpersonal violence in all its forms. Early chapters describe epidemiology and consequences, followed by chapters that present the current state of the evidence in interventions. Policies for violence reduction are discussed, and finally recommendations are made for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers. Less

The Oxford Textbook of Zoonoses comprehensively provides a systematic, cross disciplinary approach to the science and control of all zoonoses - diseases naturally transmissible between vertebrate animals and man.Less