WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2008

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Justin Healey

Tobacco smoking kills up to half of its users and has a global annual death toll of more than five million people. It is the largest cause of preventable death in the western world. Around 3 million Australians are daily smokers, many of whom are socially disadvantaged. This title reveals the toxic contents of tobacco and the health effects of smoking (including passive smoking) on the body. The book also addresses a number of commonly held myths and misconceptions about the risks and impacts of smoking. A range of different quitting methods and products for overcoming nicotine addiction is al.

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Linda M. Burton ... [et al

'Place is an important element in understanding health and health care disparities. More that merely a geographic location, place is a socio-ecological force with detectable effects on social life, independent well-being, and health. Despite the general enthusiasm for the study of place and the potential it could have for a better understanding of the distribution of health in different communities, research is at a difficult crossroads because of disagreements in how the construct should be conceptualized and measured. This edited volume incorporates an cross-disciplinary approach to the study of place, in order to come up with a comprehensive and useful definition of place. Topics covered include: Social Inequalities, Historical Definitions of Place, Biology and Place, Rural vs. Urban Places, Racialization of a Place, Migration, Sacred Places, Technological Innovations An understanding of place is essential for health care professionals, as interventions often do not have the same effects in the clinic as they do in varied, naturalistic social settings.'--Provided by publisher.

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William Jack

Health indicators in developing countries have shown impressive improvements in the past 50 years. But the health status of individuals in these countries remains well below its potential level, and many people lack access to suitable health care and health-promoting services. This book attempts to provide a suitable economic framework that will foster an understanding of the allocation of broadly defined health care resources, and to aid the design and analysis of policies that affect health outcomes. It addressed both positive and normative issues in the economics of health, and in this sense is similar in approach, if not in scope, to public finance texts. Indeed, in many respects, the book represents an application of public economics, including developments in the past 20 years in the economics of information and incentives, to the analysis of health care resource allocations. Part I focuses on health outcomes and the relationships between such outcomes and orthodox variables that measure macroeconomic performance. Part II adopts a more macroeconomic focus in analyzing demand and supply in health care markets. Part III takes on a more normative approach, reviewing both projects and policies. An attempt to address some broad issues in the design and implementation of national health systems can be found in the last chapter.

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Miriam Jacobs and Barbara Dinham

This book focuses on the widely overlooked area of gender issues in pesticide use, and its repercussions on women. In many societies, most work in the fields is done by women rather than men. As a result, not only are more women than men often exposed to pesticides, but the toxic effects impact on women in specific physiological ways. The information in this volume documents this and makes clear the urgent need for more systematic attention to gender issues in pesticide and sustainable agriculture-related research and action.