Louise Potvin - Böcker

Pandemics, substance abuse, natural disasters, obesity, and warfare: the line that once separated health crisis from social crisis no longer exists. Yet while social theories are implied in today’s public health arena, they are rarely acknowledged. Now an international panel of leaders in world health explores this vital but understudied aspect of health promotion.Health and Modernity proceeds from the thesis that contemporary health promotion is, by definition, inextricably linked to its social context. The authors discuss global challenges in terms of cultural capital, risk and causality, systems theory, and the dynamic between individual and community. In the process, they define an entity that:- Understands the centrality of health to all areas of human life- Is committed to equity in access to health-promoting resources- Applies a multidisciplinary approach to public concerns- Looks beyond quick fixes and simple answers to complex issues - Employs a variety of political and social agents to accomplish health objectives- Is dedicated to empowerment, facilitation, and inclusivenessThe insights found in Health and Modernity are certain to raise the level of debate among professionals, researchers, and the academic community in the global/public health and health promotion fields. This visionary volume guides readers from the immediacy of doing toward the deeper meaning that makes such doing possible.

More and more, health promotion is a crucial component of public health, to the extent that public health interventions are called on to prove their effectiveness and appraised for scientific validity, a practice many in the field consider self-defeating. Health Promotion Evaluation Practices in the Americas cogently demonstrates that scientific rigor and the goals of health promotion are less in conflict than commonly thought, synthesizing multiple traditions from countries throughout North, Central, and South America (and across the developed-to-developing-world continuum) for a volume that is both diverse in scope and unified in purpose.The book’s examples—representing robust theoretical and practical literatures as well as initiatives from Rio de Janeiro to American Indian communities—explain why health promotion evaluation projects require different guidelines from mainstream evaluative work. The editors identify core humanitarian principles associated with health promotion (participation, empowerment, equity, sustainability, intersectoral action, multistrategy, and contextualism), while chapters highlight challenges that must be mastered to keep these principles and scientific objectives in sync, including: (1) Building health promotion values into evaluation research projects. (2) Expanding the use of evaluation in health promotion. (3) Developing meaningful evaluation questions. (4) Distinguishing between community-based participation research and evaluation-based participation. (5) Evaluating specifically for equity. (6) Designing initiatives to foster lasting social change.The applied knowledge in Health Promotion Evaluation Practices in the Americas: Values and Research can bring the goals of intervention into sharper focus for practitioners, evaluators, and decision-makers and facilitate communication on all sides—necessary steps to progress from study findings to real-world action.

Pandemics, substance abuse, natural disasters, obesity, and warfare: the line that once separated health crisis from social crisis no longer exists. Yet while social theories are implied in today’s public health arena, they are rarely acknowledged. Now an international panel of leaders in world health explores this vital but understudied aspect of health promotion.Health and Modernity proceeds from the thesis that contemporary health promotion is, by definition, inextricably linked to its social context. The authors discuss global challenges in terms of cultural capital, risk and causality, systems theory, and the dynamic between individual and community. In the process, they define an entity that:- Understands the centrality of health to all areas of human life- Is committed to equity in access to health-promoting resources- Applies a multidisciplinary approach to public concerns- Looks beyond quick fixes and simple answers to complex issues - Employs a variety of political and social agents to accomplish health objectives- Is dedicated to empowerment, facilitation, and inclusivenessThe insights found in Health and Modernity are certain to raise the level of debate among professionals, researchers, and the academic community in the global/public health and health promotion fields. This visionary volume guides readers from the immediacy of doing toward the deeper meaning that makes such doing possible.

More and more, health promotion is a crucial component of public health, to the extent that public health interventions are called on to prove their effectiveness and appraised for scientific validity, a practice many in the field consider self-defeating. Health Promotion Evaluation Practices in the Americas cogently demonstrates that scientific rigor and the goals of health promotion are less in conflict than commonly thought, synthesizing multiple traditions from countries throughout North, Central, and South America (and across the developed-to-developing-world continuum) for a volume that is both diverse in scope and unified in purpose.The book’s examples—representing robust theoretical and practical literatures as well as initiatives from Rio de Janeiro to American Indian communities—explain why health promotion evaluation projects require different guidelines from mainstream evaluative work. The editors identify core humanitarian principles associated with health promotion (participation, empowerment, equity, sustainability, intersectoral action, multistrategy, and contextualism), while chapters highlight challenges that must be mastered to keep these principles and scientific objectives in sync, including: (1) Building health promotion values into evaluation research projects. (2) Expanding the use of evaluation in health promotion. (3) Developing meaningful evaluation questions. (4) Distinguishing between community-based participation research and evaluation-based participation. (5) Evaluating specifically for equity. (6) Designing initiatives to foster lasting social change.The applied knowledge in Health Promotion Evaluation Practices in the Americas: Values and Research can bring the goals of intervention into sharper focus for practitioners, evaluators, and decision-makers and facilitate communication on all sides—necessary steps to progress from study findings to real-world action.

With increasing demands for evidence-based decision-making, the academic community must be ready to train researchers who can reduce the gap between health care research and practice. One program dedicated to promoting such training is the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF, now the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement) and Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) Chair Program. Participants of these programs were selected to develop innovative research programs that bridge this divide, as well as to mentor the next generation on building partnerships with organizations outside the university through applied research.The CHSRF/CIHR Chairs have come together in Shaping Academia for the Public Good to draw out valuable lessons learned throughout its first decade. It includes chapters on funding, knowledge transfer, policy frameworks, working with multiple stakeholders, and managing organizational settings, among other topics. Shaping Academia for the Public Good will be a helpful resource for those interested in the potential of new research approaches to improve our healthcare system.

While research teams are producing relevant and valid knowledge for health promotion, there is not yet a structured manual and distinct field of health promotion research.

While research teams are producing relevant and valid knowledge for health promotion, there is not yet a structured manual and distinct field of health promotion research. This timely "state-of-the-art" handbook contributes to the structuring of such a field of research. This collection of original contributions explores the major epistemological, methodological, and ethical challenges facing health promotion research. It brings together experts from different "research traditions" that coexist in the field. The handbook covers the existing knowledge production and sharing practices to delineate the "discipline" and its agenda for future research. Ultimately, it contributes to the creation of a global community of health promotion researchers. The handbook is organized by four types of practices (what people actually do) studied in health promotion; the practices of: Individuals and populations in relation to their health and itsdeterminantsProfessionals who intervene to improve population healthPolicy-makers and institutions involved in the advocacy, design, and implementation of policies and programsResearchers and innovators (academic scholars and global agencies) through which investment in research and production of evidence-based guidelines are made.Global Handbook of Health Promotion Research, Vol. 1: Mapping Health Promotion Research is a highly relevant reference tool for researchers and graduate students in health promotion, public health, education and socio-health sciences; practitioners in health, medical, and social sectors; policy-makers; and health research administrators.

While research teams are producing relevant and valid knowledge for health promotion, there is not yet a structured manual and distinct field of health promotion research.

While research teams are producing relevant and valid knowledge for health promotion, there is not yet a structured manual and distinct field of health promotion research.