Sustainable Community Health / Progress in Mathematics (PDF)

-Joshua M. Smyth, Distinguished Professor of Biobehavioral Health and Medicine, Pennsylvania State University, USA

"This comprehensive yet highly readable text integrates health and behavioral theory with practical strategies, resulting in a roadmap for improving the health of communities in ways that prioritize sustainability. The approaches detailed by Mpofu and colleagues are grounded in principles of social justice, and intended to redress health inequities that have persisted for centuries."

-Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson, Professor of Epidemiology and Chair of Health Promotion and Policy, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA

Applying a trans-disciplinary approach, this book provides a comprehensive, research-based guide to understanding, implementing, and strengthening sustainable community health in diverse international settings. By examining the interdependence of environmental, economic, public health, community wellbeing, and development factors, the authors address the systemic factors impacting health disparities, inequality, and social justice issues.

The book analyzes strategies based on a partnership view of health, in which communities determine their health and wellness working alongside local, state, and federal health agencies. Crucially, it demonstrates that communities are themselves health systems and their wellbeing capabilities affect the health of individuals and the collective alike. It identifies health indicators and tools that communities and policy makers can utilize to sustain truly inclusive health systems. This book offers a unique resource for researchers and practitioners working across psychology, mental health, rehabilitation, public health, epidemiology, social policy, healthcare, and allied health.