Current issues in the public health arena have challenged the system to broaden its traditional focus on infectious disease to include chronic disease as well. As this change in emphasis takes place, professionals must be prepared to address the special chronic health concerns of older people living in the community. This textbook meets the training needs of those professionals. Public Health and Aging examines the role of public health in the planning, coordination, and delivery of health promotion and disease prevention services to older people living outside of institutional settings. Here, experts in the areas of health care policy and care of aged persons analyze the scientific basis for the practice of public health in an increasingly aging society. Reviewing a wide range of the social, cultural, financial, and environmental factors that influence the health experiences of older population groups, the authors delve into the epidemiology of age-related chronic illnesses, program development, methodological issues, data collection and analysis, strategies for intervention, and ethics. From outlines for community-based program planning and development to discussions about the future challenges for health care systems and services, this book is an ideal reference for gerontology, public policy, and public health professionals and professionals in training. ''Pulling together experts with diverse backgrounds in public health and aging, Public Health and Aging is the first book in nearly ten years to take such a comprehensive public health approach to the evaluation of care for the aging members of our society. The book is a 'who's who' in the field and promises to be a classic textbook in the areas of aging and public health.''--Marcia Ory, Ph.D., Chief of the Social Science Research on Aging program at the National Institute on Aging
Contents and Contributors: The Public Health Paradigm Robert L. Kane ; Understanding the Aging and Public Health Networks Alan L. Balsam and Carolyn L. Bottum ; Behavioral, Social, and Socioenvironmental Factors Adding Years to Life and Life to Years George A. Kaplan ; Issues of Resource Allocation in an Aging Society Robert H. Binstock ; Variability in Disease Manifestations in Older Adults: Implications for Public and Community Health Programs Robert B. Wallace ; Disability Outcomes of Chronic Disease and Their Implications for Public Health Marcel E. Salive and Jack M. Guralnik ; Evidence of Modifiable Risk Factors in Older Adults as a Basis for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Programs Gilbert S. Omenn, Shirley M. Beresford, David M. Buchner, Andrea LaCroix, Mona Martin, Donald L. Patrick, Jeffery I. Wallace, and Edward H. Wagner ; Integrating Research into Program Planning and Development Terrie Wetle ; Surveillance, Needs Assessment, and Evaluation Susan L. Hughes ; Conceptual Measurement, and Analytical Issues in Assessing Health Status in Older Populations Anita L. Stewart and Sam Shapiro ; On the Economic Analysis of Interventions for Aged Populations Ronald J. Ozminkowski and Laurence G. Branch; Postponing Disability: Identifying Points of Decline and Potential Intervention S. Jay Olshansky and Mark A. Rudberg ; Aging, Bioethics, and Public Health: Issues at the Intersection of Three Multidisciplinary Fields; Rosalie A. Kane Implications of an Aging Society for the Preparation of Public Health Professionals Thomas R. Prohaska and Steven P. Wallace ; Implications of an Aging Society for the Organization and Evaluation of Public Health Services Elizabeth A. Kutza ; Toward a Synthesis of a Public Health Agenda for an Aging Society Ronald Anderson and Nadereh Pourat
""A helpful chronology takes the reader through the war day by day.""
