This accessible book shows how social structures and social norms shape both individual and collective health. It provides readers with an insightful understanding of the relationship between society, health and illness and highlights issues to inform a progressive, patient-centred approach to contemporary healthcare.

The book begins by discussing how health has been defined and understood over the last century before examining how social issues such as deprivation, class, employment, housing, gender, ethnicity and policy shape health and contribute to health inequities. The book then discusses public health initiatives such as health promotion and screening programmes, the impact of resource allocation and the role that politics and policy play in supporting a healthy society. To bring concepts to life, the book uses case studies from the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.

Guided by the fundamental principle that everything in a society has some effect or impact upon its health, and assuming no prior knowledge of the social sciences, this is the ideal book for healthcare students across nursing, medicine, midwifery and pharmacy, as well as anyone interested in the relationship between health and society.