Policy Press People-centred public health (Evidence for Public Health Practice)

People-centred public health examines how members of the public can be involved in delivering health improvement, primarily as volunteers or lay health workers. With a foreword by Professor Sir Michael Marmot and Dr Mike Grady, this timely book draws on a major study of lay engagement in public health, using case studies and real life examples to provide a comprehensive and accessible overview of policy, practice and research in this area. In an economic and political climate where there is renewed interest in the role of the citizen, the authors challenge old orthodoxies in public health and build a coherent argument for radical change in the way public agencies support lay action. The book is aimed at readers with an academic or professional interest in public health and/or community involvement, including practitioners and managers within public services and the voluntary sector, and post-graduate and undergraduate students studying public health, health promotion, public sector management, social policy and community work. Review A clear and lively presentation of the issues from the perspectives of paid staff and lay health workers...a good introduction to key theoretical and practical issues about lay involvement in health promotion. Sociology of Health and IllnessI recommend this book to anyone interested in the future of public health. It offers a compelling guide to the policies, research and practice for anyone engaged in helping people and communities to become active citizens taking control of the factors that will radically improve their health. David Buck, Senior Fellow, Public Health and Health Inequalities, Kings FundThis book provokes thinking and discussion on how to help deliver effective public health initiatives in the community. It is relevant for people working in public health who wish to develop knowledge on how to influence future practice. Hannah Marriage, Leicestershire Partnership Trust, Nursing Times.net About the Author Jane South is Professor of Healthy Communities and Director of the Centre for Health Promotion Research, Leeds Metropolitan University. Judy White is a Senior Lecturer in Health Promotion at Leeds Metropolitan University with many years experience of practice and research in community engagement. Mark Gamsu is a Visiting Professor at Leeds Metropolitan University, and has worked on health inequalities at a senior level within the Department of Health, local government and the voluntary sector.