"This is a small book which covers a great deal of ground clearly,concisely, and with a fluidity which makes it an enjoyable read." Journal of Advanced Nursing “This book points clearly to the fact that applied research always rests on theoretical assumptions and argues persuasively that good research demands explicit consideration of those assumptions. By setting out the main theoretical paradigms clearly and fairly, it provides a very useful guide for researchers wishing to ensure that their work is properly grounded and appropriately focused, and to students requiring the tools to look under the surface of research claims.†Sam Porter, Research Professor of Nursing, Queen's University, Belfast What is the relationship between social theory and applied research? How can theory help us to become better researchers? The book provides a resource for students and professionals, particularly in health and social care, who wish to undertake social research. It bridges the divide between assumptions of traditional research on the one hand and the inaccessibility of complex philosophies of research on the other. Social Theory and Applied Health Researchprovides an accessible assessment of dilemmas facing social researchers in trying to make sense of the world of health care. It links theory and method by presenting an account of how reflection can help amend, complement and strengthen a practical research strategy. Using clear diagrams, tables and examples of recent research, the book illustrates principles from social theory from a range of applied research studies. This is essential reading for sociologists and psychologists conducting applied research, as well as the health and social welfare professions, including nurses, therapists, doctors, social workers, youth and community workers, and teachers.

Social Theory and Health Education brings together health education scholarship with a diverse range of social theories to demonstrate the value and impact of their application to associated health and education contexts. For the first time, this book draws together cutting-edge research that demonstrates the productive and impactful ways social theory can be applied to the diversity of research in this field. Topics covered include digital health, health education in sexuality, gender and health, food and nutrition, mental health and wellbeing, environment, and alcohol and drug use. In exploring these topics, each author utilises different theorists and concepts to compellingly demonstrate their application to a range of health education research contexts. This collection provides examples for both students, early career and established scholars that showcase ways that social theory can be utilised in empirical and theoretical research. The collection also highlights how health education scholarship can be enhanced by engaging with social theory. It also explores the viability of various theories for work in this field, and their potential to generate new approaches for research.

This Handbook expertly instructs the reader on how to conduct applied health research across a number of disciplines. Particularly aimed at postgraduate health researchers and students of applied health research, it presents and explains a wide range of research designs and other contemporary issues in applied health research.

The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) defines the term biomedical informatics (BMI) as: The interdisciplinary field that studies and pursues the effective uses of biomedical data, information, and knowledge for scientific inquiry, problem solving and decision making, motivated by efforts to improve human health. This book: Applied Interdisciplinary Theory in Health Informatics: A Knowledge Base for Practitioners, explores the theories that have been applied in health informatics and the differences they have made. The editors, all proponents of evidence-based health informatics, came together within the European Federation of Medical Informatics (EFMI) Working Group on Health IT Evaluation and the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Working Group on Technology Assessment and Quality Development. The purpose of the book, which has a foreword by Charles Friedman, is to move forward the agenda of evidence-based health informatics by emphasizing theory-informed work aimed at enriching the understanding of this uniquely complex field. The book takes the AMIA definition as particularly helpful in its articulation of the three foundational domains of health informatics: health science, information science, and social science and their various overlaps, and this model has been used to structure the content of the book around the major subject areas. The book discusses some of the most important and commonly used theories relevant to health informatics, and constitutes a first iteration of a consolidated knowledge base that will advance the science of the field.

In today's world of scare resources, determining the optimal allocation of funds to preventive health care interventions (PHIs) is a challenge. The upfront investments needed must be viewed as long term projects, the benefits of which we will experience in the future. The long term positive change to PHIs from economic investment can be seen across multiple sectors such as health care, education, employment and beyond. Applied Health Economics for Public Health Practice and Research is the fifth in the series of Handbooks in Health Economic Evaluation. It presents new research on health economics methodology and application to the evaluation of public health interventions. Looking at traditional as well as novel methods of economic evaluation, the book covers the history of economics of public health and the economic rationale for government investment in prevention. In addition, it looks at principles of health economics, evidence synthesis, key methods of economic evaluation with accompanying case studies, and much more. Looking to the future, Applied Health Economics for Public Health Practice and Research presents priorities for research in the field of public health economics. It acknowledges the role played by natural environment in promoting better health, and the place of genetics, environment and socioeconomic status in determining population health. Ideal for health economists, public health researchers, local government workers, health care professionals, and those responsible for health policy development. Applied Health Economics for Public Health Practice and Research is an important contribution to the economic discussion of public health and resource allocation.

The essential health behavior text, updated with the latest theories, research, and issues Health Behavior: Theory, Research and Practice provides a thorough introduction to understanding and changing health behavior, core tenets of the public health role. Covering theory, applications, and research, this comprehensive book has become the gold standard of health behavior texts. This new fifth edition has been updated to reflect the most recent changes in the public health field with a focus on health behavior, including coverage of the intersection of health and community, culture, and communication, with detailed explanations of both established and emerging theories. Offering perspective applicable at the individual, interpersonal, group, and community levels, this essential guide provides the most complete coverage of the field to give public health students and practitioners an authoritative reference for both the theoretical and practical aspects of health behavior. A deep understanding of human behaviors is essential for effective public health and health care management. This guide provides the most complete, up-to-date information in the field, to give you a real-world understanding and the background knowledge to apply it successfully. Learn how e-health and social media factor into health communication Explore the link between culture and health, and the importance of community Get up to date on emerging theories of health behavior and their applications Examine the push toward evidence-based interventions, and global applications Written and edited by the leading health and social behavior theorists and researchers, Health Behavior: Theory, Research and Practice provides the information and real-world perspective that builds a solid understanding of how to analyze and improve health behaviors and health.

`If there is a single question that presses upon the intellect of the current generation of social scientists, it is surely: "what do the great insights of social theory imply for the way we conduct research and write about the social world?". Until now there has been no single text to turn to that explores the epistemological complexities of field work, the problems of writing and language, and of the logics of inquiry that link theory, method and evidence. Using Social Theory is a magisterial effort to open up the black-box of research methods, and to provide students, in a way that no other comparable text has done, with a road map for the practice of the contemporary human sciences′ - Michael Watts, Chancellor′s Professor of Geography and Director Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley `From "theory talk to making it walk", Using Social Theory is one of the most useful and interesting books on the market. The authors demonstrate how to use philosophy and social theory as an indispensable toolkit for passionate and rigorous research. Essential reading for students and teachers in the social sciences and humanities′ - Professor Elspeth Probyn, Department of Gender Studies, University of Sydney Have you ever stopped to wonder about the influences that underpin research? If you are thinking about doing a piece of research, what difference might it make to the question you ask, to your approach to empirical work, analysis and writing of research, if you are influenced by one theoretical approach rather than another? The chapters in this innovative guide share a common belief that thinking alongside ideas, philosophical persuasions, is an integral part of the research process; it is not an optional extra. It sets out ways to encourage the researcher to think through three key moments of the research process: the production of a research question; fieldwork; and analysis and writing. As the authors demonstrate, research is not simply `done′: it has to be thought about and thought through. The book′s accessible style makes it suitable for anyone wishing to engage ideas in research in the social sciences and humanities.