An in-depth look at disparities in health and health care, fully updated for 2021 Vulnerable Populations in the United States, 3rd Edition provides a general framework for studying vulnerable populations and summarizes major health and health care disparities by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health insurance coverage. This updated contains the latest statistics and figures, incorporates new information related to Healthy People 2020, analyzes the latest data and trends in health and health care disparities, and provides a detailed synthesis of recent and increasingly expansive programs and initiatives to remedy these disparities. In addition, the Third Edition offers new coverage of health care reform, the "deaths of despair" (suicide, opioids, etc.), and the global primary care initiative. Based on the authors' teaching and research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, this landmark text is an important resource for students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers for learning about vulnerable populations. The book's Web site includes instructor's materials that may be downloaded. Gain a general understanding of health and health care disparities related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and health insurance coverage Access online resources including editable PowerPoint slides, video, and more Delve into the programs and initiatives designed to remedy inequalities in health and health care, including Healthy People 2020 updates Enjoy new coverage of health care reform, the "deaths of despair" (suicide, opioids, etc.), and the global primary care initiative End of chapter revision questions and other pedagogical features make this book a valuable learning tool for anyone studying at the advanced undergraduate or graduate levels. Additionally, it will prove useful in the field for medical professionals, social and community workers, and health educators in the public sphere.

Lu Ann Aday has undertaken extensive research on vulnerable populations, and in this book, she provides a comprehensive reference on the characteristics and needs of many at risk groups in America today--including the homeless, refugees, and immigrants, people suffering from AIDS, alcohol and substance abusers, high-risk mothers and infants, victims of family or other violence, and the chronically or mentally ill. Aday offers a systematic and cross-cutting overview of the issues that affect all these groups, and she discusses the steps necessary to achieve a more community-oriented health policy that can be effective in decreasing vulnerability.

Over the past four decades, the rate of incarceration in the United States has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, both historically and in comparison to that of other developed nations. At far higher rates than the general population, those in or entering U.S. jails and prisons are prone to many health problems. This is a problem not just for them, but also for the communities from which they come and to which, in nearly all cases, they will return. Health and Incarceration is the summary of a workshop jointly sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences(NAS) Committee on Law and Justice and the Institute of Medicine(IOM) Board on Health and Select Populations in December 2012. Academics, practitioners, state officials, and nongovernmental organization representatives from the fields of healthcare, prisoner advocacy, and corrections reviewed what is known about these health issues and what appear to be the best opportunities to improve healthcare for those who are now or will be incarcerated. The workshop was designed as a roundtable with brief presentations from 16 experts and time for group discussion. Health and Incarceration reviews what is known about the health of incarcerated individuals, the healthcare they receive, and effects of incarceration on public health. This report identifies opportunities to improve healthcare for these populations and provides a platform for visions of how the world of incarceration health can be a better place.

In the United States, some populations suffer from far greater disparities in health than others. Those disparities are caused not only by fundamental differences in health status across segments of the population, but also because of inequities in factors that impact health status, so-called determinants of health. Only part of an individual's health status depends on his or her behavior and choice; community-wide problems like poverty, unemployment, poor education, inadequate housing, poor public transportation, interpersonal violence, and decaying neighborhoods also contribute to health inequities, as well as the historic and ongoing interplay of structures, policies, and norms that shape lives. When these factors are not optimal in a community, it does not mean they are intractable: such inequities can be mitigated by social policies that can shape health in powerful ways. Communities in Action: Pathways to Health Equity seeks to delineate the causes of and the solutions to health inequities in the United States. This report focuses on what communities can do to promote health equity, what actions are needed by the many and varied stakeholders that are part of communities or support them, as well as the root causes and structural barriers that need to be overcome.

No other book on the subject Chronic diseases, especially those associated with poor nutrition, obesity, and addiction have grown to epidemic proportion in many poor and minority populations Covers all essential topics, including Navigating Language Barriers, Understanding Disability, Patient Education, Substance Abusers, the Care of Gay and Lesbian Patients, Reproductive Issues in Poor Women, and much more

This updated second edition of At Risk in America provides a detailed analysis of those key population groups most vulnerable to disease and injury in the United States today-including homeless persons, refugees and immigrants, people living with AIDS, alcohol and substance abusers, high-risk mothers and infants, victims of family or other violence, and the chronically or mentally ill. Lu Ann Aday reviews the major theories and knowledge concerning these at-risk groups and offers new approaches and methodologies for tracing the social determinants and societal influences on health. She examines the specific health needs and risks faced by these groups, their experience in the health care system, the current policies and programs that serve them, and the research and policy initiatives that might be undertaken to help reduce their vulnerability.

Human beings have always been affected by their surroundings. There are various health benefits linked to being able to access to nature; including increased physical activity, stress recovery, and the stimulation of child cognitive development. The Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health provides a broad and inclusive picture of the relationship between our own health and the natural environment. All aspects of this unique relationship are covered, ranging from disease prevention through physical activity in green spaces to innovative ecosystem services, such as climate change adaptation by urban trees. Potential hazardous consequences are also discussed including natural disasters, vector-borne pathogens, and allergies. This book analyses the complexity of our human interaction with nature and includes sections for example epigenetics, stress physiology, and impact assessments. These topics are all interconnected and fundamental for reaching a full understanding of the role of nature in public health and wellbeing. Much of the recent literature on environmental health has primarily described potential threats from our natural surroundings. The Oxford Textbook of Nature and Public Health instead focuses on how nature can positively impact our health and wellbeing, and how much we risk losing by destroying it. The all-inclusive approach provides a comprehensive and complete coverage of the role of nature in public health, making this textbook invaluable reading for health professionals, students, and researchers within public health, environmental health, and complementary medicine.