Overview

The government, the media, health insurers, and invidivuals all have embraces programs to promote disease prevention. Yet obesity is up, exercise is down, teenagers continue to smoke, and sexually transmitted disease is rampant. Why? These essays examine the ethical and social problems that create subtle obstacles to changing Americans' unhealthy behaviour. The contributors raise profound questions about the role of government or employer efforts to change health-related behaviour, about the actual health and economic benefits of even trying, and about the freedom and responsibility of the citizens who are targets of such eforts. They ask, for instance, whether we all are equally free to live healthy lives or whether social and economic conditions make a difference. They discuss whether or not disease prevention programs actually save money, as is commonly argued. They explore the fundamental ambivalence of traditionally libertarian Americans about health promotion programs: we like the idea of good health but do not want government or others shaping our lifestyle choices. They conclude that such programs will continue to prove less than successful without a fuller examination of their place in our national values.

Full Product Details

Author:   Daniel Callahan ,  Meredith Minkler ,  Beverly Ovrebo ,  Helen H Schauffler
Publisher:   Georgetown University Press
Imprint:   Georgetown University Press
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.399kg
ISBN:  

9780878408535

ISBN 10:   0878408533
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   18 June 2001
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Manufactured on demand  
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Table of Contents

Preface IntroductionDaniel Callahan Personal Responsibility for Health: Contexts and Controversies Meredith Minkler Health Promotion and Civil Liberties: The Price of Freedoms and the Price of Health Beverly Ovrebo The Credibility of Claims for the Economic Benefits of Health PromotionHelen Halpin Shauffler Sticks and Carrots and Baseball Bats: Economic and Other Incentives to Modify Health Behavior E. Haavi Morreim Health Promotion and the Common Good: Reflections on the Politics of NeedAnn Robertson Health Promotion and the Common Good: Toward a Politics of Practice Ronald Labonte The Promise of Molecular Medicine in Preventing Disease: Examining the Burden of Genetic Risk Barbara Koenig and Alan Stockdale Freedom, Healthism, and Health Promotion: Rinding the Right Balance Daniel Callahan Promoting Health and Preventing Disease: Ethical Demands and Social Challenges Daniel Callahan, Barbara Koenig, and Meredith Minkler Contributors Index

Reviews

Insightful ... provide[s] fascinating analyses... A must-read for all involved with health promotion and disease prevention programs and concerned about their social and ethical implications. Choice A scintillating collection of essays Revue Canadienne de Sante Publique

Insightful... provide[s] fascinating analyses...A must-read for all involved with health promotion and disease prevention programs and concerned about their social and ethical implications. -- Choice [A] scintillating collection of essays... -- Revue Canadienne de Sante Publique

Insightful... provide[s] fascinating analyses...A must-read for all involved with health promotion and disease prevention programs and concerned about their social and ethical implications. -- Choice [A] scintillating collection of essays... -- Revue Canadienne de Sante Publique

Insightful... provide[s] fascinating analyses...A must-read for all involved with health promotion and disease prevention programs and concerned about their social and ethical implications. Choice A scintillating collection of essays Revue Canadienne de Sante Publique

Author Information

The co-founder and former president of the Hastings Center, Daniel Callahan is currently the director of international programs for the Hastings Center and author of The Troubled Dream of Life: In Search of a Peaceful Death, Setting Limits: Medical Goals in an Aging Society, and What Kind of Life?: The Limits of Medical Progress(Georgetown University Press).

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