Health Promotion - Philosophy, Prejudice and Practice

Incisively written, this new edition of a popular guide first published in 1996 slices through the rhetoric of health promotion. Its penetrating analysis quickly reveals health promotion's conceptual roots, providing an enlightening map of their web of theory and practice. David Seedhouse proves that health promotion, a discipline intended to improve the health of a population, is prejudiced-every plan and every project stems first from human values-and argues that only by acknowledging this will a mature discipline emerge. To help speed progress the author proposes a positive, practical theory of health promotion destined to inspire anyone who wishes to create better health.
This new edition includes three new chapters on conventional health promotion, radical and foundational health promotion and mental health promotion, providing examples of the use of foundational health promotion. This new edition also adds five new teaching exercises, incorporates and updates the guide for teachers and lecturers and includes a new topical case study. This book is laced with entertaining dialogues and readers are encouraged to explore ten carefully presented exercises.
Educational, accessible and intelligent, Health Promotion: Philosophy, Prejudice and Practice, 2nd Edition is a seminal work which heralds the beginning of the end of health promotion's long adolescence. It is nothing less than essential reading for all practitioners and students of health promotion.


David Seedhouse is a truly original thinker and prolific author, highly regarded by health practitioners, teachers and students alike. Though David has a background in philosophy, his work is always focused on solving practical problems. Professor Seedhouse is best know for his writing on health and ethics, yet his work straddles many areas of social, philosophical and political concern. He has written or edited 14 books and produced over 200 book chapters, journal papers and other articles. His library includes the highly successful editions of Health: The Foundations for Achievement and Ethics: The Heart of Healthcare; the full list of his titles is given at the back of this book. His primary interest no lies in the development of software to enable transparent decision-making in healthcare, local democracy, schools and other social settings. The considerable practical impact of David's work can be seen - and engaged with - at www.values-exchange.com. David is Professor of Health and Social Ethics at Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand and Professor of Health Care Analysis at Middlesex University, London. He is CEO of VIDe Ltd - www.vide.co.nz - and a popular keynote conference speaker internationally.