This book is for those who want to answer the question 'What is public health?'. Much of modern public health is about tackling strong vested interests head on, empowering people so they can make healthy decisions, and recognising the political nature of the issues. If a society is to achieve these things, it needs public health practitioners with the necessary knowledge, skills and vision.

This book looks at the foundation of public health, its historical evolution, the themes that underpin public health, the increasing importance of globalization and the most important causes of avoidable disease and injury.

These include:

• Transport
• Tobacco
• Nutrition
• Infectious disease
• Waste disposal

Series Editors: Rosalind Plowman and Nicki Thorogood.