Extensive research has shown that social factors are as important as biological ones in determining health, and their impact is enormous in both adults and children. The challenge of changing public policies and programs remains. Healthier Societies: From Analysis to Action addresses the fundamental questions which will lead the way toward countries investing seriously in improving social conditions, as a way of improving population health.

The book is divided into three parts. Section one addresses to what extent health is determined by biological factors, by social factors, and more fundamentally, by the interaction between the two. Section two examines four case studies that demonstrate the ways in which social change can dramatically affect adults' health, as well as launch children's lives onto healthy trajectories. This section analyzes the cases of nutrition, working conditions, social inequalities, and geographic disparities. The third section of the book takes a serious look at what would be involved in translating the research findings described throughout the book into action.

Jody Heymann is founding director of the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy, and founding director for the Project on Global Working Families, Harvard.

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Morris L. Barer is professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia.

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"This book is such a valuable contribution to the field of public health because it is written in a voice that motivates, and provides a directive for action."--Doody's