Book Review Scott Kahan, Andrea C. Gielen, Peter J. Fagan, and Lawrence W. Green, Editors. Health Behavior Change in Populations. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014. $74.95. pp. 584. Paperback. ISBN‐13: 978‐1421414553.

• Author: Liang‐Kim Ong,Michael Plouffe
• Date: 01 March 2016
• Published date: 01 March 2016
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.173

Book Review

Scott Kahan, Andrea C. Gielen, Peter J. Fagan, and Lawrence W. Green, Editors.

Health Behavior Change in Populations. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University

Press, 2014. $74.95. pp. 584. Paperback. ISBN-13: 978-1421414553.

It is frequently said that prevention is better than cure: it is better to try to

prevent adverse things from happening than it is to f‌ix the consequences. A

healthy population requires the provision of appropriate treatment as well as

behaviors to promote healthy living. The latter requires reducing risky behaviors,

whether these involve exposure to external harmful substances or reducing other

factors that can increase susceptibility to diseases; disability; and ultimately, death.

Health Behavior Change in Populations is a textbook that provides a solid

general overview of the determinants of health and behavior change and should

equip students with many of the tools necessary to enact positive changes in their

own communities, while serving as a valuable reference for practitioners.

The book is arranged into three thematic sections: the f‌irst introduces core

concepts and theoretical frameworks presented in relation to the ecological

model; the second applies these abstract theories to specif‌ic practical cases; the

f‌inal section addresses issues that span across particular cases and populations.

Chapters are all very clearly structured, with a handful of key learning objectives

listed at the beginning, and a very clear sense of progression throughout. This,

combined with comprehensive glossary, index, and chapter-specif‌ic references,

should be invaluable to students.

Presentation of the ecological model of health behavior in the f‌irst section is

exceptionally lucid, and readers will gain an appreciation for the interdisciplinary

insights that have contributed to the study and understanding of behavioral

inf‌luences from the individual level up to the societal level. Brief cases and

discussions of key stakeholders provide useful illustrations of the model’s

components in action. This is complemented by a survey of evaluation methods

for assessing the impact of interventions at the different levels of behavioral

inf‌luence.

In the second section, the theoretical framework is applied to key public-

health issues: tobacco, alcohol, substance abuse, and the role of clinicians, among

World Medical & Health Policy, Vol. 8, No. 1, 2016

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