Book review

UNDERSTANDING HEALTH.A SOCIOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION

A. M. Barry and C. Yuill. Sage Publications Lim-

ited, 2002. Softback, 152 pages, £16.99, ISBN

0-76197-307-9.

One of the main aims of this textbook is to crit-

ically uncover and question the very basis of our

understanding of the concepts of health, medicine

and illness, and in my opinion it succeeds in doing

this. The authors establish the fact that for many

years the medical model has dominated our

understanding of health, and describe how focus

has primarily been placed on the disease proces-

ses. In contrast, this text aims at showing how

sociology can provide a broader understanding of

health inequalities amongst populations by taking

account of lifestyle factors such as age, social class,

gender and the environment.

On reflection ‘Understanding Health’ is very

readable. It has been written by two authors, who,

with a knowledgeable teaching of sociology, have

made what can be a challenging topic as easy to

follow and accessible as possible. Fortunately, for

any dietitian who cannot recall with ease their

sociology lectures, the book does not presume that

its reader has any prior knowledge of the subject

and essentially begins with an introductory chap-

ter of sociology itself, encouraging �sociological

imagination� (the requirement to think outside our

own experiences) and the differing theoretical

approaches.

After a thorough overview of the discipline, the

main theme of medical knowledge and current

practice models, including a section on alternative

medicine, are expanded upon in the following

chapters. In my view, Chapter 3 stood out in

potential interest to dietitians as it examines the

aspect of �clinical autonomy� and the freedom of

making clinical decisions on the basis of profes-

sional judgement and specialist knowledge.

The text further develops in Chapters 5 and 6

exploring the social context of health and disease

in terms of the influence of our social and physical

environments. The often-neglected aspect of

mental health is also discussed, along with race,

gender and socio-economic factors.

The human body is the main focus of Chapter 7,

dealing with current dietetic issues such as the

�perfect� image and how changing social beliefs

have influenced ideas about what the ideal body

�should be�. The penultimate chapter highlights the

health of older people, looking specifically at

ageism and the inevitable part of the ageing pro-

cess and experiences. Uniquely, the authors end

the book by exploring the role of different pro-

fessions (particularly Professions Allied to Medi-

cine) and any organizational constraints on those

involved in the delivery of health care.

The entire text maintains a similar format and

style making it easy to find specific information.

Other simple, yet highly effective features include

�glossary and definition text boxes� besides para-

graphs, �key concept boxes� at the start of topics

guiding the reader through the chapter’s contents,

�pause bubbles� allowing time for the reader to

reflect upon and discuss any of the main issues,

and up-to-date �case-study scenarios� providing an

ideal revision guide for those students working on

their own or in study groups. A final, particularly

strong feature is the way that throughout, the book

� The British Dietetic Association Ltd 2003 J Hum Nutr Dietet, 16, pp. 473–474 473

provides its readers with the opportunity to make

links between related themes by using �signposts�to other chapters, meaning that this book can

easily be read in one sitting or in selected parts.

Each chapter ends with a conclusion summarizing

the key points from that section, a comprehensive

reference list with the author’s recommendations

and sources of further information, including

relevant websites.

Understanding Health is intended as an essen-

tial reference for students of both health and social

science and as such, is well designed for this

purpose. It clearly and concisely explains what

sociology is and how it contributes to our under-

standing of health. The text serves anyone wishing

to broaden their own understanding of the topic

or as an introduction for anyone new to the field.

In all, it is an informative text that will be a

valuable addition to the bookshelf of any student

dietitian or those involved in working with, or

teaching health care students.

Naomi Tucker MSc BSc (Hons) SRD

Freelance Dietitian, St Lawrence, Jersey, UK

E-mail: naomidiet@jerseymail.co.uk

Book review474

� The British Dietetic Association Ltd 2003 J Hum Nutr Dietet, 16, pp. 473–474