Health Divides - by Clare Bambra (Paperback)

About the Book

Clare Bambra examines the social, environmental, economic and political causes of health inequalities, how they have evolved over time and what they are like today. Revealing gaps in life expectancy of up to 25 years between places just a few miles apart, this important book demonstrates that where you live can kill you.

Book Synopsis

HIGHLY COMMENDED IN THE BMA BOOK AWARDS 2017

Americans live three years less than their counterparts in France or Sweden. Scottish men survive two years less than English men. Across Europe, women in the poorest communities live up to ten years less than those in the richest. Revealing gaps in life expectancy of up to 25 years between places just a few miles apart, this important book demonstrates that where you live can kill you.

Clare Bambra, a leading expert in public health, draws on case studies from across the globe to examine the social, environmental, economic and political causes of these health inequalities, how they have evolved over time and what they are like today.

Bambra concludes by considering how health divides might develop in the future and what should be done, so that where you live is not a matter of life and death.

Danny Dorling provides a foreword.

Review Quotes

"an important book that demonstrates the value of careful analysis of health inequities data and close examination of the factors that explain why the data show the patterns they do." International Journal of Epidemiology

"getAbstract recommends Bambra's report to forwardthinking leaders and public health advocates." - getAbstract, Vietnam News

"[The book's] messages should be loudly broadcast and be compulsory reading for politicians." Doctors for the NHS Newsletter

"A broad-ranging account of how place is implicated in large and growing health inequalities in some of the most affluent societies of the world. ...squarely implicates policies of the neoliberal era in a compelling argument that, if heeded, could make for a healthier society" Professor James R. Dunn, McMaster University, Canada and Co-Editor, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health

"A careful analysis of persistent geographical health inequalities." - Health Affairs

"A welcome supplemental text for courses in health policy and introductory epidemiology, as well as a valuable primer for policy-makers." Science

"Bambra also ends the book with a rallying note to her readers: we need income redistribution, devolution of power and a resourcing of the regions to make economic growth work for all." People, Place and Policy

"Bambra's razor sharp, timely and comprehensive analysis should be read by anyone concerned about inequality." Mary O'Hara, Guardian Journalist and author

"Clare Bambra provides a good, easy-to-understand introduction to the major causes of health inequality in rich countries." Socialist Party

"I recommend this book strongly to health professionals and medical students as it provides a comprehensive overview of health inequalities and the multiple connections between where we live and how long we live" Professor Pali Hungin, President of the British Medical Association

"Inequality in the UK is nothing to do with the poor being a hopeless underclass, destined for extinction in a Darwinian world where only the fittest survive. As Clare Bambra... spells out, it has everything to do with factors such as poor housing, poor nutrition and lack of educational and employment opportunities." Times Higher Education

"This clearly written book, full of striking examples from around the world, shows that geography is as relevant for population health as ever" Professor Johan Mackenbach, Erasmus Medical Center, Netherlands

"This numerical journey through the geographies of health and disease drives home one vital message: inequalities of place create inequalities in health. As the book eloquently observes, the political economy and geography of inequality largely determines how well, and how long, one is likely to live." Professor Ronald Labonte, University of Ottawa, Canada

About the Author

Clare Bambra is Professor of Public Health, Institute of Health and Society at Newcastle University, UK. Her research focuses on the political, social, economic and environmental determinants of health inequalities, and the role of public policies in reducing them. She has published extensively in the field of health inequalities and contributed to numerous national and international policy reviews and inquiries. She can be followed on Twitter @ProfBambra