Extremely student friendly and completely up to date, THE SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH, ILLNESS, AND HEALTH CARE: A CRITICAL APPROACH, 7th Edition delivers a comprehensive, cutting-edge overview that includes both micro- and macro-level topics. The text exposes the sociological and ethical dilemmas of modern health care and challenges students to think analytically, while its unique critical perspective enables readers to question their previously held beliefs about health and illness. Thorough discussions of health and health care emphasize how social forces can prevent or foster illness, affect cultural ideas about illness and disability, structure health care institutions, and affect the lives of health care workers. Race, class, gender, and disability issues are highlighted throughout the text; the book also summarizes the social causes of health and illness in less developed nations and the diverse ways that nations provide (or don't provide) health care.

Part I: SOCIAL FACTORS AND ILLNESS.
1. The Sociology of Health, Illness, and Health Care.
2. The Social Sources of Modern Illness.
3. The Social Distribution of Illness in the United States.
4. Illness and Death in Less Developed Nations.
Part II: THE MEANING AND EXPERIENCE OF ILLNESS.
5. The Social Meanings of Illness.
6. The Experience of Disability, Chronic Pain, and Chronic Illness.
7. The Sociology of Mental Illness.
Part III: HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS, SETTINGS, AND TECHNOLOGIES.
8. Health Care in the United States.
9. Health Care around the Globe.
10. Health Care Settings and Technologies.
Part IV: HEALTH CARE, HEALTH RESEARCH, AND BIOETHICS.
11. The Profession of Medicine.
12. Other Mainstream and Alternative Health Care Providers.
13. Issues in Bioethics.
Glossary.
References.
Subject Index.

Extremely student friendly and completely up to date, THE SOCIOLOGY OF HEALTH, ILLNESS, AND HEALTH CARE: A CRITICAL APPROACH, 7th Edition delivers a comprehensive, cutting-edge overview that includes both micro- and macro-level topics. The text exposes the sociological and ethical dilemmas of modern health care and challenges students to think analytically, while its unique critical perspective enables readers to question their previously held beliefs about health and illness. Thorough discussions of health and health care emphasize how social forces can prevent or foster illness, affect cultural ideas about illness and disability, structure health care institutions, and affect the lives of health care workers. Race, class, gender, and disability issues are highlighted throughout the text; the book also summarizes the social causes of health and illness in less developed nations and the diverse ways that nations provide (or don't provide) health care. Each chapter opens with a list of learning objectives matched to the chapter's main sections. The objectives help students to focus their studying, and can help both students and faculty to assess students' understanding. Visually appealing maps, tables, and figures, based on new or updated data whenever available, help students grasp concepts more readily. The book is written in an engaging, highly readable style that focuses on stimulating students to think critically -- through debates discussed within chapters and various chapter features. These in-text features also serve as resources that teachers can use in building their class sessions. Features that promote reflection and analytical thinking include "Contemporary Issues" boxes, which provide insightful coverage of current issues and events from a sociological perspective; "Ethical Debates" throughout the text and a final chapter on bioethics that highlight ethical dilemmas in health care and research, and challenge students to sharpen their critical thinking skills; "Implications Essays" at the end of most chapters that prompt students to think about new issues; and critical thinking questions. Race, class, gender, and disability issues are highlighted throughout the text. Chapter-opening vignettes offer gripping stories that pull students into the topic and chapter, followed by brief "roadmaps" that help students conceptualize what they will be studying. Pedagogical aids include "Key Concepts" in boxed features, tables, and figures to ensure that students visually engage with the text; key terms and definitions printed in bold the first time they appear; detailed, bulleted summaries at the end of each chapter to cement understanding of key topics; and chapter review questions that allow students to assess and strengthen their knowledge of main points.