Using Research for Effective Health Promotion

Edited by Sandy Oliver and Greet
Peersman.
Open University Press
£16.99
ISBN 0 335 20870 3

As a nation, we are ever more self-conscious
or aware of our health needs, even if our behaviour doesn’t always
follow suit. While the impact of campaigns is difficult to measure,
it is likely that several hard-hitting media-based health promotion
initiatives – to give up smoking, to practise safer sex, to drive
safely, to be screened for cancer and to take exercise – have been
successful, especially where the message is short and dramatic.

This low-key collection of essays sets out the
ways in which the health promotion industry can benefit from
evidence-based research, or in the jargon “effectiveness reviews”.
The relevance to social care is considerable, both in the
methodological approaches identified, and in some specific areas
like the use of padded hip protectors to soften the impact of falls
in frail older people.

This well-argued book could also be used as a
reference book for health promotion books, articles and websites.
At a time when it is more important than ever to link research with
practice, this book complements the existing literature on the
subject and will be of special interest to joint health and social
care teams.

Anthony Douglas is executive director
of community services, London Borough of Havering.