Epidemiology and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease: A Global Challenge provides a comprehensive epidemiological perspective on cardiovascular diseases and analysis of measures for their prevention and control in community and clinical settings. Perfect for both students and practitioners, the second edition includes over 300 tables, figures, and exhibits; and has been thoroughly updated to reflect the most recent research in the field.
The central messages of this second edition are these:
- (1) Cardiovascular diseases remain the foremost causes of preventable death globally and continue to grow in prominence, because of their attendant burden, disparities, and costs.
- (2) Epidemiology has contributed immeasurably to a vast body of knowledge about the causes and means of prevention of these and related conditions, but this knowledge has yet to be applied on a sufficient scale to confer its potential societal benefit.
- (3) Public health is accountable for putting this knowledge more fully to work by setting goals, devising strategic plans and policies, implementing targeted actions, and documenting their impact in improving the health of populations.
These messages are consistent with the content of the first edition but have gained force from developments in the intervening decade: increased awareness of the global burden of cardiovascular diseases, with their immense social and economic consequences; a growing sense of need to integrate approaches to cardiovascular diseases with prevention of other chronic or noncommunicable diseases, with transformation of health systems to address them coherently; and the ever more urgent goal to reduce the mounting burden, disparities, and costs of these diseases. Epidemiology, through its applications in development, adoption, and implementation of health policy and in public health practice, is fundamental to achieving this goal. It is the author’s hope that this new edition will contribute to this effort.
The difference of a decade is due importantly to advances in science and practice that better inform our understanding of the need and opportunity for effective action. From the start of this past decade, the perspective of the author, too, has advanced—from that of the academic epidemiologist to that of the public health practitioner. This was a result of undertaking a US governmental role at the federal level and the greatly enhanced public health experience afforded by this opportunity. The influence of this change on the context and content of the book is substantial; however, it is necessary to underscore the disclaimer that the views expressed throughout are personal and are not intended to represent the official position of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).
The book has changed principally in presenting greater emphasis on public health in cardiovascular disease prevention while retaining its epidemiologic content. The intent has been to increase the book’s value for both epidemiologists and public health professionals by bringing the original content up to date in Parts I–III and expanding discussion of how epidemiology is translated into policy and practice in Part IV.
Currency has been achieved by including more than 1600 citations and nearly 400 tables and figures, many from recent sources; rewriting the chapters on the major cardiovascular diseases and their determinants; introducing a chapter on genomic epidemiology; and expanding discussion of the global dimensions of CVD. For many sources, URLs are included to permit continuing access for interested readers.
New chapters in Part IV address strategies of prevention as part of a recently developed action framework; the nature of evidence for prevention, and methods for its evaluation as practiced by several leading authoritative bodies; current national, regional, and global recommendations, guidelines, and policies for prevention of CVD and other major chronic diseases; the case for CVD prevention at individual and population levels; and action plans adopted for implementation in the United States, Europe, South Asia, and worldwide. Expansion in these areas had one regrettable cost—lack of updates on rheumatic heart disease, Chagas’ disease, congenital heart disease, and Kawasaki disease—which are treated only in the first edition.
Features retained in the second edition include the basic structure in which the public health perspective is introduced in Part I; the major atherosclerotic and hypertensive diseases are discussed in Part II; their main determinants are reviewed sequentially in Part III; and implications of this evidence for theory, practice, and research are discussed in Part IV, which concludes with a chapter on CVD epidemiology of the future—the rich and varied research opportunities presented and the place of epidemiology as the core discipline of “populomics,” the scientific foundation of population health. A historic perspective is also retained, although this is not meant to recount the history of the field, which is being done in a far more effective way elsewhere. The purpose instead is to illustrate wherever appropriate the key studies that, from early in the development of CVD epidemiology, have made fundamental and lasting contributions to our current knowledge.
Throughout the book, the unifying approach of a single author has the advantage of a consistent presentation and coherent interpretation across the many topics addressed. There is room for differing opinion and further exploration of many topics raised. The content reflects one person’s perspective and in no case represents an exhaustive systematic review, although those of others are cited extensively. Closing each chapter is a more or less speculative suggestion of current issues most important for further discussion. In these ways the text is intended to stimulate thinking and debate. The author welcomes comments, queries, and criticisms from readers.
Contents
PART I - A PUBLIC HEALTH PERSPECTIVE
- Chapter 1 Cardiovascular Diseases: A Global Public Health Challenge
- Chapter 2 Distributions and Disparities
PART II - THE MAJOR CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
- Chapter 3 Atherosclerosis
- Chapter 4 Coronary Heart Disease
- Chapter 5 Stroke
- Chapter 6 Related Conditions
PART III - THE MAIN DETERMINANTS
- Chapter 7 Genes and Environment
- Chapter 8 Dietary Imbalance
- Chapter 9 Physical Inactivity
- Chapter 10 Obesity
- Chapter 11 Adverse Blood Lipid Profile
- Chapter 12 High Blood Pressure
- Chapter 13 Diabetes and the Metabolic Syndrome
- Chapter 14 Smoking and Other Tobacco Use
- Chapter 15 Other Personal Factors
- Chapter 16 Social and Physical Environment
PART IV - CAUSATION AND PREVENTION: THEORY, PRACTICE, AND FURTHER RESEARCH
- Chapter 17 What Causes Cardiovascular Diseases?
- Chapter 18 Strategies of Prevention
- Chapter 19 Evidence and Decision Making
- Chapter 20 Recommendations, Guidelines, and Policies
- Chapter 21 The Case for Prevention
- Chapter 22 Taking Action
- Chapter 23 Epidemiology and a CVD Prevention Research Agenda
Index
Book Details
- Paperback: 728 pages
- Publisher: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2 edition (March 23, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0763746894
- ISBN-13: 978-0763746896
- Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 1.5 inches
List Price: $115.95