Health and wellbeing across the life course

The main aim of this book is to synthesize the existing body of national and international literature on health and well-being across all the life stages and the life course approach into one text and to provide the reader with a comprehensive and contemporary account of health and well-being across the whole lifespan from a life course perspective. It does this by addressing key issues associated with health and well-being during each stage of the life course and covers prenatal influences on health, and the health and well-being of children, adolescents, young adults, those who are middle aged and older people. The material presented is interpreted from a life course perspective in order to illustrate the extent to which health effects can accumulate across the various stages of the life course. Relevant policy initiatives are also evaluated and any implications for future policy and practice highlighted. An eclectic approach is adopted with regards to the disciplines that will be drawn upon and these include epidemiology, public health, health policy, medical sociology, the sociology of health and illness, social policy social work, youth work, community studies and nursing.