Using a life course approach, the main chapters in this truly original and enlightening text focus on health and well-being during each of our life stages. A wide range of contemporary literature from disciplines such as public health, sociology, epidemiology and social policy are drawn upon to examine key health and well-being issues in these stages, and to illustrate how health effects can accumulate across the life course. Interactive activities based on the text and on extracts from primary sources are used to encourage critical reflection and debate.

Mary Larkin′s book will be essential reading for students on the many courses that need an understanding of health and well-being across all age groups. It will also be an invaluable resource for those in the health and social care sector as well as practitioners working in the field.

"′This is a useful background book for all students interested in health, wellbeing and ageing. Well-referenced, it looks at factors such as employment, smoking, recreational drug use and relationships that affect the course of our lives. As a student, this book has informed a number of my essays.
Each chapter offers an overview, introduction, discussion of health and wellbeing at that particular stage of life, and specific risks to health and wellbeing. The discussion points are an opportunity for reflection and further study. I found the seven-page glossary particularly useful.′" - Nursing Standard

"This book harnesses evidence from a growing body of research, particularly on prenatal health and associations with health in later life. It contains information that nurses can use to reflect on their practice and assist them when communicating health promotion messages to clients using an holistic approach." - Primary Health Care