Prevention Diaries: The Practice and Pursuit of Health for All

Larry Cohen

Nov 2016 · Oxford University Press

About this ebook

How do trees help reduce violence? What do roads have to do with chronic disease? Prevention Diaries examines the unexpected yet empirically predictable relationships that shape our health, providing the keys to realizing vitality and health across our society. With passion, wisdom, and humor, internationally recognized prevention expert Larry Cohen draws on his three decades of experience to make a case for building health into the everyday fabric of our lives-from health care to workplaces, urban planning to agriculture. Prevention Diaries envisions an alternate model of American health care, one less predicated on treating sickness and more focused on preventing it. Doing so requires a shift in how our society perceives and approaches health -- first recognizing our overreliance on individual solutions, then building an environment conducive to preventing problems before they occur. Through first-person vignettes and scientific data, Cohen shows that prevention is the cure for what ails us. By creating greater opportunities for health and safety -- things like safe access to parks and healthful housing -- the US sets a foundation for a healthier country. Prevention Diaries makes it clear that as the US works to ensure everyone can access medical services, we also must make health, not just health care, the ultimate goal.

About the author

Larry Cohen is founder and Executive Director of the Prevention Institute. A leading authority in developing practical prevention strategies for communities, Cohen's accomplishments include catalyzing the nation's first multi-city no-smoking laws; helping define violence as a preventable health issue; advancing chronic disease prevention through physical activity and healthy eating; and promoting better understanding of the underlying causes of illness, injury, and health inequities. His work has been recognized by the US Department of Health and Human Services, American Cancer Society, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Public Health Association, and Society for Public Health Education. He lives in Oakland, California.