Non-communicable diseases have surpassed infectious diseases as the leading cause of morbidity
and mortality in developed countries. Prevention and treatment of the causes and consequences
of lifestyle-related diseases forms an important part of health policy in the twenty-first
century. Public health economics - from quantifying the problem to evaluating interventions
and developing toolkits to assist decision makers - is an essential area for any postgraduate
student and researcher with an interest in applied economics to understand. There are a wide
range of techniques from mainstream economics and health economics that can be applied to the
evaluation of public health policy and public health issues. In this book Brown presents
examples from developed countries to illustrate how economic tools can be applied to public
health. Further cross-country comparisons illustrate how contextual factors related to
healthcare systems demographics and environmental factors may impact on outcomes and the
cost-effectiveness of public health policies in order to aid understanding and help students
apply theory into practice.
