ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the concepts covered in the preceding chapters of this book. The book begins with a consideration of the ways in which public health is defined. The World Health Organization and other perspectives take in a broader interpretation of public health including community engagement, healthy settings approaches and health improvement. Public health does not operate in a vacuum but is subject to the societal, environmental, political and demographic changes which impact communities across the world. In the UK the increasing globalisation of services illustrates well the difficulties in providing joined-up services and creating healthy public policies. The book has prompted reflection on learning, not just in a formal way, but through informal means. The role of informatics is key in regard to decision making at multiple levels from personal to organisational. The sociological perspective offered by Hannale Weir considers the issues surrounding traffic and this illustrates well the interconnectedness of health and public health.
