communication. This innovative anthology demonstrates that health care and communication about health often take place at home, at work, at school, and in recreational and social settings--not just in doctors' offices and hospitals.Editor Linda C. Lederman has compiled essays that--through a wide range of theoretical and methodological approaches--investigate the following diverse topics:* The historical background of health communication* The development of patient-provider communication as a key object of study* The prevalence of health promotion and other persuasive messages in public and individual health* The importance of social support offered inside and outside of traditional medical experiences* The growing importance of media literacy, particularly in a rapidly expanding information age* The increasingly relevant relationship between health communication and the organizations that help construct it* The future of health communicationOther subjects covered include the effects of socio-political and organizational structures on health communication, the impact of the Internet, and narrative as a significant conceptual approach to understanding health and illness.Individual chapter introductions draw students' attention to key points in each reading, and discussion questions--designed to encourage critical thinking--follow each article. A unique topical matrix, which identifies relevant subject categories in each chapter, places the research within the larger context of health communication.

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