Core Concepts in Health, Brief Update [Paperback]

Paul Insel (Author), Walton Roth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0073529648 | ISBN-13: 978-0073529646 | Edition: 10

The most reliable and widely used personal health text, Core Concepts in Health utilizes the theme of personal responsibility to teach and motivate students about health and wellness. The Tenth Edition Update provides current, accurate, scientifically based information about a wealth of health and wellness topics and issues. The Brief edition, an affordable alternative to larger health texts, includes a built-in study guide that allows students to test their knowledge of health-related issues and assess their level of wellness.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Paul Insel, PhD is Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. He has been the principal investigator of numerous NIH studies involving health education, mental health, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and nutrition. He has authored 14 books and more than 100 articles.

Walton T. Roth, M.D., is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, and Chief of the Psychiatric Consultation Service at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. He is author of over 150 research articles about how the body reacts to stress and psychological disorders. His clinical specialties are the treatment of anxiety disorders and psychiatric consultation in the general hospital.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages; 10 edition (February 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0073529648
• ISBN-13: 978-0073529646
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,065 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great review of general concepts, May 28, 2002

By 

Nikola C. "wndrbabe" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Core Concepts in Health: 2000 Update (Paperback)

I used this book to study for the Here's to Your Health DANTE exam. It was an excellent study guide and hit on each and every subject on the test. The practice tests in the back of the book were very helpful. I would recommend this text to anyone studying for a proficiency exam.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative, November 9, 2010

By 

Nashida - See all my reviews

This review is from: Core Concepts in Health, Brief Update (Paperback)

I needed this book to study for the Dante DSST test to get three credits towards my graduation. All the information was right there. This was an easy study guide that offered questions and answers in the back of the book. I really appreciated that. Also I got it very quickly from the bookseller surprisingly. I did not think I would get it so fast. thank you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best college level health education book on the market, April 21, 2008

By 

John Martin (Beijing, China) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Core Concepts in Health, Brief Update (Paperback)

Core Concepts in Health by Paul Insel and Walton Roth is, quite simply, the best university-level health education textbook on the market. It is available in both brief and expanded editions. I used this book when I taught health education at Stanford in the 1980s and it just keeps getting better and better. I also used it internationally when I taught at the Moscow State Pedagogical University in Russia, also with great success.

The book covers all the key aspects of health, with a special focus on university students. It is well designed and colorful with numerous photographs and explanatory notes. In addition to the textbook there are a number of aids for the teacher, including the Course Integrator Guide which provides learning objectives, classroom activities, internet resources, and other teaching tools. More than 150 transparency masters and handouts are also provided as well as a Test Bank of some 2000 questions. Finally, a set of Wellness Worksheets, which is a student learning aid, is also provided.

The preface of the book includes an outline of the format of the book, entitled "A Guided Tour of Core Concepts in Health." Here both the student and the teacher can get a good understanding of how to use the book to maximum effectiveness. An important aspect of this guide (and the book) is the extent to which the authors focus on behavior change, providing both specific behavior change plans for particular areas of wellness and "Take Charge" boxes which give practical advice to apply the information from the text to the student's own life.

In teaching Core Concepts an instructor can follow the lessons as outlined in the book or take an approach that is more suited to the needs and interests of the students. For example, I began with the first chapter, "Taking Charge of Your Health" because I believe that the most important thing to teach students is that they are the person most responsible for their health, that by their own behaviors they will largely determine their health. I then moved to chapter 10 (Exercise for Health and Fitness) because my course included an exercise component as well as a lecture class. I followed with Chapter 9 (Nutrition Basics) and chapter 3 (psychological health) because I believe that these three topics (exercise, diet and stress management) make up the core of healthy living. The next topic I chose is chapter 4 which has to do with Intimate Relationships and Communication because this issue is particularly important to university students. At Stanford cigarette smoking was not a problem, while alcohol use was, thus I covered these topics accordingly. If I were teaching there now I would also put Environmental Health high on the list. Weight Management can be included in the dietary component. Finally chronic diseases, such as heart disease and cancer are important topics because young people need to realize that these diseases begin early in life. Depending on time, other topics can be covered as well. For example, The Use and Abuse of Psychoactive Drugs may be a topic of interest and concern on some campuses.