In sickness and in health : disease and disability in contemporary America / Richard K. Thomas.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction to the study of morbidity -- Basic concepts in morbidity analysis -- Categories of morbidity data -- Identifying morbidity -- Measuring morbidity -- Non-demographic factors associated with morbidity -- Demographic factors associated with morbidity -- Current patterns and trends in US morbidity -- Sources of morbidity data.

"The increasing importance of sickness and disability data across health-related disciplines is the focus of this concise but comprehensive resource. It reviews the basics of morbidity at the population level by defining core concepts, analyzing why morbidity has overtaken mortality as central to demographic study, and surveying ways these data are generated, accessed, and measured. Subsequent chapters demonstrate how this knowledge can be used to better understand--and potentially solve--critical public health issues, benefitting not only populations served, but also areas such as health services planning, resource allocation, and health policy-setting."-- Publisher's website.