American Health: Demographics and Spending of Health Care Consumers.

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Author: Norden, Margaret K.1

American Health: Demographics and Spending of Health
Care Consumers.
New Strategist. 2005. 504p. bibliog. index.
ISBN 1-885070-74-8. $89.95. REF

A wealth of published information and an array of programs and conferences suggest how important consumers are to the providers and planners of healthcare in the United States. Based on data available but scattered in such resources as the Consumer Expenditure Survey, the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, and Health, United States, among other federal publications and web sites, this reference work portrays the status of healthcare and the services available to the U.S. public. It is a sequel to the publisher's well-received Best of Health, featuring more than 300 tables (twice as many as Health, United States) that show the demographics of consumers and identifying patterns in 14 areas: addiction; attitudes toward healthcare; alternative medicine; aging; healthcare warts; births; healthcare coverage, cost, and visits; deaths; disability; diseases and conditions; hospital care; mental health; sexual attitudes and behavior; and weight and exercise. Bottom Line Aside from one minor criticism-there is no information about the editors of this work and their qualifications-this resource will be a welcome addition to the marketing and health collections of public and academic libraries. [Sample pages and more general information are available on the publisher's web site at www.newstrategist.com.-Ed.]

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By Margaret K. Norden, Marymount Univ., Arlington, VA