Health needs assessment is a foundational public health function. It bridges epidemiology, ethics, economics, and policy by systematically identifying unmet health needs within populations and guiding strategic planning.

This chapter explores epidemiological assessment, patterns of health inequality, demographic profiling, burden of disease analysis, and…

Prisons represent closed environments in which existing social and health inequalities are intensified. Incarcerated populations often experience higher rates of mental illness, substance dependence, infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV, chronic disease, and trauma histories.

This chapter explores the epidemiology of prison health, including …

Forced migration - including refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced persons - represents one of the defining humanitarian and public health challenges of our time. Conflict, political persecution, environmental disaster, and structural instability displace millions globally.

This chapter explores the epidemiology of displacement, including in…

Population ageing is one of the most profound demographic transformations of the 21st century. Increased life expectancy, declining fertility, and improved survival from infectious diseases have expanded the proportion of older people in many societies.

This chapter examines longevity trends, compression of morbidity, chronic disease burden, dementia, mu…

Disability is not solely a medical condition; it is the interaction between health states and social environments. This chapter explores the epidemiology of disability across the life course, including physical, sensory, intellectual, and psychosocial impairments.

It examines ageing-related disability, childhood developmental disability, injury-related i…

Across the world, Indigenous peoples experience disproportionately poorer health outcomes compared with non-Indigenous populations. These disparities are not rooted in culture itself, but in colonisation, dispossession, intergenerational trauma, marginalisation, and structural exclusion.

This chapter examines life expectancy gaps, chronic disease burden,…

Ethnicity and race are powerful social determinants of health. While race has no biological basis as a rigid genetic category, it has profound social consequences. Structural racism, historical marginalisation, migration patterns, socioeconomic inequality, and differential access to services shape health risks and outcomes across populations.

This chapte…

Adolescence represents a dynamic phase of rapid biological, psychological, and social change. While often considered a healthy period of life, it is marked by increased exposure to injuries, violence, substance use, mental health disorders, and sexual and reproductive health risks.

This chapter explores adolescent mortality patterns, risk and protective …

Child health remains a defining indicator of public health performance. While global child mortality has declined significantly in recent decades, preventable deaths from infectious disease, malnutrition, neonatal conditions, and inadequate healthcare access persist in many regions.

This chapter explores under-five mortality, neonatal survival, vaccinati…

Health differences between women and men arise from both biological factors and socially constructed gender norms. This chapter explores how sex-based physiology intersects with gendered expectations, labour roles, risk behaviours, violence exposure, and health-seeking patterns.

We examine reproductive health, maternal mortality, occupational risks, ment…