Health social science synthesizes a wide range of knowledge in order to understand and solve complex health problems. This volume presents ten case studies that illustrate some of the best practice in health social science in developing countries. Each study addresses the critical question of how social and behavioral science approaches can make a difference in improving significant health problems. Examples drawn from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the Pacific look at problems such as AIDS, STDs, smoking, heart disease, and psychological stress.

Nick Higginbotham is Associate Professor and Head of Community Medicine at the University of Newcastle, Australia.

Roberto Briceno-Leon is Secretary General of the International Forum for Social Sciences and Health.

Nancy Johnson is with the Council on Health Research for Development, Geneva.

Part I: Applying Social Science to Improving Human Health * Health Social Science: A Global Forum for Research Partnerships * Part II: Asia and the Pacific * An Indigenous Work-Related Social Skills Training Model for Persons with Schizophrenia in Hong Kong * Cultural Constructions of Risk: The Case of Heart Disease in the New South Wales Coal Fields, Australia * The Development of a Trans-Disciplinary Approach to Promote the Rational Use of Drugs in Indonesia * A Community Approach to Smoking Cessation and Relapse Prevention in a Traditional Fijian Village * Part III: Africa * A Community-Action Intervention to Improve Medical Care Services in Kinshasa, Congo: Mediating the Realms of Healers and Physicians * Representing HIV/ AIDS Concerns in Uganda: The Genogram as a Visual Complement to Ethnographic and Epidemiological Evidence * AIDS Prevention in the Matare and the Community: A Training Strategy for Traditional Healers in Zimbabwe * Part IV: Latin America * Lay Beliefs and Gender Stereotypes: Unacknowledged "Risks" for Sexually-Transmitted Diseases in Argentina * From "Milk Bread" to Visceral Leishmaniasis Control in the Zenu Indian Community of the Colombian Caribbean Coast * Mud, Bugs and Community Participation: Remodeling Village Houses to Evict Vector-Borne Disease * Part V: Lessons and Directions * Current Best Practice and Future Innovations in Applying Social Science to Advancing the Health of Populations

Part I: Applying Social Science to Improving Human Health * Health Social Science: A Global Forum for Research Partnerships * Part II: Asia and the Pacific * An Indigenous Work-Related Social Skills Training Model for Persons with Schizophrenia in Hong Kong * Cultural Constructions of Risk: The Case of Heart Disease in the New South Wales Coal Fields, Australia * The Development of a Trans-Disciplinary Approach to Promote the Rational Use of Drugs in Indonesia * A Community Approach to Smoking Cessation and Relapse Prevention in a Traditional Fijian Village * Part III: Africa * A Community-Action Intervention to Improve Medical Care Services in Kinshasa, Congo: Mediating the Realms of Healers and Physicians * Representing HIV/ AIDS Concerns in Uganda: The Genogram as a Visual Complement to Ethnographic and Epidemiological Evidence * AIDS Prevention in the Matare and the Community: A Training Strategy for Traditional Healers in Zimbabwe * Part IV: Latin America * Lay Beliefs and Gender Stereotypes: Unacknowledged "Risks" for Sexually-Transmitted Diseases in Argentina * From "Milk Bread" to Visceral Leishmaniasis Control in the Zenu Indian Community of the Colombian Caribbean Coast * Mud, Bugs and Community Participation: Remodeling Village Houses to Evict Vector-Borne Disease * Part V: Lessons and Directions * Current Best Practice and Future Innovations in Applying Social Science to Advancing the Health of Populations