The impact of illness on individuals and on society at large once seemed too vast a problem to gauge. Recently, however, quantitative measures of quality of life, life expectancy, and the financial costs of illness and treatment demonstrate not only how this impact can be calculated but also how the results can be used to inspire further research and improve public health. The Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures is the first comprehensive book to address these methods of assessment and their findings on an international scale. The editors have organized this information for maximum accessibility and ease of use, with abstracts, definitions of key terms, summary points, and dozens of figures and tables that enhance the text. Wide-ranging coverage and meticulous, up-to-date detail make this an essential working reference for public health researchers in the area of quality of life.

Victor R. Preedy is currently Director of the Genomics Centre and  Professor in the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College London.

Ronald Ross Watson is a Professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona, Tucson.  He is a former Director of a National Institutes of Health funded Alcohol Research Center.