Young People and the Aesthetics of Health Promotion : Beyond Reason, Rationality and Risk

This book presents an innovative and critical perspective on young people and health promotion. The book explores the limits and possibilities of traditional health behaviour change models and their focus on reason, risk and rationality. It examines the aesthetic and affective dimensions of young people’s meaning making in relation to issues such as road safety, sexualities, alcohol and drug use and physical and mental health and well-being.

Health promotion with young people has largely been framed by theories of behaviour change to target ‘unsafe’, ‘unhealthy’ and/or ‘risky’ behaviours. These theories and models seek to encourage the development in young people of reasoned, rational and risk-aware personal strategies.

This book presents an innovative and critical perspective on young people and health promotion. It explores the limits and possibilities of traditional health behaviour change models with their focus on reason, risk and rationality by examining the embodied dimensions of meaning-making in health promotion programs. Drawing on an array of critical social theories and approaches to knowledge production the authors identify and engage the aesthetic and affective dimensions of young people’s engagement with issues such as road safety, sexualities, alcohol and drug use, and physical and mental health and well-being.

The book will appeal to researchers and practitioners in the fields of health promotion and health education, public health, education, the sociology of health and illness, youth studies and youth work.