Nola J. Pender, Carolyn L. Murdaugh, Mary Ann Parsons. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2006. $45.95. ISBN 0-13-119436-4. 367 pp.

In the "Introduction" section, the authors describe the challenges of the 21st century, including a discussion of global health, national progress toward health, the questionable difference between health promotion and disease prevention, the contribution of nurses to these endeavors, and the multidimensional nature of health promotion. The last section includes individual, family, community, environmental, and societal wellness. The "Introduction" section is very comprehensive.

The purposes of this book include providing an overview of the major individual and community models and theories that guide health promotion interventions, strategies, and tools that can be used in practice settings to implement evidence-based health promotion care for diverse populations and critical thinking about future directions for health promotion research.

The book is well written and covers a broad base of health promotion information. It is well organized and provides information on the environment, diverse populations, and societal and individual responsibilities for health. The authors, who write about global health in the "Introduction" section, fail to address global health within the body of the book. A chapter related to this topic may help nurses see how health is a concern throughout the world; what happens elsewhere impacts people and nurses in the United States.

Although the amount of new information is small, it is worthwhile. The research sections relating to health promotion are much needed by nurses today. Most of the information in the book is common knowledge that has been talked about for years.

The learner activities and Web sites provide additional avenues that the reader may pursue. The book, however, would best be used at the baccalaureate level rather than at the master's level. The baccalaureate student would learn much from the activities and Web sites.