Staying Alive provides a fresh perspective on health, health care, and illness that will be of interest to a wide range of readers in the fields of health studies, nursing, and social policy.

In addition to traditional health sciences and sociological approaches, the book provides human rights and political economy perspectives on health, focusing on Canada and the United States within an international context. This unique collection also includes chapters on pharmaceutical policy, social class, race, gender and care, the social construction of illness and disability, and approaches to promoting population health that include insights into the impact of economic forces such as globalization and privatization.

The second edition has been thoroughly updated and features a new chapter on research methodology; expanded discussions of inequality, women's health, public health and public policy; more material on First Nations health; and a new discussion of the historical development of the Canadian medicare system.