Health: The Basics, 14th edition

About our author

Rebecca J. Donatelle, M.S., PhD is a college professor, behavioral researcher, and author of some of the leading Health/Wellness texts published today. She has worked in the field of health promotion and behavior for over 30 years. She received a B.S. degree with double majors in English/Writing and Health Promotion, and a M.S. in Community Health from U.W. La Crosse while teaching at the high school level in the Wisconsin school system in her early years. When she was awarded a teaching fellowship at the University of Oregon, she was responsible for teaching hundreds of students in the introductory Personal Health class while working on her doctorate focused on mental health and health behaviors. She found these introductory health classes to be among her favorites as students were excited about the topics and their enthusiasm and interest challenged her to find the latest/greatest information for them in every class. Upon completion of her doctorate, she served as a faculty member in the Community Health Department at the University of Kansas, teaching several large sections of Personal Health and a wide range of other undergraduate and graduate courses. Later, she accepted a position at Oregon State University, serving as program director and professor in the Health Promotion and Behavior programs, teaching and advising thousands of undergraduate and graduate students. During those years, she found that the textbooks for Personal Health classes often used a "Just say NO" or "Just Do IT" approach that she believed did a dis-service to individuals as it implied that if they weren't exercising, were eating unhealthy foods, drinking too much, or making otherwise poor lifestyle choices, that they were somehow “weak-willed." At a national conference, she met with several textbook publishers while searching for a text with a fresh approach, that was based on solid research and, importantly, approached health from an ecological perspective - where multiple factors in society converge to make positive behavioral changes very difficult for some, and much easier for others. When she didn't find one that met her needs, publishers encouraged her to WRITE such a book and the rest is history!

She met with her graduate teaching assistants, held discussion groups with students and talked with colleagues, asking them what they thought were key areas that needed to be covered in personal health classes. She proposed a book, Access to Health, that would be written to be engaging, covered topics that represented contemporary issues important to students, (some of which were controversial), challenged student thinking and discussion, represented solid research/information, and examined factors that influenced health-related decision-making and behaviors for different populations. The book was accepted for publication and was an overwhelming success, along with subsequent condensed books: Health: The Basics, Modular Health, and a co-authored text with colleagues, Get Fit: Stay Well. In addition to her active writing, research, and teaching, she has served on numerous National and State committees, and has been very active professionally. Her funded research has allowed undergraduate and graduate students to gain experience working in community-based research projects, - particularly those focused on incentives designed to motivate smoking cessation during pregnancy, and lifestyle changes for overweight/obese individuals at risk for chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. Becky lives in Oregon with her 3 Westies, enjoys camping, gardening, kayaking, cooking and spending time with family and friends. In her spare time, she plays acoustic guitar with friends, and is working on a long-postponed novel!