Community Health and Environment

Characteristics of a Healthy Community

• A community is a group of people living in a large place, sharing a common environment, with shared values, interests, culture, and living in the same geographical area.

Community Health

• Community Health is the art and science of maintaining, protecting, and improving the health of all community members through organized and sustained community efforts.

Environment and Environmental Health

• Environment refers to all external conditions, circumstances, and influences surrounding a person.
• Environmental Health consists of prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability associated with interactions between people and their environment.

Importance of a Healthy Environment

• A healthy environment is essential for human health and well-being.
• Everyone must help in making the environment healthy, which increases quality of life and years of healthy life.

Environmental Hazards

Improper Waste Disposal

• Waste improperly disposed of contaminates soil, air, and water, posing risks to humans, animals, and plants.
• People living near dumpsites are susceptible to various diseases.
• Insects and pests in open dumpsites are disease vectors.

Pollution

Air Pollution

• Air pollution refers to the contamination of the air, making it dangerous to living things.
• Effects of air pollution on human health include respiratory and heart problems, pneumonia, asthma, heart, and lung diseases.

Water Pollution

• Water Pollution refers to the contamination of bodies of water, negatively affecting living things.
• Causes of water pollution include inadequately treated domestic wastewater or sewage, agricultural wastewater, industrial wastewater, and leachate from solid waste.
• Prevent water pollution by not throwing chemicals, oils, paints, and medicines down sink drains or toilets, and using environmentally safe cleaning liquids.

Land Pollution

• Land Pollution is the contamination of land or soil by decomposition of solid or liquid waste materials.
• Causes of land pollution include waste improperly disposed, use of toxic fertilizers and pesticides, deforestation, and soil erosion, and waste from industries dumped on soil.
• Effects of land pollution on human health include the spread of diseases and contaminated land causing diseases.
• Prevent land pollution by observing the 3 R's, buying biodegradable products, not littering, and reducing the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

Disease Control and Drug Abuse

• The spread of disease is alarming globally, including new diseases beyond human control.
• Drug abuse is a significant concern that requires prevention and control measures.