Community Health: CHP 310 Introduction to Public Health

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Questions and Answers

Which factor does not contribute to the host in the model of health?

Genetic profile

Previous diseases

Humidity (correct)

Immune status

What is a characteristic of the social dimension of health?

Sense of purpose and meaning

Physical fitness and strength

Connections with others (correct)

Ability to think clearly

Which of the following best describes the mental dimension of health?

Responding to life's experiences with flexibility (correct)

Maintaining good physical fitness

Establishing deep spiritual beliefs

Absence of mental illness only

What does the physical dimension of health imply?

Perfect functioning of organs Signup and view all the answers

How can one dimension of health influence another?

Negative physical health can impact emotional health Signup and view all the answers

How is health defined according to the World Health Organization?

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. Signup and view all the answers

Which term refers to the subjective experience of symptoms by a patient?

Illness Signup and view all the answers

What concept encompasses a person's overall balance of physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, environmental, and occupational well-being?

Wellness Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes 'sickness'?

Social and cultural beliefs surrounding a disease. Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about health as defined by the World Health Organization?

Health is just the absence of illness. Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential consequence of social isolation and lack of social support?

Increased stress and depression Signup and view all the answers

How does low socioeconomic status (SES) generally influence health outcomes?

Lower SES is linked to higher mortality and morbidity rates Signup and view all the answers

What effect does stable employment have on health outcomes?

Contributes to better health outcomes Signup and view all the answers

What impact does income inequality have on health?

Linked to higher morbidity and mortality rates Signup and view all the answers

What role does education play as a determinant of health?

Education is a powerful determinant influencing health literacy Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of mental health in relation to social interactions?

A state of balance between the individual and others, as well as the environment. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a domain of social determinants of health (SDOH)?

Workplace Productivity Signup and view all the answers

How does socioeconomic status (SES) impact health outcomes?

Lower SES is associated with higher rates of chronic diseases and poorer health outcomes. Signup and view all the answers

What role does the vocational dimension of health play in an individual's well-being?

Work can promote physical and mental health when aligned with human goals. Signup and view all the answers

What does the World Health Organization's 'World Health Declaration' emphasize regarding health?

Enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every human being. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Introduction to Public Health

Community Health: CHP 310 is an introduction to Public Health.
Learning Outcomes: Participants should be able to define, differentiate health and disease from individual and community viewpoints. Analyze determinants of health. Identify and analyze the dimensions of health concerning well-being. Recognize, assess, and address health inequities and disparities in healthcare access.

What is Health

Health is a "state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." (WHO, 1948)
Good health is essential for participation in various activities like education and employment.

Health: State of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not only absence of diseases.
Illness: Symptoms of any abnormality experienced by a person (e.g., chest pain).
Sickness: Social and cultural concept or belief about disease in a broader sense (e.g., heart attack).
Disease: State of disorder or impairment of normal functioning of body organs/tissues/cells manifested by characteristic signs and symptoms (e.g., pericarditis).
Wellness: Person's overall balance of physical, social, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, environmental, and occupational well-being.

Three Perspectives: Disease, Sickness, and Illness

Disease: Underlying pathology (biologically defined), practitioner's viewpoint, a theory of disorder.
Illness: A person's subjective experience of symptoms, what the patient brings to the doctor.
Sickness: Social and cultural conceptions, cultural beliefs/reactions, patient's reactions, what is considered a disorder suitable for medical treatment.

Public Health/Preventive Health: Preventing disease, prolonging life, promoting health through organized efforts of society, organizations, public and private, communities, and individuals.
Community Health: Branch of public health concerning studying, protecting, or promoting health within a community.
Community Medicine/Preventive Medicine: Branch of medical science dealing with identification, treatment, prevention and promotion of health within communities.
Epidemiology: Study of distribution of health-related states or events in specified populations and application to the control of health problems (factors, study).

Health-Illness Continuum Model

Depicts a spectrum of health, ranging from pre-mature death to high-level wellness, with stages like disabilities, symptoms, signs, and awareness.
Shows a health-illness continuum with stages and a neutral point (no discernable health issue).
Presents different levels of sickness from unrecognized to severe sickness and death.

Medical Conception of Disease (Natural History of Disease)

Explains disease progression through preclinical and clinical phases.
Shows biological onset, symptom appearance, diagnosis, and therapy as key stages with a final outcome
Outcome includes being alive, dead, cured or otherwise resolved.

Agent-Host-Environment Model

Primarily used to describe illness causes, not to promote well-being.
Focuses on the interaction of agent, host, and environment for identifying risk factors.

Host: Age, sex, genetic profile, previous diseases, immune status, religion, customs, occupation, marital status, and family background.
Environment: Temperature, humidity, altitude, crowding, housing, neighborhood, water, milk, food, radiation, pollution, and noise.
Agent: Biological agents (bacteria, viruses, fungus), chemical (poison, alcohol, smoke), physical (trauma, fire), and nutritional (lack or excess).

Dimensions of Good Health (“Well-being”)

A multi-dimensional process encompassing physical, social, spiritual, emotional, and mental aspects.
Well-being results from a combination of above 5 components.

Dimensions of Health

Physical: Body health, strength, and wellness.
Mental: Mind, thinking clearly, feeling happy, and motivated.
Emotional: Feelings, managing feelings.
Social: Connections, relationships, feeling good about relationships.
Spiritual: Purpose, meaning in life.
Specific dimensions discussed include: Physical (perfect organ function, ability to carry out daily tasks, normal growth), Social (health practices influenced by economic level, lifestyle, family, and culture; low-income groups less likely to seek preventive healthcare; high-income groups prone to stress-related habits/illness).

Other Dimensions

Spiritual: Principles, ethics, purpose in life, religious beliefs, and values affecting health and illness behaviors.
Vocational: Work's adaptation to human goals; significant role in promoting physical and mental health; especially apparent in job loss or retirement

The WHO 'World Health Declaration' (1998)

Signed by all member countries emphasizing human rights and health for all.
Improving health is for social and economic development.
Enjoyment of the best standards of health is a basic human right.

Determinants of Health

Factors impacting person's well-being and likelihood of illness or disease.
Categories include social and economic environment, physical environment, and person's behavior.

Conditions of environments impacting health, functioning, quality of life, outcomes, and risks.
Five domains include education access/quality, economic stability, health care access/quality, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.

Socioeconomic Status (SES): Income, education, occupation, and wealth are key determinants and lower SES is linked to chronic diseases, lower life expectancy, poorer health outcomes.
Social Support Networks: Strong connections improve mental health, resilience, and overall well-being, whereas isolation leads to stress, depression, and issues.
Community Safety and Environment: Safe neighborhoods promote health behaviours, healthy food access. Conversely, adverse environments (crime, violence) negatively impact health.
Access to Healthcare Services: Availability, affordability, and quality of healthcare are crucial for health, and limited access results in unmet needs, delayed diagnoses, and poor outcomes.

SES - Main Socioeconomic Status

Education: Illiteracy, elementary, intermediate, secondary, university, postgraduate.
Occupation: Unemployed, laborer, professional.
Income: <1000, 1000 - 4000, 5000 - 14000, > 15000.
Housing: Hut, traditional house, apartment, villa; rentals, mortgages, or owned.

B- Behavioral Determinants of Health

Nutrition, food, habits, and customs: Smoking, passive smoking, alcohol, and substance abuse.
Exercise, sleep, violence, recreation, compliance with medical treatment, and reaction to stress.

C- Environmental Determinants of Health (Physical Environment)

Air, water, waste disposal, housing, climate, temperature, humidity, rainfall, air quality, geography, heat, noise, vibration, and radiation: Air quality and exposure to pollution worsen respiratory problems, heart disease, cancer. Water quality impacts infectious diseases; waste disposal contaminates water/soil.
Climate change, built environment, chemical safety, noise pollution affect people's health by causing heat stress, infectious diseases, respiratory problems. Poorly-designed communities limit access to healthy foods. This also includes exposure to chemicals in the environment (air, water, soil, consumer products). Excessive noise leads to hearing issues and stress.

C- Environmental Determinants of Health (Biological Environment)

Genetics, sex and gender, age, nutrition, hormones, and microbiome impact health. Specific conditions like family history increasing risk for heart disease, cancer, or diabetes. Also includes biological differences in health risks and outcomes between sexes, how age affects body systems (efficiency and susceptibility to diseases). Healthy nutrition, balanced hormones, and a healthy gut microbiome are vital for digestion, immune function, and more.

3. Psychosocial Determinants of Environment

Habits, Customs, Ethnicity, Cultural values, Ethnicity, Culture, and Religion/Morals.
Ethnicity: Identification with a social group (language, culture, religion, origin, shared history).
Culture: Complex social phenomenon of shared knowledge, beliefs, goals, values, attitudes, and practices.
Religion/Morals: Educations, health awareness, employment, community life, and housing. This overlaps with political factors below.

Psychosocial Determinants of Environment - 3: Political

Political organization: % GNP (Gross National Product) on health, resource allocation, availability of services, and accessibility for all people.
Health services: Health education, mother/child health, control of communicable diseases, and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Health Inequities Between Countries

Dramatic differences in life expectancy depending on birthplace.
Countries in significant disparities like Japan/Sweden with long life expectancies, while others in Africa have lower life expectancy.
High infant mortality rate for some countries versus others.
Significant risk of maternal death for some countries versus others.

Worldwide Health Inequities

Worldwide differences in health between rich and poor countries, men and women, and dominant and marginalized groups.
Health disparities in India and other regions because of conditions like gender-based discrimination or neglect.

References

CDC, WHO, and Healthy People 2030 websites will help for more information.

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Description

This quiz focuses on the foundational concepts of public health as introduced in Community Health: CHP 310. Participants will explore definitions of health and disease, determinants of health, and the dimensions of well-being. Additionally, the quiz addresses health inequities and the importance of access to healthcare.