24 Questions
What is the primary goal of medicine?
To cure
What percentage of the nation's total health spending is devoted to public health?
Less than 3%
How many years have been added to the life expectancy of Americans over the 20th century?
30 years
What is the focus of epidemiology?
Human populations, usually starting with an outbreak of disease in a community
What is the role of statistics in public health?
To calculate risks and benefits
What is environmental health science concerned with?
The impact of environmental factors on human health
What is the primary focus of biomedical sciences in public health?
The control of infectious diseases
How are public health initiatives typically funded?
Through taxes
What is the primary focus of biomedical research in the context of disease control?
Identifying genetic factors that contribute to chronic diseases
Which of the following is a major component of public health that has contributed significantly to health improvements in the 20th century?
Environmental health science
What is a major concern in environmental health, with thousands of new chemicals entering the environment every year?
Lack of knowledge about the effects of new chemicals on human health
According to the social and behavioral sciences, what is a major factor that affects people's health?
Social environment
What is the primary goal of primary prevention in public health?
Preventing an illness or injury from occurring
What is a major challenge in the US healthcare system, according to health policy and management?
High cost of medical care
What is the first step in the public health approach?
Defining the health problem
What was the approximate infant mortality rate in England and Wales during the 19th century?
Two or three of every 10 newborn infants
What is a major health disparity in the US, according to social and behavioral sciences?
Lower life expectancy for blacks compared to whites, even when incomes are similar
According to C.E.A. Winslow, what is the primary goal of public health?
To promote physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts
What is the primary focus of public health, according to the Institute of Medicine's 1988 publication?
Community health and disease prevention
Which of the following is a core function of public health?
Policy development and assurance
What is the primary difference between public health and medical care?
Public health focuses on communities, while medical care focuses on individual patients
What is the primary goal of public health assessment?
To diagnose the health of the community
What is the focus of public health treatment?
Community health and wellness
What is the primary focus of public health education?
Personal hygiene and sanitation
Study Notes
Environmental Health Science
- A classic component of public health, responsible for much of the public health improvement in the US in the 20th century
- Environmental factors affecting health:
- Air quality
- Water quality
- Solid and hazardous wastes
- Safe food and drugs
- Global environmental issues
- Thousands of new chemicals enter the environment every year, with little known about their effects on human health
Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Behavioral factors are now the leading concern for people's health
- Theory of health behavior: social environment affects people's behavior
- Major health threats:
- Tobacco
- Poor diet
- Physical inactivity
- Injuries
- Disparities in health: Blacks have a lower overall life expectancy than whites, even with similar incomes
Health Policy and Management
- Examines the role of medical care in public health
- Issues in the US:
- High cost of medical care
- High percentage of population without health insurance
- Lack of access to medical care for the uninsured
- Questionable quality of medical care
- Medical care has diverted profits from education, housing, and the environment
Public Health Approach
- Primary prevention: prevents an illness or injury from occurring
- Secondary prevention: minimizes the severity of the disease or injury once it has occurred
- Tertiary prevention: minimizes disability by providing medical care and rehabilitation services
- Focus of public health: prevention of disease and disability, not just curing illness
Public Health: Science and Politics
- Science: understanding health threats, determining interventions, and evaluating their effectiveness
- Politics: making decisions about policies to implement
- Public health initiatives are funded by taxes
Public Health Disciplines
- Epidemiology
- Statistics
- Biomedical Sciences
- Environmental Health Science
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Health Policy and Management
Epidemiology
- The basic science of public health
- Studies epidemics, focusing on human populations and seeking common exposures and causes
- Epidemiologists work in local public health departments
Statistics
- Governments collect health data on populations, which are used as diagnostic tools for the community's health
- Statistical analysis is essential in epidemiological and clinical studies
Biomedical Sciences
- A major portion of human disease is caused by microorganisms
- Control of infectious diseases was a major public health focus in the 19th and early 20th centuries
Public Health History
- 19th century recording keeping began in England and Wales
- Death rates were high among children, with 2-3 of 10 newborns not reaching their first birthday
- Public health has improved significantly since the early 19th century
Definition of Public Health
- C.E.A Winslow (1920): "the science and the art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts"
- Institute of Medicine (1988): "fulfillment of society's interest in assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy"
Core Functions of Public Health
- Assessment: the diagnostic function of public health
- Policy development: using scientific knowledge to develop strategies to improve community health
- Assurance: ensuring access to services needed to protect the community
- The community is the patient in public health, not the individual
This quiz covers the importance of environmental health science in public health, including the impact of environmental factors on health and disease prevention.
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