Introduction to Public Health History

Public Health Introduction

• Public health is a complex system, evolving from basic sanitation to addressing broad communicable and non-communicable diseases.
• Social determinants and environmental factors influence health outcomes.
• Populations and related public health issues are constantly changing.

Public Health: A History of Change

• Public health practices date back to the Roman/Byzantine era, with efforts to manage water and waste.
• The fourteenth-century European response to the plague marked a turning point in recognizing the link between actions and disease prevention.
• Venice introduced early quarantine measures around 1348.
• Marseille and Venice implemented quarantine measures in response to the plague in 1377 and 1403 respectively.
• London's "Bills of Mortality" and later, John Graunt's work, provided early forms of surveillance.
• Dr. Johan Peter Frank, in 1790, emphasized the importance of social determinants in public health.

Defining Public Health Practice

• Public health aims to maintain and improve population health, guided by social justice, human rights, evidence-based policy, and addressing underlying health determinants.
• Key aspects of public health practice include health promotion, health protection, population health surveillance, and prevention of death, disease, injury, and disabilities.
• Public health practice is organized, comprehensive, and involves multiple stakeholders.

Foundation of Public Health

• Social Justice: Institutions enabling fulfilling lives and community participation.
• Health Equity: Absence of avoidable health disparities within groups.
• Social Determinants of Health: Conditions influencing health, including income, education, gender, environment, access to healthcare, and healthy childhood development. Social determinants shape health inequities.
• Ecological Determinants of Health: Earth's processes and natural resources, like oxygen, water, and food, essential for well-being.

The Building Blocks of Public Health

• Evidence Base: Robust, accurate, and valid scientific research, population characteristics, needs, values, and expertise.
• Research: Processes contributing to generalizable knowledge, both quantitative and qualitative forms.
• Quantitative Research: Data analysis of counted and numerical data for population health patterns and comparisons.
• Qualitative Research: Interpretation of non-numerical observations including case studies, narratives, ethnographies, surveys, and interviews, for deeper insights on community perceptions.
• Surveillance and Epidemiology: Planned and continuous collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data for public health planning, implementation, and evaluation. Surveillance includes active and passive forms for health emergencies and trends.

Community Consultation

• A methodology for informed decision-making on public issues, recognizing community identity and shared needs.
• Building on community strengths and resources to address health concerns.
• Expanding community structures and processes to enhance collaborative efforts for community health improvement.
• Integration of knowledge and mutual benefit for stakeholders.