Introduction to Public Health

Defining Public Health

• Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health and efficiency through organized community efforts for sanitation of the environment, control of community infections, education of the individual in personal hygiene, organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease, and development of the social machinery that will ensure everyone a standard of living adequate for health.

Core Functions of Public Health

• Assessment: Monitoring health status to identify emerging problems and trends; conducting community health assessments; and collecting, analyzing, and interpreting health data.
• Policy Development: Developing policies and plans that support a community's health goals; advising relevant organizations about health-related issues; advocating for health initiatives; forming partnerships to achieve health goals.
• Assurance: Ensuring access to essential services; providing leadership and support to other healthcare organizations; monitoring the quality of healthcare services; and ensuring the quality of public health interventions.

Key Disciplines in Public Health

• Epidemiology: The study of the distribution and determinants of disease in populations to identify risk factors and develop prevention strategies.
• Biostatistics: The application of statistical methods to health data to analyze trends, assess risks, and evaluate interventions.
• Environmental Health: The study of how environmental factors affect health, such as pollution, sanitation, and access to safe water.
• Social and Behavioral Sciences: The understanding of social determinants of health, such as poverty, education, and social support, and how they impact health outcomes.
• Health Promotion and Education: The development of programs to educate individuals and communities about health risks and protective behaviours, such as promoting healthy lifestyles and preventing chronic diseases.
• Administration and Management: Efficient and effective management of public health resources, staff, finances, and policies; establishing priorities and allocating resources.
• Health Informatics: Using technology to collect, manage, and analyze health data for research and program implementation.

Key Public Health Issues

• Infectious Diseases: Preventing and controlling outbreaks of infectious diseases like influenza and COVID-19, through surveillance, vaccination programs, sanitation initiatives, and infection controls.
• Chronic Diseases: Managing and preventing chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes through programs focused on healthy lifestyle choices, risk factor management, and community support networks.
• Maternal and Child Health: Ensuring healthy pregnancies, births, and early childhood development through interventions like prenatal care, immunizations, and access to healthy foods.
• Mental Health: Addressing mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders through promotion of mental wellbeing and access to services.
• Injury Prevention: Reducing injuries through public health approaches, including traffic safety, violence prevention, and injury prevention efforts in work and recreational settings.
• Environmental Health Threats: Minimizing exposure to harmful environmental hazards, promoting clean water, sanitation, pollution control, and promoting safer food handling, leading to healthier food and environmental conditions.

Public Health and Social Determinants of Health

• Recognizing the significant impact of social conditions on health outcomes, such as poverty, education inequality, affordable housing, discrimination and access to resources.
• Addressing these factors through policies aimed at improving living conditions, economic opportunity and social environments.
• Recognizing that health equity can only be achieved by addressing the social, environmental and economic determinants of health.

Global Public Health

• Public health challenges are often interconnected and require international cooperation.
• Promoting global health security through international collaborations and surveillance.
• Responding to global emergencies like pandemics, and establishing global health policies and initiatives for wider impact.
• Promoting health equity and reducing health disparities across countries.