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What is the goal of medicine?
to cure
What is the goal of public health?
to prevent disease and disability
Who is considered the patient in medicine?
Who is considered the patient in public health?
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Define public health in your own words.
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According to CEA Winslow, what is the definition of public health?
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Epidemic and outbreak are two terms that are used interchangeably.
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The result of a medical condition that directly affects the length or quality of a person’s life is known as ______________ outcome.
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Match the following terms:
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What are the three core functions of public health?
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Public health is more concerned with preventing illness than healing patients who are ill.
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Define epidemiology.
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Another term for terrorism involving the release of toxic biological agents is ______.
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Match the following terms with their definitions:
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Study Notes
Introduction to Public Health
- Public Health is defined as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals." (CEA Winslow)
- The mission of Public Health is to "fulfilling society's interest in assuring conditions in which people can be healthy" (Institute of Medicine) and to "provide maximum benefit for the largest number of people" (World Health Organization)
Key Terms
- Clinical care: prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well-being through the services offered by medical and allied health professions
- Determinant: factor that contributes to the generation of a trait
- Epidemic or outbreak: occurrence in a community or region of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related event clearly in excess of normal expectancy
- Health outcome: result of a medical condition that directly affects the length or quality of a person's life
History of Public Health
- 500 BCE: Greeks and Romans practiced community sanitation measures
- 1840s: The Public Health Act of 1848 was established in the United Kingdom
- 1970: The Environmental Protection Agency was founded
Pandemics
- Influenza: 500 million infected worldwide in 1918
- Polio: Vaccine introduced in 1955; eradication initiative launched in 1988
- HIV: 34 million living with HIV worldwide; 20% decline in new infections since 2001
- COVID-19: Highlighted the importance of public health
Public Health and Pandemics
- Public health response to disasters, natural and man-made, helps to control the damage and prevent further harm to survivors and rescuers
- Bioterrorism is recognized primarily through classic public health measures similar to those used for natural epidemics
- The threat of bioterrorism and Pandemic did more to teach the public about public health than any educational program
Preparedness for Disaster Response
- Biologic Warfare: Plague used as a weapon of war during the Siege of Kaffa
- September 2001: Public health surveillance conducted after the 9/11 attacks
- Hurricane Katrina: Emergency services, public health surveillance, and disease treatment provided
Prevention Through Policy
- Book of Leviticus: The world's first written health code
- Tobacco Laws: Laws banning smoking in public places
- Obesity: Food labeling and promotion of physical activity
Core Functions and Essential Services of Public Health
- Three Core Functions of Public Health:
- Assessment: Systematically collect, analyze, and make available information on healthy communities
- Policy Development: Promote the use of a scientific knowledge base in policy and decision making
- Assurance: Ensure provision of services to those in need
- Ten Essential Public Health Services:
- Monitor Health
- Diagnose and Investigate
- Inform, Educate, Empower
- Mobilize Community Partnership
- Develop Policies
- Enforce Laws
- Link to/Provide Care
- Assure a Competent Workforce
- Evaluate
- Research
Core Functions at Government Levels
- Federal: National tobacco public health surveillance, smoking ban on commercial flights, and federal grants for antismoking research
- State: Monitor state tobacco use, increase tobacco tax, and funding for campaign through Proposition 99
- Local: Report on local tobacco use, county laws prohibiting smoking in bars, and resources to help smokers quit in multiple languages
Public Health Core Sciences
- Epidemiology
- Biostatistics
- Health Policy and Management
- Environmental Health
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Stakeholder Roles in Public Health
- Government
- Public Health Infrastructure
- Community
- Clinical Care Delivery System
- Employers and Businesses
- Academia
- The Media
Determining and Influencing the Public's Health
- Health Determinants:
- Genes and Biology
- Health Behaviors
- Social or Societal Characteristics
- Health Services or Medical Care
- Health Impact Pyramid: Socioeconomic factors, environmental factors, and health behaviors influence health outcomes
Public Health Versus Medical Care
- In medicine, the patient is the individual; in public health, the patient is the community
- Public health diagnoses the health of the community using public health sciences
- Treatment of a community involves new policies and interventions
- Goal of medicine is to cure; goal of public health is to prevent disease and disability
- Less than 3% of the nation's total health spending is devoted to public health
- Life expectancy of Americans has increased by 30 years over the 20th century, and only 5 of the 30 years are attributed to modern medicine
Public Health
- Citizens of developed countries are healthier today due to improved living conditions brought about by public health efforts.
- Federal, state, and local governments regulate food and water safety, ensure quality medical services, and sponsor research and education programs on disease causes and prevention.
Analogy with Medicine
- Public health focuses on community health, whereas medicine focuses on individual health.
- Public health focuses on prevention, whereas medicine focuses on healing.
Core Functions of Public Health
- Assessment: collecting, analyzing, and making available information on community health status.
- Policy development: exercising responsibility to serve the public interest in developing comprehensive public health policies.
- Assurance: ensuring necessary services are provided to achieve agreed-upon goals.
Sciences of Public Health
- Epidemiology: studying human populations to identify disease causes and frequencies.
- Statistics: gathering and analyzing data to extract information, seek causation, and calculate probabilities.
- Biomedical sciences: studying the biological basis of human health and disease.
- Environmental health sciences: preventing disease spread through water, air, and food.
- Social and behavioral sciences: studying the social and behavioral aspects of health and disease.
Prevention
- Identifying causes of health problems in the community.
- Developing interventions to improve community health.
- Monitoring interventions for effectiveness.
- Primary prevention: avoiding problem occurrence.
- Secondary prevention: minimizing illness or injury severity.
- Tertiary prevention: minimizing disability caused by disease or injury.
Importance of Public Health
- Events like Covid-19 and bioterrorist attacks highlight the importance of public health.
- A strong public health system is crucial for responding to emergencies and preventing disease outbreaks.
Key Terms
- Health: a state of physical, mental, and social well-being.
- Health outcomes: results of healthcare interventions.
- Health promotion: planned combinations of educational, political, regulatory, and organizational supports for healthy living.
- Infectious disease: disease caused by microorganisms.
- Intervention: a program or policy designed to impact a health problem.
- Life expectancy: the number of additional years of life expected at a specified point in time.
- Policy development: developing comprehensive public health policies based on scientific knowledge and the democratic political process.
- Primary prevention: activities intended to prevent disease or injury onset.
- Public health: organized community efforts to ensure conditions for healthy living.
- Secondary prevention: activities to minimize risk of disease progression or complications.
- Statistics: gathering and analyzing data to extract information, seek causation, and calculate probabilities.
- Tertiary prevention: activities to minimize disability caused by disease or injury.
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Description
This quiz covers the basics of public health, including the definition and importance of public health. It's a great starting point for students of PUBH115.
