Public Health Definition

16 Questions

What is the primary focus of the 'Preventive Medicine' era in public health?

Focusing on prevention and cure of diseases in high-risk populations

According to CE Winslow, what is one of the key aspects of public health?

Organization of medical and nursing services for early diagnosis and medical treatment of diseases

What is an example of public health practice in ancient civilizations?

All of the above

What is the name of the declaration that characterized the 'Primary Health Care' era in public health?

The Alma Ata Declaration

What was a key feature of the 'Contagion Control' era in public health?

Positivist approach to Germ Theory

What is the name of the era in public health that spanned from antiquity to the 1830s?

Health Protection

What is an example of a 'high-risk group' in public health?

Both A and B

What is the name of the initiative launched in 1986 that characterized the 'Primary Health Care' era in public health?

Healthy Cities Initiative

What was the primary focus of the Colonial era of public health?

Controlling infectious disease

What was the outcome of Edwin Chadwick's efforts in the mid-19th century?

The passage of the 1848 Public Health Act

What was the primary goal of nation-building era of public health?

Improving the race

What was the focus of the Lifestyle era of public health?

Chronic disease control

What was the outcome of the Affluence, medicine, and infrastructure era of public health?

Growth of hospitals and clinical medicine

What was the driving force behind the first public health reforms?

Edwin Chadwick's Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain

What is the primary goal of the New Public Health era?

Building healthy public policy and creating supportive environments

What was the significance of the Ottawa Charter in the history of public health?

It encapsulated the key action areas of the New Public Health era

Study Notes

Definition of Public Health

Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health and efficiency through organized community efforts.
This involves sanitation of the environment, control of communicable diseases, education of individuals in personal hygiene, organization of medical and nursing services, and development of social machinery to ensure a standard of living adequate for health.

Examples of Public Health in Antiquity

Roman public baths, laws governing burial of the dead, and regulation of prostitution and dangerous animals
Inoculation against smallpox in India and China before the Christian era
Isolation of people with leprosy in Europe during the Middle Ages and quarantining of ships by the Venetians

Eras of Public Health

Seven Eras of Public Health (per Awofeso)

Health Protection (antiquity – 1830s)
Miasma Control (1840s – 1870s)
Contagion Control (1880s – 1930s)
Preventive Medicine (1940 – 1960s)
Primary Health Care (1970s – 1980s)
Health Promotion and the New Public Health (1990s – present)

Six Eras of Public Health (per Baum)

Era of Indigenous Control
Colonial Era (control of infectious disease, emphasis on sanitation)
Nation-Building Era (1890 – 1940s, state action linked to ideas of "improving the race")
Affluence, Medicine, and Infrastructure (1950s – early 1970s, economic affluence and state investment in health infrastructure)
Lifestyle Era (late 1960s – mid-1980s, refocus on chronic disease and prevention)
New Public Health (mid-1980s – mid-1990s, emphasis on healthy public policy, supportive environments, and community action)

Key Dates and Data Nodes in Public Health History

1842: Edwin Chadwick's Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of Great Britain
1848: Public Health Act, giving local authorities powers to remedy unsanitary conditions and require adequate drainage and sanitation in towns
1978: Alma Ata Declaration, emphasizing health for all through primary health care
1986: Healthy Cities Initiative and Ottawa Charter, encapsulating key action areas for public health

Definition of public health, including its goals and scope of activities. Learn about the importance of sanitation, disease control, education, and medical services in promoting health and efficiency.

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