Terms Used in Public Health PDF

‫فانيل مصطلحات‬# Terms used in Public Health  Access Access is the potential for or actual entry of a population into the health system. The ability to obtain wanted or needed services may be influenced by many factors, including travel, distance, waiting time, available financial resources, and...

‫فانيل مصطلحات‬# Terms used in Public Health  Access Access is the potential for or actual entry of a population into the health system. The ability to obtain wanted or needed services may be influenced by many factors, including travel, distance, waiting time, available financial resources, and availability of a regular source of care. Access also refers to the extent to which a public health service is readily available to the community’s individuals in need. Accessibility also refers to the capacity of the agency to provide service in such a way as to reflect and honor the social and cultural characteristics of the community and focuses on agency efforts to reduce barriers to service utilization.  Assessment is defined as Collecting, analyzing, and using data to educate and mobilize communities, develop priorities, garner resources, and plan actions to improve public health. Behavioral risk factors Risk factors in this category include behaviors that are believed to cause, or to be contributing factors to most accidents, injuries, disease, and death during youth and adolescence as well as significant morbidity and mortality in later life. This is a category recommended for collection in the Community Health Profile.  Benchmarks Benchmarks are points of reference or a standard against which measurements can be compared. In the context of indicators and public health, a benchmark is an accurate data point, which used as a reference for future comparisons (similar to a baseline). Communicable disease This category includes diseases that are usually transmitted through person-to-person contact or shared use of contaminated instruments/materials. Many of these diseases can be prevented through the use of protective measures, such as a high level of vaccine coverage of vulnerable populations.  Demographic characteristics Demographic characteristics of a jurisdiction include measures of total population as well as percent of total population by age group, gender, race and ethnicity, where these populations and sub-populations are located, and the rate of change in population density over time, due to births, deaths and migration patterns. Disease A state of dysfunction of organs or organ systems that can result in diminished quality of life. Endemic Prevalent in or peculiar to a particular locality or people.  Epidemic A group of cases of a specific disease or illness clearly in excess of what one would normally expect in a particular geographic area. Evaluation Evaluation is a process that attempts to determine as systematically and objectively as possible the relevance, effectiveness, and impact of activities in the light of their objectives. Evaluation identifies what should or could be done to address a health problem, and how it can be done. Evidence In the broadest sense, evidence can be defined as facts or testimony in support of a conclusion, statement or belief and something serving as proof.  Foodborne illness Illness caused by the transfer of disease organisms or toxins from food to humans. Health indicator A health indicator is a measure that reflects, or indicates, the state of health in a defined population, such as the infant mortality rate. Health promotion Health promotion means the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health.  Health status The current state of a given population using a variety of indices, including morbidity, mortality, and available health resources. Incidence Incidence (incidence rate) is the number of new events (for example, new cases of a disease) in a defined population, occurring within a specified period of time. Prevalence Prevalence is the proportion of people in a population who have some attribute or condition at a given point in time or during a specified time period.  Infectious Capable of causing infection or disease by entrance of organisms (e.g., bacteria, viruses, protozoan, fungi) into the body, which then grow and multiply. Often used synonymously with “communicable”. Infectious diseases A disease caused by a living organism. An infectious disease may, or may not, be transmissible from person to person, animal to person, or insect to person. Intervention An intervention is the act of interfering with a condition to modify it or with a process to change its course. A public health intervention can be defined by the fact that it is applied to many, most, or all members in a community, with the aim of delivering a net benefit to the community or population as well as benefits to individuals.  Morbidity Illness or lack of health caused by disease, disability, or injury. Mortality A measure of the incidence of deaths in a population. Outbreak An outbreak is the occurrence of more cases of disease than would normally be expected in a specific place or group of people over a given period of time. Prevention In public health terms, prevention means actions that reduce exposure or other risks, keep people from getting sick, or keep disease from getting worse.  Public health Public health is a set of organized interdisciplinary efforts to protect, promote, and restore the public’s health. It is the combination of assessment, policy development and assurance that is directed to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all the people through collective or social actions. The mission of public health is to “Promote physical, mental and environmental health and prevent disease, injury and disability.”  Public health disasters Severe or catastrophic events that affect the health of a given area or population. Public health system All public, private, and voluntary entities that contribute to the delivery of essential public health services within a jurisdiction. These systems are a network of entities with differing roles, relationships, and interactions that contribute to the health and well-being of the community or state.  Quarantine The compulsory physical separation or confinement of individuals and/or groups, animals, or the enforced restraint of transport of goods in order to prevent or limit the spread of disease or disease vectors. Reportable disease(s) Health conditions that are required through statute, ordinance or administrative rule to be reported to a public health agency when it is diagnosed in an individual. Screening The use of technology and procedures to differentiate those individuals with signs or symptoms of disease from those less likely to have the disease.  Surveillance In public health terms, surveillance means the ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of health data. This activity also involves timely dissemination of the data and use for public health programs. Vectors Used in terms of public health it refers to animals or other living organisms that carry or transmit diseases (e.g., rats, mosquitoes, foxes).  Vital statistics Data derived from certificates and reports of birth, death, fetal death, induced termination of pregnancy, marriage, (divorce, dissolution of marriage, or annulment) and related reports. Vulnerable populations A group of people with certain characteristics that cause them to be at greater risk of having poor health outcomes. These characteristics include, but are not limited to, age, culture, disability, education, ethnicity, health insurance, housing status, income, mental health, and race.