Module 2: Measuring Health

public health problem

anything that significant gets in the way of public health goals

how do we prioritize public health problems?

1. magnitude of problem

2. cost-effectiveness of available solutions to those problems

how do we judge the magnitude of problem?

multiply (number of people affected) x (how sucky it is)

how do we quantify sickness?

1. medical records (time trends)

2. survey

3. notifiable diseases

health disparities

differences in health outcomes/determinants between population groups

health

a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being & not merely the absence of disease/infirmity

years of potential life lost

based on age at death & life expectancy (gives more weight to causes of death that affect younger age groups)