SPHHS 150 Midterm Study Guide: Key Terms and Concepts

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key definitions, figures, and concepts from the SPHHS 150 midterm study guide.

Public Health

To treat the entire population rather than just individuals, preventing illness before it actually happens.

Population Health

The health of an entire collected population overall.

Organized Community Efforts

Things and events organized by community leaders to support public health.

Prevention

The act of solving a disease or injury before it happens.

Health Promotion

The act of promoting healthy behaviors and well being.

Disease Prevention

How public health workers use different methods of prevention to stop disease.

Public Health vs. Clinical Medicine

Public health focuses on a community and disease before it happens, whereas clinical medicine focuses on one patient and treating their illness/injury.

Population-Based Approach

Looking at an entire population when treating an illness.

Community Health

The health of an entire community.

John Graunt

Historical figure recognized as the father of statistics.

Nancy Miriam Hawley

Historical figure who developed health in women's rights.

Sanitation Movement

Historical development in the 1800s when clean water, sewage systems, and vaccines were developed.

Vaccination

A prevention method of disease.

Disease Surveillance

The ways we watch over disease and see if it is changing.

Blood Banking

Collecting blood donations for those who may need it.

Primary Prevention

Preventing illness/injury before it happens (e.g., policies, laws).

Secondary Prevention

Detecting illness/injury early (e.g., cancer screenings).

Tertiary Prevention

Helping those who were injured after the fact (e.g., rehab).

Assessment

Surveys and the analyzation of data.

Policy Development

Making laws and policies to prevent.

Assurance

Making sure care is getting equally distributed.

Purpose of the 10 Essential Public Health Services Framework

To make sure public health laws and actions are being taken and covering all areas.

Equity-Centered Framework

A framework that makes sure everyone gets what they need.

The Three Core Functions

Assessment, policy development, and assurance.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Governmental organization that prevents the spread/curation of disease.

Public Health Education

Schools and universities giving the proper education to students.

Health Equity

Making sure everyone gets the health support they need.

Health Disparities

Uncontrollable things that affect someone's health.

Health Inequities

Things that affect someone's health that are not properly being treated.

Social Justice

Making sure everyone has the same opportunities.

Collective Responsibility

The responsibility of a community and its people seeing it out.

Social Determinants of Health

Environment, genetics, socioeconomic status, etc.

Poverty

Being so poor you're unable to afford basic necessities.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Where someone is placed based on their income and what they need for basic necessities.

Food Insecurity

The inability to provide enough food for yourself/family.

Housing

Affects people's mental and physical health based on if their home life is safe.

Lemuel Shattuck

An important figure in public health, he is known for his influential report in 1850 that laid the foundation for modern public health practices, emphasizing the need for sanitation and social reform.

Edwin Chadwik

A significant public health reformer, known for advocating sanitation and hygiene improvements in the 19th century. His work highlighted the link between poor living conditions and disease.

Charles Richard Drew

An African American physician and surgeon, Charles Richard Drew is best known for his pioneering work in blood transfusion and the development of blood banks during World War II, significantly improving the efficiency of blood donation and storage.

Vital Statistics

Data related to birth, death, marriage, and health that are essential for understanding population dynamics and public health trends.

Public Health Boards

Administrative bodies established to oversee and implement public health policies, evaluate health programs, and coordinate health services at local, state, or national levels.

Women’s Health movement

a social and political movement aimed at improving health care access, education, and rights for women, addressing issues such as reproductive health and gender-specific medical research.

Our Bodies, Ourselves

a landmark book published in 1971 that addresses women's health issues and promotes women's rights through education and empowerment about their own bodies.

Compression of Morbidity

the theory that as life expectancy increases, the period of time spent in ill health or disability is reduced, resulting in a healthier aging population.

Public Health Workforce

community of professionals—including epidemiologists, community health workers, biostatisticians, environmental health inspectors, public health nurses, and educators—responsible for carrying out essential public health services and protecting community well-being.

Public Health Surveillance

The ongoing, systematic collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination of health-related data essential to planning, implementing, and evaluating population health interventions, serving as an early warning system to detect outbreaks and guide disease prevention policies.

Essential Public Health Services

A framework of ten foundational activities centered on equity that outline the working responsibilities of public health systems under the Core Functions.

Federal Public Health Agencies

National executive entities—most notably those within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) such as the CDC, NIH, and FDA—tasked with establishing nationwide health objectives, distributing federal grants and resources, conducting large-scale biomedical and epidemiological surveillance, regulating interstate food and pharmaceutical safety, and directing emergency responses across the country.

State Health Departments

government agencies at the U.S. state level responsible for protecting and promoting public health through disease surveillance, prevention programs, policy development, regulation, and coordination with local and federal partners.

Local Health Department

City, county, or district public health agency responsible for protecting and improving the health of the community through direct services, prevention, and emergency response.

Public Health Regulation

Rules created by government agenices to put laws into practice and enforce them

Public Health Legislation

Laws passed by elected bodies that create public health authority, programs, or requirements

Resource Allocation

How money and services get distributed

Structural Determinants of Health

Systems and policies that create health inequities

Structural Barriers

System-level obstacles to health access

Education

Social determinate: more education means better jobs, income, and health

Employment

Social determinant: affects income, insurance, stress, and safety

Transportation

Social determinant: affects access to care, food, and jobs

Heckler Report (1985)

First federal report on minority health, found ~60k excess deaths per year

Whitehall Study

British cibil servants study showing lower job rank means worse health

Infant Mortality Rate

Deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births

Chronic Disease Disparities

Unequal rates of chronic disease across racial and income groups

Social Ecological Model

Behavior is shaped by multiple nested levels, from individual up to policy

Health Belief Model

People act on heath based on perceived threat vs perceived benefits and barriers

Individual Level

Personal knowledge, attitudes, and skills

Interpersonal Level

Family, friends, peers

Institutional/Organizational Level

Rules and policies in schools, workplaces, healthcare systems

Community Level

Neighborhood norms, resources, and organizations

Policy Level

Local, state, and national laws

Perceived Severity

How serious you think the condition is

Perceived Benefits

Belief that the action will help

Perceived Barriers

Obstacles you expect to see based off goals

Self-Efficacy

Confidence you can do the behavior

Protective Factor

Something that lowers risk of a bad outcome

Social Support

Emotional or practical help from others

Stress

Body’s response to demands; chronic stress harms health

Health Behavior Change

Adopting or stopping a health behavior

Educational Interventions

Classes and campaigns that change individual behavior

Institutional Interventions

Changing policies withing organizations (school lunch standards)

Community Interventions

Community-wide efforts (coalitions, media campaigns)

Policy Interventions

Laws that change health at scale (tobacco taxes, seatbelt laws)

Risk Factors

Things that raise the chance of a bad health outcome (smoking, poverty, poor diet)

Protective Factors

Things that lower that chance (strong family support, health insurance, safe neighborhoods)

Early-Life Influences

What happens in the womb, infancy, and childhood sets the stage for later health.

Chronic Disease Risk

The likelihood of developing long-term conditions (heart disease, diabetes), shaped by risk and protective factors over a lifetime.

Maternal Health

The health of women during pregnancy, childbirth, and after

Birth Outcomes

How pregnancy ends and the baby’s health at birth (birth weight, preterm birth)

Adolescent Brain Development

The brain keeps maturing into the mid-20s.

Prefrontal Cortex

The part of the brain for planning, judgement, and impulse control. It matures last.

Reward System

The brain’s dopamine-driven pathways, which are extra sensitive in teens, so rewards feel stronger

Risk-Taking Behavior

The result of a strong reward system plus an immature prefrontal cortex (substance use, reckless driving)

Adolescent Health

Health issues and needs during teen years, like mental health, substance use, injuries, and sexual health

Chronic Disease Prevention

Reducing the chances of long-term diseases through things like diet, exercise, not smoking, and screenings.

Cardiovascular Disease

Conditions of the heart and blood vessels (heart attack, stroke), a leading cause of death in the US

Obesity

Excess body weight that raises risk for many chronic diseases. Shaped by environment and social factors, not just person choices

Hypertension

High blood pressure, a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, often with no symptoms

Healthy Aging

Maintaning function and well-being as your age, not just avoiding disease.

Functional Independence

Being able to do daily activities (bathing, cooking, moving around) on your own

Quality of Life

Overall well-being, including physical, mental, and social health

Hearing loss

Common with age, and linked to social isolation and cognitive decline