Concepts and Characteristics of Community Health

Vocabulary flashcards based on Week One lecture notes for NURS4101 Community Health Nursing, covering core concepts, health definitions, levels of prevention, and nursing principles.

Community

Refers to a collection of people who interact with one another and whose common interests or characteristics form the basis for a sense of unity or belonging.

Geographic Communities

Communities that are demarcated by geographic boundaries.

Common Interest/Goal Communities

A type of community whose focus is a health-related issue or shared common interest.

Community of Solution

A group of people who come together to solve a problem that affects all of them, characterized by a fluid boundary defined by the problem and those affected.

Social Systems

Community structures that include economic, educational, religious, political, recreational, and legal systems which impact the overall health of the community.

Social Determinants of Health

The circumstances in which people are born, grow up, live, work, age, and the systems put in place to deal with illness, shaped by wider forces such as education, social policies, and politics.

Optimal Health

Defined by O'Donnell (2009) as a dynamic balance of physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual health.

Health (WHO Definition)

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

Social Health

Refers to the ability to make and maintain relationships with others and to interact well with people and the environment.

Prerequisites for Health (Ottawa Charter)

As outlined by WHO (2010b), these include peace, shelter, education, food, income, a stable eco-system, sustainable resources, social justice, and equity.

Public Health (Winslow, 1920)

The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health and efficiency through organized community efforts.

Community Health (WHO Definition)

Refers to the health status of the members of the community, the problems affecting their health, and the totality of health care provided for the community.

Core Public Health Functions

The three primary functions delineated as assessment, policy development, and assurance.

Health Promotion

All efforts that seek to move people closer to optimal well-being or higher levels of wellness, aiming to raise levels of wellness for individuals, families, populations, and communities.

Healthy People 2030

National guidance for promoting health that focuses on increasing the quality of life and eliminating health disparities.

Primary Prevention

Measures taken to keep illness or injuries from occurring, applied to a generally healthy population preceding disease or dysfunction.

Secondary Prevention

Efforts to detect and treat existing health problems at the earliest possible stage when disease or impairment is already present, such as screening programs.

Tertiary Prevention

Interventions attempting to reduce the extent and severity of a health problem to its lowest possible level to minimize disability and restore or preserve function.

Public Health Nursing

Defined by the ANA (2005) as the practice of promoting and protecting the health of populations using knowledge from nursing, social, and public health sciences.

Essential Components of Nursing Care

The four core elements involved in nursing care: 1. The client, 2. Environment, 3. Health, and 4. Nursing.

Components of Community-Based Care

Five key components consisting of self-care, preventive health care, care within the context of the community, continuity of care, and collaborative care.

Wellness

A lifestyle aimed at achieving physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and environmental well-being.