Public Health Concepts and Principles

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms and concepts from public health lecture notes.

Public Health

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

Assessment

The process of understanding health issues through data.

Policy Development

Creating public health policies to address health issues.

Assurance

Ensuring that services are available and effective.

Chain of Causation

A model that identifies the agent, host, and environment contributing to disease spread.

Epidemiology

The study of the distribution and determinants of disease frequency in human populations.

Statistics

The discipline that collects health data from populations to inform public health.

Biomedical Sciences

The study of microorganisms and infectious diseases.

Environmental Health

The study of external environmental factors affecting health.

Social & Behavioral Sciences

The field that examines how behavior and social environments influence health.

Health Policy

The study of the role of medical care in improving public health.

Primary Prevention

Strategies to prevent disease or injury before it occurs, such as vaccinations.

Secondary Prevention

Efforts to detect and treat disease early, like cancer screenings.

Tertiary Prevention

Minimizing the impact of an ongoing disease, like rehabilitation for stroke patients.

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)

The number of infant deaths within the first year per 1,000 live births.

Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR)

Maternal deaths per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related issues.

Census

A population count that helps provide vital statistics and supports public health data.

Incidence

The number of new cases of a disease in a specific period.

Prevalence

The total number of existing cases of a disease at a given time.

Morbidity

A term that refers to the condition of being diseased or the rate of disease in a population.

Mortality

The number of deaths caused by a disease in a population.

Public Health Surveillance

The continuous collection, analysis, and interpretation of health-related data.

Chronic Diseases

Long-lasting diseases that typically cannot be prevented by vaccines or cured by medication.

Health Equity

The principle of providing fair and just opportunities for all individuals to attain their highest level of health.