Public Health - Midterm 1

health

a state of physical, mental, and social well-being, NOT just the absence of disease

public health

the science of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed efforts of society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals

medicine VS pbhl

medicine:

• patient is the individual

• treating individual illness

• treatment involves medical tools

pbhl:

• patient is the community

• goal is to prevent illness and disaibility

• treatment involves new policies and interventions

3 core functions of pbhl

assessment, policy development, assurance

assessment

collecting and analyzing data

policy development

generating recommendations for policies, programs, and interventions

assurance

enforcing policies and allocating resources

epidemiology

basic science of public health, study of epidemics

statistics

use of health data to calculate risks/benefits

biomedical sciences

important to the understanding and control of infectious and noninfectious disease

environmental health sciences

health is affected by exposure to environmental factors

social and behavioral sciences

behavior is the leading concern for factors that affect people’s health

health policy and management

examines the role of medical care in public health

primary prevention

strategies to prevent health problems from occuring

secondary prevention

early strategies to screen and catch disease early

tertiary prevention

strategies to reduce the impact of a diagnosed disease or ongoing injury

population health

the health outcomes of a group of individuals and the distribution of those in that group

infant mortality rate

the number of infant deaths within the first year of life for every 1,000 life births per year

maternal mortality rate

the number of maternal deaths due to pregnancy-related complications per 100,000 live births per year

death/mortality rates

deaths 1,000 or 100,000 population at risk per year

life expectancy

the average number of additional years a person is expected to live

name 3 pbhl achievements of the last century

• improved control and treatment of infectious disease through improved drinking water, sanitation, antibiotics, and vaccines

• declines in deaths from heart disease/stroke

• family planning

• fluoridation of drinking water

• healthier mothers and babies

• safer workplaces

• motor vehicle saftey

• recognition of tobacco as a health hazard

• food saftey, improved nutrition, improved water supplies