Social, Behavioral, and Systemic Public Health

Vocabulary flashcards covering behavioral neuroscience, epidemiology, environmental health, and public health systems from the Kinesiology lecture notes.

Cue (Habit Loop)

The physical, temporal, or emotional trigger (such as stress, boredom, or a phone notification) that prompts an automatic routine.

Routine (Habit Loop)

The automatic behavior or action performed in response to a cue (such as scrolling social media or reaching for junk food).

Reward (Habit Loop)

The positive stimulus (such as lower anxiety, social validation, or dopamine release) that reinforces the habit loop in the brain.

Dorsal Striatum

The brain region that serves as the habit hub in behavioral patterns and addiction.

Ventral Striatum

The brain region that functions as the reward hub in behavioral loops and addiction.

Pre-Frontal Cortex (PFC)

The brain network responsible for top-down cognitive and behavioral control.

"Liking" vs. "Wanting"

A neurobiological shift in chronic addiction where "liking" (actual pleasure) drops sharply while "wanting" (physiological craving) spikes.

Mood Setpoint

The brain's baseline emotional state, which chronic addictive behaviors repeatedly depress, requiring more stimulus just to feel normal.

Social Ecological Model (SEM)

A public health framework consisting of nested layers of influence—Individual, Interpersonal, Institutions, Community, and Structure & Systems / Policy—that explain disparities in life expectancy.

Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

Non-medical conditions grouped into six domains: Economic Stability, Neighborhood & Physical Environment, Education, Food Access, Community & Social Context, and Healthcare System.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Traumatic events occurring before age $18$ categorized as Abuse, Neglect, or Household Dysfunction, which demonstrate a dose-response link to adult chronic physical and mental illness.

Morbidity

The condition of being diseased or disabled within a given population.

Mortality

The death rate measured within a given population (e.g., heart disease mortality per $100,000$ people).

Incidence

The number of new cases of a disease or condition that arise during a specific timeframe, reflecting population risk.

Prevalence

The total number of existing cases (both new and old) present at a specific point in time, reflecting overall disease burden.

Endemic

The baseline, expected, continuous presence of a disease within a specific geographic area or population.

Outbreak

A localized, unexpected spike in disease cases that exceeds normal baseline levels.

Epidemic

A widespread, sudden surge in disease cases or injuries across an entire region or population.

Pandemic

A global epidemic that spreads across multiple continents and borders.

Blue Zones

Five geographic regions characterized by exceptional longevity: Loma Linda (CA), Nicoya (Costa Rica), Sardinia (Italy), Ikaria (Greece), and Okinawa (Japan).

Fine Particulate Matter ($PM_{2.5}$)

Airborne particles small enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the systemic bloodstream, posing severe health hazards.

Superfund Site

A severely hazardous, highly contaminated environmental site placed on the EPA national priority list, where remediations reduce nearby birth defects by $20\%$.

Brownfield

An abandoned commercial property with low-to-moderate contamination remediated for local economic redevelopment and reuse.

Artificial Turf (Thermal Risk)

A synthetic playing field surface whose temperatures can reach $160^\circ\text{F}$ ($60^\circ\text{F}$ higher than ambient air), spiking exertional heatstroke (EHS) and joint injury risk.

"One Health" Concept

An integrated framework recognizing that Human Health, Animal Health, and Ecosystem Health are deeply interconnected.

Clinical Medicine

A healthcare discipline focused downstream on diagnosing and treating existing illness in individual patients.

Public Health

A health field focused upstream on preventing disease onset across populations and communities.

Lifespan

The total chronological duration of an individual's life, averaging approximately $78.5\text{ years}$ in the United States.

Healthspan (HALE)

The number of years an individual lives free from chronic disease or severe disability, averaging approximately $63.1\text{ to }68.5\text{ years}$ in the United States.

Health Equality

An approach that distributes the exact same resources or interventions to everyone regardless of baseline disadvantages.

Health Equity

An approach that allocates tailored resources according to specific community needs to achieve equal health outcomes.

Healthcare Quality Triangle

An economic paradigm balancing three competing constraints: $\text{Cost} \Longleftrightarrow \text{Quality} \Longleftrightarrow \text{Access}$.

Medicare

A federally funded U.S. health insurance program for seniors aged $65+$, people with permanent disabilities, and individuals with ESRD.

Medicaid

A joint federal- and state-funded U.S. program providing medical coverage to eligible low-income individuals and families.

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

A federal-state matching grant program covering children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but cannot afford private insurance.

Multi-Payer System

The fragmented U.S. healthcare model composed of mixed public, private, and employer-sponsored coverage with high administrative overhead.