9781284118445-public-health-101-3rd-edition-original-pdf-1708034507

Absolute risk

The actual chances or probability of developing a disease expressed as a probability or a percentage.

Academic health center

An organization that includes a medical school, one or more other health profession schools, and an affiliated hospital.

Accreditation

A process applied to educational institutions, healthcare institutions, and governmental health departments to define and enforce required structures, processes, and outcomes.

Activities of daily living (ADLs)

Routine activities that people do every day without needing assistance, including eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, and continence.

Actual causes

Modifiable factors that lead to major causes of mortality.

Administrative regulations

Laws produced by executive agencies of federal, state, and local governments in the U.S.

Affordable Care Act

U.S. legislation passed in 2010 that made major changes to the U.S. health insurance system.

Age adjustment

Considering age distribution of a population when comparing populations or the same population at different times.

Age distribution

The number of people in each age group in a population.

All-hazards approach

A public health preparedness strategy that prepares for many types of disasters using similar methods.

Altered environment

The impact of chemicals, radiation, and biological products introduced into the environment by humans.

Ancillary criteria

Criteria used to argue for a cause-and-effect relationship when definitive requirements have not been met.

Antibody

A protein produced by the body in response to a foreign antigen that can bind to the antigen and facilitate its elimination.

Artifactual

Differences between populations or changes over time caused by changes in interest or ability to identify diseases.

Assessment

A core public health function that involves obtaining data to define the health of populations and specific groups.

Association

The occurrence together of two factors, such as a risk factor and a disease, more often than expected by chance.

Assurance

A core public health function that includes oversight responsibility for ensuring effective health system components.

Asymptomatic

Without symptoms; signifies absence of symptoms in disease screening.

At-risk population

A group of people with an increased chance of developing a disease.

Attributable risk percentage

The percentage of disease or disability that could be eliminated among those with a risk factor.

Authoritative decision

A decision made by an individual or group with the power to implement it.

Bayes’ theorem

A mathematical formula for calculating the posttest probability of disease based on pretest probability and test sensitivity.

Behavioral economics

An economic analysis method that uses psychological insights to change decision-making in patients and clinicians.

Belmont Report

A report establishing key principles for the protection of human subjects.

Beneficence

An ethics principle stating that individuals should be treated ethically by respecting their decisions and protecting them from harm.

BIG GEMS

A mnemonic summarizing determinants of disease: behavior, infection, genetics, geography, environment, medical care, and socioeconomic-cultural status.

Bioethics

An intersection of health law and policy that applies values and morals to controversial health issues.

Biological plausibility

Supportive criteria indicating a disease can be explained by current biological knowledge.

Bottlenecks

Factors that limit the effectiveness of systems.

Branding

A marketing concept for creating identification with a product or service, also used in social marketing.

Breakthrough drugs

FDA category for drugs demonstrating substantial improvement for serious conditions.

Built environment

The physical environment constructed by humans.

Burden of disease

An analysis of the morbidity and mortality produced by a disease.

Cap

A limit on the total amount insurance will pay for a service.

Capitation

A system of healthcare reimbursement based on a flat payment per time period for each person taken care of.

Carrier test

A test determining whether an individual has a genetic mutation for a recessive disorder.

Case–control studies

Studies identifying individuals with and without a disease without prior knowledge of their exposures.

Case definition

Criteria used to define who has a disease during an outbreak.

Case-fatality

The chance of dying from a condition once diagnosed.

Case finding

Efforts to locate contacts of individuals diagnosed with a disease for possible treatment.

Cell-mediated immunity

Immunological protection produced by T-lymphocytes combating intracellular pathogens.

Certainty effect

A risk-taking attitude favoring the status quo over uncertain outcomes.

Certification

A process ensuring competence by evaluating health professionals' qualifications.

Chance node

In a decision tree, a circle indicating outcomes occur with known probabilities.

Choice node

In a decision tree, a square indicating a decision needs to be made.

Chronic carriers

Individuals without symptoms who can chronically transmit a disease.

Cluster

Occurrence of increased disease cases over a defined time period.

Cohort study

An investigation comparing a group with a risk factor to a similar group without it.

Coinsurance

The percentage of medical costs the insured must pay.

Communicable disease

A disease transmitted person-to-person or from animals to humans.

Community-based participatory research (CBPR)

Research where community members are involved throughout the process.

Community-oriented primary care (COPC)

A structured process focusing on community health needs alongside individual care.

Community-oriented public health (COPH)

Efforts by health agencies to address specific health issues in communities.

Community rating

Insurance rates set the same for all individuals based on previous community expenses.

Concierge practice

Private medical practice providing personalized care for those able to pay out of pocket.

Confounding variable

A difference in compared groups affecting the outcome not related to the chain of causation.

Consistency

Criteria indicating a relationship observed across various populations or settings.

Constitutional law

A form of law based on the U.S. Constitution or state constitutions.

Contributory cause

Causation established when an association, temporal precedence, and impact alteration are all shown.

Copayment

The fixed amount the insured pays for a covered service.

Core public health functions

Essential public health responsibilities defined by the Institute of Medicine.

Cost-effective

A measure indicating an intervention's cost relative to its benefits.

Cost sharing

An effort to reduce healthcare costs by shifting expenses to individuals.

Course of a disease

Describes disease progression using incidence, prevalence, and case-fatality.

Covered service

A service for which health insurance provides payment.

Credentialing

A process verifying an individual's qualifications for a health profession.

Customary, prevailing, and reasonable

Standards used by insurance plans to determine payments to service providers.

Data

Facts or representations of facts.

Database

A collection of data organized for computer selection and compilation.

Decision analysis

A process comparing outcomes of interventions based on expected utility principles.

Decision maker

Individuals or organizations making health decisions.

Decision tree

A graphic method displaying benefits and harms of intervention options.

Deductible

The amount an individual must pay before insurance coverage begins.

Demographic transition

The effect of falling childhood death rates and longer life spans on population size and age distribution.

Determinants

Underlying factors that bring about disease, referred to as the causes of causes.

Dietary supplements

A category within FDA law including vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies.

Diffusion of innovation

Theory identifying stages of dissemination and types of adopters of new changes.

Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)

Measures combining death and disability impacts on population health.

Discounting

Placing greater importance on immediate events over future events.

Dissemination

The widespread circulation of information for integration into public health practice.

Distribution of disease

How disease is spread across a population using factors like person, place, and time.

Dose–response relationship

A consistent direction of outcomes as exposure levels change.

Downstream factors

Individual behavior influences that can be altered by personal interventions.

Dread effect

Perceived increase in the probability of an event due to its visualization and feared consequences.

Ecological assessment

Assessment of how physical environmental alterations impact plants and animals.

Effectiveness

An intervention shown to increase positive outcomes in a population or setting.

Efficacy

An intervention that increased positive outcomes in the investigated population.

Eligible

Meeting criteria required to enroll in a health insurance plan.

Endemic

A disease present in a community at all times, usually at a low rate.

Epidemic

A disease occurring with increased frequency in a defined area.

Epidemiological transition

Historically observed change in dominant causes of mortality and morbidity due to social development.

Epidemiological treatment

Treatment of disease contacts without evidence of transmission.

Epidemiologist

An investigator studying disease occurrence and control in defined populations.

Essential health benefits

Ten healthcare services required by the Affordable Care Act in most health insurance policies.

Essential public health services

Ten services defining the responsibilities of governmental public health.

Estimation

A statistical term implying measurement of association strength or difference size.

Etiology

The cause of a disease or health condition.

Evidence

Reliable information or data upon which a decision can be based.

Expected utility

The probability multiplied by the utility reflecting the likelihood and value of outcomes.

Experience rating

Insurance rates based on a group's past healthcare expenses.