Introduction to Public Health PDF

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Introduction to the understanding of Public Health...

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There are several reasons as to why people have better lives now than a couple of decades ago. This is mainly due to more knowledge about unhealthy and healthy behaviors, better nutrition sources, medications, clean water, safe disposal of wastes etc… All of this falls under the domain of public health. Public health refers to two important concepts. Literally – Public and Health. The general situation of people’s health has improved over time due to advances in medicine. But, society takes different measures to maintain and spread these improvements, thus bringing about the public aspect of health. There are different sectors in the community that are responsible for promoting public health. Governments are responsible for the provision of safe water, proper disposal of wastes, efficient food supply, and quality of medical services. The government is also responsible for sponsoring education and research programs to bring about innovation and learn more about the prevention of different diseases. Schools are expected to follow the laws regarding immunizations and promoting healthy habits via diets and exercise. Charles Winslow is an important leader in the public health field during the first half of the 20 th century. He defined public health as :

The science and the art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts for the sanitation of the environment, the control of community infections, the education of the individual in principles of personal hygiene, the organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease, and the development of the social machinery which will ensure to every individual in the community a standard of living adequate for the maintenance of health.

Over time, we had seen that public health had some success such as reducing the threat of infectious diseases, increasing the life span of the average American by DECADES, and so on. However, by the 1980s, researchers saw a decline in progress. There were several alarming signs that the current approach towards public health was incorrect. Some examples include: the breakout of the AIDS epidemic, environmental pollution, substance abuse, teenage pregnancy, violence, and so on. There was a study, conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in 1988, termedThe Future of Public Health. This study aimed to refocus attention on the significance of public health. The first task of this committee was to renew the definition of public health. In essence, it had to be defined more broadly, so as to encompass the missing elements. IOM provided a four-part definition of public health, that included the mission, substance, organizational framework, and core functions. 1. Mission of Public Health – The fulfillment of society’s interest in assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy. 2. Substance – Organized Community Efforts aimed at the prevention of disease and the promotion of health 3. Organizational framework – Both activities undertaken within the formal structure of government and the associated efforts of private and voluntary organizations and individuals.

4. Core functions – Assessment, Policy Development, and Assurance. The core functions prescribed by the IOM were later translated into a more concrete set, called the Ten Essential Public Health Services.

Public Health vs Medical Care: Medical care focusses on improving the health condition of one individual patient. Public Health focusses on improving the overall health conditions of a society. The core functions of Public Health include assessing the health status of the entire population, diagnosing the problems, identifying the cause of the problem, and devising strategies for solving the problem. This is analogous to how a doctor treats a medical condition. The assessment aspect of public health involves diagnostics. Policy development involves solving the problems in the healthcare infrastructure. Assurance is implementing these policies to solve the problem. The problems and solutions in public health are more abstract than that in the medical field. Only about 3% of the total healthcare budget is spent on public health which severaly constricts the complete effect of an efficient public health system. An efficient public health program will save expenditure on medical costs. Statisically, it has been proven that the average life expectancy of an Amwrican increased from 45 to 75 years. One 5 of the those years can be attributed to medical care. The majority has come from public health intitiatvies such as vaccines, better nutrition, housing, etc…

The report published by IOM shows it is imperative to educate the public and the government about the significance of Public Health. According to the terminoly, public health depends on the public and its beneficiaries. While the core understanding of a public heath issue is based on science, policies have to made by keeping a political mindset as well. This is because it involves a larger pool of individuals at different sections of a society – local, state, national, and in some cases, interntional. The process generally starts with one case. For example, drunk driving case victims formed organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). This organization lobbies for stricter laws to reduce the deaths caused by DUI. Another example includes several organizations that lobby for more stringent laws to reduce the carbon emissions from factories. The politics aspect of public health formulates the assurance core component of public health. This is because, in addition to ensuring that the public health policies are implemented, the government is also responsible for allocating funds to study and research on these different issues. The government is able to do this from the funding they receive from taxes, GDP, and other economic factors.

The Sciences of Public Health The scientific knowledge of different public health issues stem from an interdisciplinary approach. It involves the input and knowledge of different professions – biostatisticians, geneticists, epidemiologists, doctors, and so on. IOM defines public health as the “…coalition of professions united by their shared mission as well as their focus on disease prevention and health promotion” There are six disciplines of public health. Epidemiology and statistics are the base pillars needed for the assessment of public health. In order to understand the different health problems in society, it is important to have proper means of assessment and an efficient policy development strategy. This cohesion of pillars is formed by an interdisciplinary approach between biomedical, social, behavioral, and environmental sciences....