what is public health

what is public health

Importance of Public Health

1. Definition of Public Health

Actions need to be taken to advance the knowledge of what works in improving health and to identify new and emerging problems in the health of the population. Public health is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. The best approach to combat diseases and further developing the practice of public health is the implementation of primary prevention via a health promoting and sustaining society.

Public health is about helping people to stay healthy and protecting them from threats to their health. The range of what public health covers is vast. Protecting people from the threats to their health requires actions to control the occurrence of diseases or injury. This can be achieved most effectively by addressing the causes of the diseases through intervention in the factors that put people at risk of disease. This requires an understanding of the causes of the diseases and knowledge of the most effective ways of preventing them.

Public health has been defined as “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities, and individuals.” We can say that the main objective of public health is the promotion of healthful living of the residents of a community. The burden of disease and injury can be reduced, and people can enjoy a better quality of life.

The definition of public health differs in its specific content from organization to organization, yet essentially the mission remains the same. It is to improve the health status of society. In other words, public health is concerned with improving the health of the population rather than treating the diseases of individual patients.

2. Role of Public Health in Society

Last, but not least, many people, including the public health professionals already advocating for this field, believe that our healthcare system is destined for failure without making a transition to a true system of health, rather than a system of treating diseases and injuries – a problematic but necessary change which only public health can provide the answers and infrastructure for.

With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, millions of preventative services have been provided at no or low cost, which in the long term should save consumers and the country money. Through preventing disease and promoting good health (mentally and physically), public health improves the quality of people’s lives – something that is hard to measure but has immense value. Public health is the perfect field for people interested in reducing suffering and improving the conditions in which people can be healthy.

Public health professionals prevent problems from happening or reoccurring through implementing educational programs, developing policies, administering services, regulating health systems, and conducting research – in contrast to clinical professionals like doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured. The effects of a society not investing in public health can be disastrous. For instance, the 2002 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak was successfully contained due to a coordinated global response that included epidemiological investigation, isolation of people who were exposed, and the implementation of travel restrictions – all of which cost money and resources.

The role of public health is to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life in an entire society. The idea of good public health has drawn many to work in the healthcare industry, in roles ranging from doctors and nurses to community health workers, pharmacists, and health inspectors. Professionals in public health come from varying backgrounds and are interested in an array of issues. There are numerous opportunities for skilled workers, and the field is growing. People with varying educational backgrounds can work in public health, and the field is an excellent option for those with an interest in science, a desire to help others, and a strong commitment to public service.

3. Key Components of Public Health

Individuals working in public health today have at their disposal an increasing armamentarium of concepts, principles, and successful examples of practical applied programs that extend across all five of the key components of public health. And while the emphasis on prevention, investment in understanding the health concern and researching for solutions, and taking into account disparities in health and healthcare across the range of sociodemographic and economic strata is all commendable, the reality of it poses great complexity. This complexity is exacerbated when it is acknowledged that ‘health’ is, in actual fact, both the cause and the effect of development, an essential condition for sustained economic and human development, and the product of development. In an era of globalization, the challenges of implementing good public health practice loom even larger, but we have learned much about what works and what does not. The text concludes that with the right mix of sound principles and genuine investments, public health practice can make a real difference.

In the spirit of the social ecological model, the fifth edition of the Textbook of Public Health attempts to help readers understand and further develop the means by which public health concepts can be sustained at an individual and community level, and to consider ways in which the public health infrastructure and essential public health services can meet the needs of society.

Public health in the 21st century encompasses five key components: (1) assuring an adequate local public health infrastructure, (2) promoting healthy communities, (3) preventing the spread of communicable diseases, (4) protecting the environment, and (5) health disaster preparedness and response. A comprehensive public health system is able to provide these core functions through a range of settings. These settings include government agencies, community-based organizations, healthcare delivery systems, schools, worksites, homes, and communities.

4. Challenges in Public Health

Globalization is a key challenge to public health. Whether it is an opportunity for human and economic development or a threat to the environment and health of humans remains to be seen. There is a growing concern over the risk of health disparities due to private sector-driven increases in the movement of goods, money, and people to a degree never witnessed before. This has the potential to widen the gap in health outcomes within and between countries. Economic and agricultural development is also a two-edged sword, with progress being closely tied to potential health harms. This is evidenced by the fact that while Asia looks set to rid itself of a long-standing malnutrition problem, concern now abounds about the rapid increase in many Asia-Pacific countries of diet-related chronic diseases.

Public health faces many challenges. Some are as old as the hills, while others are quite new. Preventing and controlling chronic and new infectious diseases are two of the greatest challenges. The global burden of chronic diseases has rapidly become the leading cause of death and disability, yet has received relatively little public and in-country health sector attention. In both developing and developed countries, re-emergence and emergence of epidemic-prone infectious diseases has placed public health preparedness and response on the international agenda.

5. Future of Public Health

5.1. Interest in the health of the public and the recognition of the nature of health and disease are shaped by the conditions of the times. Throughout history, times of fundamental change or crisis have presented opportunities to understand better health and the determinants of health, and to take action to prevent disease and to protect and promote health. Many have recognized that we are living in a time of such change. Curiously, the interest in public health has been stimulated by growing concerns about an emerging age of complex and seemingly intractable health problems and by recognition that knowledge of basic mechanisms of disease has outstripped our ability to translate knowledge into solutions for many problems. This has created a healthy tension in public health, in that there are growing demands from governments and the public to demonstrate results and effectiveness in the eradication of existing problems, while the public health community recognizes a need to better understand the underlying causes and mechanisms of old and new health problems if it is to prevent disease and promote health in an ever-changing social and natural environment.

In the first decade of the 21st century, there are already indicators of the future challenges and changes in the “ecology” of public health, and thus in the future prospects for public health. While some future changes could threaten the public’s health, it is important to recognize that prospective threats usually represent a call to action both to understand better the nature of the threats and to protect and promote the public’s health. The early identification of prospective threats also enables public health to play a greater role in addressing the factors that shape the “ecology” of health and to take steps necessary to protect future generations. Although some of the emerging challenges and some proposed solutions are based on the experience of high-income countries, it is important to underscore that global interdependence and the imperative to protect and promote the public’s health mean that these trends and future challenges are increasingly shared across countries. Finally, in considering the implications of changes in the “ecology” of public health, public health itself can be a model by taking steps to understand better and to act to protect the health of the public.