Chapter 1 Flashcards
Public health
The science of preventing disease and promoting health
Health disparities
Health differences among different groups of people that are related to social, economic, and environmental disadvantage.
Communicable diseases
Diseases that can be spread from person to person
Non-communicable diseases
Noncontagious diseases such as diabetes
Health behaviors
Health-enhancing (exercise) and health-damaging (smoking)
Health
Factors such as economic, social, political, and physical that add up to good health, high quality lives for people and communities
Health promotion
Any planned combination of educational, political, environmental, organizational mechanisms that support actions and conditions of living to the health of people and groups
Health education
Any combination of planned learning experiences using evidence based practices or theories that provide the opportunity to acquire knowledge, attitudes and skills to adopt and maintain healthy behaviors
What is the purpose and goals of health education?
Promote healthy behaviors
Influence to make healthier choices
Public health model
Focuses on prevention, population and community
Medical model
Focuses on cures and individuals
What is the upstream approach?
Finding the root of diseases and determining prevention strategies
Epidemiology
The study of the distribution and determinants of health related states or events (including disease) and the application of this study to the control of diseases and other health problems
How is epidemiology useful?
Identifies patterns and helps us understand why some diseases occur more often in other environments
What is morbidity?
The state of being unhealthy because of a health condition or disease
What is mortality?
Number of deaths occurred
How is health and heath status measured?
By taking health surveys (National Health Interview Survey NHIS is one of the many surveys used to gain data on the health and health behaviors of people)
Rates
A measure in which an event occurs in a population over a specified period of time
Incidence
Number of new cases
Prevalence
Number of existing cases
Epidemic
A large number of cases of an illness or health related behavior in a population
Endemic
Occurs regularly in a population
Pandemic
An outbreak over a wide geographic area without specific geographic boundaries
What are the levels of prevention?
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Primary
Preventing disease, illness or injury
Secondary
Detecting diseases and illnesses in an early stage
Tertiary
Treating individuals when disease or illness occurred already
Determinants of health
Genetics such as sex and age
individual behaviors such as diet and substance abuse
Social circumstances such as housing and education
Environmental and physical inferences such as clean water and home
Health services such as quality health care and health insurance
Risk reduction
Avoiding or reducing the likelihood of being exposed to diseases or disasters
Chain of infection
A model that explains how communicable diseases spread from person to person
Communicable disease model
Host: any susceptible organism that can be invaded such as humans or plants
Agent: spreads the disease
Environment: all other factors can stop or spread diseases
Multi-causation model
Diseases that are caused by combined factors over a period of time
What are the 5 main principles that underlie the practice of health education and promotion?
Participation
Empowerment
Cultural competency
Socio-ecological approach
Advocacy
Participation
Involvement in the community
Empowerment
Gaining control over your own life
Cultural competency
Learning about different cultures and respecting all cultures
Socio-ecological approach
Behaviors shaped by different influences
Advocacy
Strategies used to influence public opinion connected to health
