Introduction to public health Flashcards
What is the traditional definition of health (deficit model)?
lack of disease
What is the a new and updated definition of health?
state of complete physical, mental and social well-being
Functional:
- resource for living, not the objective of living
- a level of health that will permit world citizens to lead socially, economically productive lives
- requires: peace, shelter, education, food, income, stable ecosystem, sustainable resources, social justice, equity
culturally determined
What determined health?
choice: lifestyle factors, social/community, living and working and environment, socio-economic and cultural and services
fixed: age, sex and hereditary factors
What are chronic conditions severely affected by and why?
Severely affected by adjust life years, because these people will not be able to live life in perfect health
What do you measure to determine level of deprivation?
income, housing cost, educational skills and training, barriers to housing, crime rate, living environment
- it is dependent on locality not the individual
Why is the place where you live so important?
because it has a huge impact on your life expectancy
What is the role of clinical medicine?
- prevent death = acute emergencies, infectious diseases
- improve length and quality of life in fatal conditions
- improve quality of life in non-fatal conditions
- prevent disease occurrence
- provide care
- recognise that much health is gained or lost outside the health setting - work in tandem with public health initiatives
What is public health?
The science and art of promoting and protecting health and well-being, preventing ill-health and prolonging life through organised efforts of society
What is the purpose of health education?
improving health
- empowering individuals to improve their health
- improve knowledge and skills to follow and sustain particular actions and choices
- knowledge and skills can lead to behaviour change - the relationship between acquisition of knowledge and skills and change in health behaviour is NOT straightforward
What is primary prevention?
prevent onset of a condition
e.g. immunisation, lifestyle choices, environmental changes, outbreak control and campaigns
What is secondary prevention?
- early identification of disease (or disease precursor) in symptom free individuals, so that it can be reversed or its effects mitigated through early treatments
e. g. screening, case finding
What is tertiary prevention?
prevent or slow disease progression and manage the consequences of established disease or disability
- promote optimum functioning, minimising impact, prevent progression
e. g.preventable inhalers in asthma, wheelchairs
How do legislations help to protect health?
- measures to prevent spread of disease
- hygiene standard for food
- water supply quality - measures that alter individual freedoms
- influencing consumer choice e.g. taxation
- seatbelt - modifying environment
- smoke-free public and work places
What is the purpose of evidence based practice?
Patients- ensures best possible care or advice
Practitioners- deliver best possible care or services
Funders/Payers- best possible use of scarce resources
- formulate clinical questions - find evidence - appraise evidence - apply evidence
What are the different approaches of public health?
Population based
Collective responsibility
Broadly based - state, socio-economic and wider determinants of health, diseases and risk factors
Multi-disciplinary and partnership working - working with professionals and organisations outside health filed (local government and police)
