Public Health Flashcards
Why do people smoke?
- pleasure
- choice
- advertising
- peer group/ family
- signifier of cultural status
Why do people develop type 2 diabetes?
- genotype
- age
- insulin resistance
- lifestyle risk factors: poor diet, overweight, lack of physical activity
Why do people become overweight?
- low income so can’t afford healthy foods
- time and effort to cook food
- comfort foods
- eat more calories than they burn (possibly due to a lack of exercise)
Are there any trends we can see when looking at a map of the UK?
Yes, in almost all cases e.g. emergency admission rates for children with asthma, COPD, house prices, income etc… we can see that the North and parts of London tend to be affected the most.
How did COVID 19 affect certain people?
Black ethnic groups were affected much worse than white ethnic groups. COVID didn’t create health inequalities, but rather exposed and exacerbated longstanding inequalities affecting BAME groups in the UK.
What inequalities are there as to why COVID-19 affected BAME groups worse?
- Employment
- Income
- Housing
- Health
… all of which could be termed ‘ lifestyle factors’. But a lot of the time your lifestyle is not necessarily a free choice as there are certain set backs we are born with.
What are cultural norms?
Examples: Diet, physical activity, tobacco, alcohol, caffeine
When we tell people to change their lifestyle, are we telling them to adopt our cultural norms or are we telling them to become ‘deviants’ (any action that is perceived to violate a cultural norm)
What makes people sick?
Health outcomes are determined by:
- Income
- Environment
- Occupation
- Culture
- Societal status
- Access to education
What are the social determinants of health?
Non-medical (social and economic) factors that determine health outcomes
What was the cause of the 1850 cholera outbreak?
The cause was bad water and contaminated.
What was the cause of the cause?
- overcrowding
- social issues
- not enough money
What are the domains of public health?
- Health protection
- Health improvement / promotion
- Improving health services
What does health protection protect?
- Infectious diseases
- Chemicals and poisons
- Radiation
- Emergency response
- Environmental health hazards
What does health improvement involve?
- Lifestyles
- Inequalities
- Education
- Housing
- Employment
- Family/community
What does a health manager do?
- commissions health services
- Rising patient demand
- Government targets
- Limited resources
What does a public health Dr do?
- Worried about worsening inequalities for the poor, the voiceless and the marginalised
- Trying to keep the peace and balance views between the doctors, managers, media, government, etc…
Give an example of worsening health care?
- In Nottingham City, only 43% of adults with COPD have been diagnosed and registered.
- The health system can worsen and even create inequalities!
(“Inverse care law”)
-Some patients get good care, Others get substandard care,
And a few get no care!
How do we treat a patient from a public health view point?
- Gather information (data, studies and surveys)
- Relate it to the
Anatomy of a population - Demography
Physiology of a population - Sociology
Pathology of a population - Epidemiology
Diagnose and treat
Policies and strategic plans
What is international health?
International Health: Developed during past decades, came to be more concerned with
the diseases (e.g. tropical diseases) and
conditions (war, natural disasters) of middle and low income countries.
Tended to denote a one way flow of ‘good ideas’.
What is global health?
Global Health: More recent in its origin and emphasises a greater scope of health problems and solutions
that transcend national boundaries
requiring greater inter-disciplinary approach
Why is global health important?
Is not just health problems that cross borders or are common to countries around the world; solutions to these problems are also cross borders, and can be shared among countries, regardless of level of development.
All countries can both learn from other countries and also share their own experiences and information. An enlightened new definition of global health paints the picture of a two-way street: Shared problems, sharing solutions.
What is the world population statistics?
World population reached 7.7 billion in 2019
Estimated to reach 9 billion by 2030
Over 1 billion are adolescents
Biggest group to make transition from childhood to adulthood
What are the population problems?
High % of population under 15. In Europe 20%, N. America 22%, Asia 34%, Africa 45%
At same time population is ageing, especially in middle classes
Sub Saharan Africa has shown fastest population growth over last four decades.
Population will continue to grow despite reduction in life expectancy – Infectious diseases such HIV/AIDS epidemic, COVID-19 etc.
Changing populations – age distribution
What are some social health inequalities?
Systematic differences in health status between different socio-economic groups.
Are socially produced (and therefore modifiable) and unfair.
What is one of the biggest global health challenges?
Digital divide: access to information
What are the MDGs (millennium development goals)?
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight goals to be achieved by 2015 that respond to the world’s main development challenges
Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty & Hunger
Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality & Empower Women
Goal 4: Reduce Child Mortality
Goal 5: Improve Maternal Health
Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases
Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development
What are leading causes of death in children in the developing world?
Pneumonia
Accidents
Measles
HIV/AIDS
Diarrhea
War
Cancer
Who are the key organisations in global health?
World Health Organization
UNICEF
UNAIDS
UNFPA