Public Health Flashcards
Define population health
- Health of a population as measured by health status indicators (life expectancy, low birth weight rates)
List some factors which influence population health
- Physical
- Biological
- Social
- Environmental
- Economic
- Personal Health Behaviours
- Health care services
Define public health
- Organized efforts of society to protect, promote and respore the health of the public
- Prevent illness, injury and premature death
- Refers to practices, policies, institutions, and disciplines required to achieve the desired state of population health
Define epidemiology
- Study of the distribution of determinants of health-related states or evens in a specified population
What is public health and preventive medicine?
- 5 year royal college specialty
- goal to ID and address health problems and evaluate the extent to which health and other services can address these issues
What are the 6 core functions of public health?
1) Health Protection
- safe water, air, food
- drug safety
2) Health surveillance
- collect health data and predict health events
3) Disease/Injury prevention
- Reduce risk by investigating, notifying partners, developing prevention measure (ie. vaccines) , promote safe/healthy lifestyle
4) Population Health Assessment
- Understand the health of communities/specific population and modify tailor services and policies
5) Health Promotion
- Maintain and improve health by public policy, community intervention, advocacy
6) Emergency preparedness and response
- planning for natural and man mad disasters
This organization provides health services to indiginous peoples, military, and veterans. They also approve new drugs and medical devices
- Health Canada
Who monitors food products, deals with animal-related infections, and regulates food labeling?
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Who is the main agency responsible for public health?
- Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC)
- This agency focuses on preventing chronic disease and injury
- Responding to public health emergencies and outbreaks
- Oversees immigration screening
- Liasises with WHO on global health issues
- Public health agency of Canada (PHAC)
What is the name of Ontarios public Health Legislation?
- Health Protection and Promotion Act in Ontario
Which health act specifies which infectious diseases must be reported to public health
- Health Protection and Promotion Act (Provincial)
Family health services including pre-school, school, and adult health programs are run by which level of government?
- Municipal (Ontario)
- In Ontario which level of government runs pubic dental health services for children?
- Who is responsible for tobacco control legislation?
- Municipal for both
What is a fiscal policy method to improve public health?
- Fiscal (relating to government revenue - taxes)
- Meaning adding costs to unhealthy things to deter use such as taxes on tobacco and alcohol
What is a legislative method of improving public health?
- Legislation (laws)
- Laws banning smoking in public places, legal drinking ages, etc..
What is a social method of improving public health
- involves improving health beyond universally funded healthcare
- Ex. Providing affordable housing
What are the 5 stages of change?
1) Precontemplation
2) Contemplation
- considers changing in near future (6mo)
3) Preparation
- makes small change or plans to make changes within 30 days
4) Action
5) Maintenence
- Learning to cope with temptation to return to previous behaviours
Explain the Health Belief model
- Healthy behaviours are function of their interacting beliefs
- perception of disease susceptibility, severity of disease, and benefits vs cost of healthy behaviours
- Beliefs modified by variables
- Person must think there will be + consequences for healthy behaviour
- Must be in state of readiness
- Behaviour can be cued by encouraging events (ex. Dr suggestion, Advertisements)
Define Risk Reduction
- Lower the risk to your health without eliminating it
- Ex: Avoiding the sun to lower your risk of skin cancer
Define Harm Reduction
- Tolerance of some degree of risk behaviour, while aiming to minimize the adverse outcomes associated with these behaviours
- Ex. Needle exchange program
