Public Health Flashcards
What is public health?
Interventions aimed at protecting and promoting the health of a population
An organised community effort aimed at the prevention of disease and promotion of health
Multi-disciplinary
What are issues with immunisations?
- uptake rates are crucial
- communicable (infectious) disease is a major killer in developing countries
- many millions of deaths are preventable
- but there are political/economical barriers
How do we stop outbreaks of disease eg influenza ?
Surveillance Sharing of information Emergency response plan Vaccines Treatments Communications
Describe HIV/AIDs in public health.
- global epidemic slowing
- improves prevention interventions
- targeted ART (anti-retrovirals)
- high risk area remain
- transmission routes vary
How do screening programmes work?
- they pick up diseases before symptoms present
- identify risk factors
- identify high risk groups
- give preventative treatment
- intervene early
- reduce morbidity and mortality
What percentage of child deaths in Africa are due to malaria ?
20%
1 child dies every 30 seconds due to malaria
How do we improve public health?
Educate people
Regulate threats
Prevent risk and disease
Why is intake of nutrients important in public health?
- needed to maintain a given circulating level or tissue concentration
- needed by individuals/groups which are associated with the absence of deficiency signs
- needed to maintain balance
- needed to cure clinical deficiency signs
- associated with an appropriate biological marker of nutrient adequacy
How does nutritional status act as a continuum ?
(Primary) imbalance of food intake
(Secondary) impaired absorption, utilisation, transport increased requirements
Increased/decreased tissue levels (stores)
Altered physiological or biochemical function
Signs and symptoms of deficiency
What happens if someone has vitamin A deficiency?
- blindness (250 000-500 000 children a year)
- increased severity of diarrhoea and infections (250 million pre school children deficient)
What happens with iodine deficiency?
Poor cognitive development (43 million people)
What happens with iron deficiency?
Anaemia
Poor cognitive development
Increased susceptibility to infection
(2 billion)
What happens with folate deficiency?
Megaloblastic anaemia (anaemia die to inhibition if DNA synthesis of red blood cells)
What does vitamin D deficiency cause?
Rickets / osteomalacia
What are example of steps taken to prevent risk and disease?
Prescribing statins to help lower cholesterol
Healthy living advice
Screening programmes
