Public Health Flashcards
Public health definition
The art and science of preventing disease, promoting health and prolonging life through organised efforts of society
Public health role in outbreaks
Surveillance, sharing of information, emergency response plans, vaccines, treatments, communications
What do screening programmes do?
Pick up disease before symptoms present, identify risk factors, identify high risk groups, give preventative treatment, intervene early, reduce morbidity and mortality
What do public health officials and medical professionals do about conflicts regarding outbreaks
Educate people, regulate threats, prevent risk and disease
Clinical manifestation of Vitamin A deficiency
Blindness, increased severity of diarrhoea and infections
Clinical manifestation of iodine deficiency
Poor cognitive development
Clinical manifestation of iron deficiency
Anaemia, poor cognitive development, increased susceptibility to infection
Clinical manifestation of folate deficiency
Megaloblastic anaemia
Clinical manifestation of Vitamin D deficiency
Rickets/osteomalacia
How have threats to public health regulated in recent years?
Reduction of fat in fast foods, seatbelts in cars, smoking bands
Epidemiology
Study of the frequency, distribution and determinants of disease in populations
What is a cause?
An event, condition or characteristic that preceded the event/outcome without which the disease/outcome would not have occurred at all (or would have occurred at a later time)
What is a risk factor?
An attribute or exposure that is associated with an increased probability of a specified outcome
Prevention of risk factors
Understanding the relationship between exposure to risk factor and risk of disease
Knowledge of distribution of exposure to risk factors in the population
Evidence of efficacy of intervention to remove/reduce the risk factor
What does the crude mortality rate depend on?
The age and sex structure of the population
