Public Health and Promotion Flashcards
What is the definition of health?
A resource for everyday life. Emphasizes social, personal and physical aspects
What does public health focus on?
Preventing disease, prolonging life and improving health
What are the 3 domains of public health?
- health improvement/promotion
- health protection
- healthcare
What are some factors affecting health?
- life expectancy (has increased since 1970, though not unifrom worldwide - varies within UK, north is lower than south, varies between sex)
- socio-economic status
- age
- sex
- ethnicity
- genetics
- stress
- smoking
- obesity
- alcohol
- STIs/ sexual behaviour
What is the distribution and trends in smoking?
- decreased in UK (1/5 smoke)
- Higher rates among poorer people
- 96,000 people die annually in Britain due to diseases related to smoking
- Decreases with education
- Black Caribbean/Bengali men/ White women more likely to smoke
What are the trends in obesity (age and income)?
- 1/5 children in reception are obese
- 1/3 in Year 6
- most deprived have higher risk of being obese
How does trends in alcohol consumption change with income?
Wealth associated with consumption
How did STI patterns change with time?
- Higher when soldiers returned from war
- Decreased after antibiotics introduced
- Rose in 60s/70s as less taboo
- Drop in 1985 due to people being careful so not to get infected with HIV
- Rose after ART
Which factors contribute to population health?
- behaviors (smoking, diet, exercise, alcohol, drugs)
- clinical care
- socio-economic factors (education, employment, income)
- environment (house, quality)
What is health promotion?
Allowing people to improve their own health
What is health improvement?
Approach considering prevention, limitations of healthcare, definition of health, role of different groups and focus on health
What does health promotion involve?
Tannahill model
- Clinical intervention
- Knowledge transfer
- Health policies
- Community development
What are the levels of prevention?
- primordial (lifestyle, behaviors)
- primary (prevent onset of disease e.g. vaccines)
- secondary (halt progression e.g. early detection)
- tertiary (rehabilitation to reduce disability and complications) QOL action
What are the two approaches to disease prevention?
- High risk approach (identify targets and control exposure, provide protection and screening)
- Population approach (identify exposures reflecting society as a whole)
What are the strengths and weaknesses of a high risk approach?
- effective (motivated individuals and doctors)
- efficient (good use of limited resources)
- appropriate to individual
- easy to evaluate
- temporary
- risk prediction not accurate
- difficulty and cost of screening
- hard to change individual behaviour
