Role of national and international policy in public health, and the links between global and local health Flashcards
Define public health policy?
Laws, regulations, actions, decisions implemented within society to promote wellness and meeting health goals
How do public health policies change the difference in health among different groups, and what is the overall effect of this on the population?
Reduces differences in health among groups and overall increases healthiness
Are public health policies mostly implemented to help people recover from illness or prevent getting ill?
Mostly focused on preventing people from becoming ill in the first place
What gross categories are the 3 largest causes of death, and why is public health policy changes essential in these causes?
Noncommunicable diseases, injuries, infectious diseases
Deaths caused by these can be reduced and prevented by public health policy changes
Why are public health policies the best solution to addressing social/wider (non-medical factors) determinants of health?
Public health policies can implement mandatory improvements in housing, education, employment as their goal is to overall improve health and wellbeing
What is meant by public health policies having been criticised by the public for being from a ‘nanny state’?
Government/policies are overprotective or interfering unduly with personal choice (invasion of civil liberty)
How should public health policies avoid being criticised by public for being from a ‘nanny state’?
Policy should be balanced between dictating public behaviour and giving useful advice for public to make own informed decisions
Which act introduced public health policies, and which board was established to make policies?
Public Health act 1848
Established General Board of Health
Why was the establishment of Public Health act 1848 and General Board of Health an important first step in improving national health?
It increased government and social consciousness about hygiene and living conditions
Give 2 ways in which evidence is needed to implement a policy for a specific health problem in the political agenda?
Need evidence to prove that something is a problem
To show that a policy can be made to address the problem
Are all policies implemented by Westminster adopted UK wide or not, and why?
Most implemented UK wide
Some administrations in other home nations don’t agree with policy position of Westminster, so they develop own policies
Which UK home nations have adopted the minimum alcohol unit policy and why?
Introduced by Scotland and adopted by Wales and Ireland, in order to reduce excessive drinking
Not adopted by England
Minimum alcohol unit policy: Minimum price an alcoholic drink can be sold for, aims to reduce drinking
In 1848 in London, describe the living conditions and how the Public Health act improved this?
London had poor living conditions and streets full of sewage
Act caused underground sewage pipes to be built across London (biggest civil engineering project across world at the time)
In 1950s-60s, give 3 examples of policies that were introduced by the Public Health act 1848 in order to reduce road deaths in Britain?
Policies were combined, which significantly reduced road deaths
Eg. Introduced speed limit, highway code, safe crossing for pedestrians
Does smoking increase risk of developing other serious health conditions, and why was this considered a serious problem in UK in 1970s?
Smoking increases risk of developing over 50 serious health conditions
In 1970s ~50% population smoked
