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Public health
hidePublic health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." (1920, C.E.A. Winslow)[citation needed] It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. The population in question can be as small as a handful of people or as large as all the inhabitants of several continents (for instance, in the case of a pandemic). Public health is typically divided into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social, behavioral, and occupational health are also important subfields.
There are 2 distinct characteristics of public health:
1. It deals with preventive rather than curative aspects of health 2. It deals with population-level, rather than individual-level health issues
The focus of public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors. In addition to these activities, in many cases treating a disease may be vital to preventing it in others, such as during an outbreak of an infectious disease. Hand washing, vaccination programs and distribution of condoms are examples of public health measures.
The goal of public health is to improve lives through the prevention and treatment of disease. The United Nations' World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
For more information about Public health, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with public health
Poll finds 3/4 of parents who tried to get H1N1 vaccine for their children have gotten it
Dec 22, 2009 |
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A new poll by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) shows the shortage of H1N1 vaccine for children is easing. As of late last week, three-quarters of parents who tried to get the vaccine for their children ...
Poll finds drop in public concern about swine flu
Dec 22, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A new Harvard poll finds that concern about swine flu has waned along with the number of new cases being reported.
Poor face greater health burden than smokers or the obese
Dec 22, 2009 |
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The average low-income person loses 8.2 years of perfect health, the average high school dropout loses 5.1 years, and the obese lose 4.2 years, according to researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. ...
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Taiwan mulls world's first junk food tax: report
Dec 21, 2009 |
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Taiwan is planning the world's first tax on junk food in a bid to encourage the public to eat healthily and cut obesity rates, a report said Monday.
New tool for early diabetes detection in adults
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A simple questionnaire developed by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College can promote early detection of diabetes in adults so they can dramatically reduce their risk.
Physician-assisted suicide: A perspective from advocates for people with disability
18 hours ago |
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Although public opinion in the United States on physician-assisted suicide is evenly divided, about half of states have either defeated bills to legalize assisted suicide or have passed laws explicitly banning it and only ...
Soil studies reveal rise in antibiotic resistance
13 hours ago |
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Antibiotic resistance in the natural environment is rising despite tighter controls over our use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, Newcastle University scientists have found.
Britain bans 'legal high' drugs
17 hours ago |
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Britain banned several drugs known as "legal highs" Wednesday amid mounting public concern about their health risks.
Birds Play an Important Role in the Spread of Lyme Disease
13 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The range of Lyme disease is spreading in North America and it appears that birds play a significant role by transporting the Lyme disease bacterium over long distances, a new study by the Yale School of ...
Study: Swine flu poses a threat to new moms
7 hours ago |
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(AP) -- Swine flu is not only dangerous to pregnant women, but it's a threat to new mothers too, the first study to document this risk shows. An analysis of pregnant women and new mothers who were hospitalized with swine ...
Self-monitoring with blood glucose test strips inefficient use of health-care resources
Dec 21, 2009 |
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Routine self-monitoring of blood glucose levels by people with type 2 diabetes who are not taking insulin is an ineffective use of health resources as the modest benefits are outweighed by the significant cost of test strips, ...
Disability may be on the rise again after 20-year decline
Dec 21, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Disability rates among non-institutionalized older Americans increased between 2000 and 2005, a trend that could seriously impact the quality of life of seniors in the coming decades if it continues, according ...
Trends in melanoma incidence and stage at diagnosis vary by racial and ethnic group
Dec 21, 2009 |
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White and Hispanic individuals are being diagnosed with melanoma more frequently in recent years, whereas Hispanic and black patients continue to have advanced skin cancer at diagnosis, according to a report in the December ...
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