Related topics: swine flu , obesity , infectious diseases , vaccine , alcohol
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
Protection or Peril? Gun Possession of Questionable Value in an Assault
Sep 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In a first-of its-kind study, epidemiologists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that, on average, guns did not protect those who possessed them from being shot in an assault. The ...
New Pollution Monitoring: Our Air is Dirtier Than We Thought
Apr 14, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.comOne of my pet peeves is the focus we have on global warming. While global climate change is important, it continues to provide a red herring of sorts, taking attention away the public health concern ...
Choosing a Low Radiation Cell Phone
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An Environmental Working Group (EWG) team has released a consumer guide on the radiation levels emitted by over 1,000 cell phones sold in the U.S. The guide is the most comprehensive ever ...
Popular television shows inaccurately portray violent crime
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
May 19, 2009 |
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Researchers at Mayo Clinic compared two popular television shows, CSI and CSI: Miami, to actual U.S. homicide data, and discovered clear differences between media portrayals of violent deaths versus actual murders. This study ...
Canada confirms 4 swine flu cases among students
Apr 26, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Canada became the third country to confirm human cases of swine flu Sunday as global health officials considered whether to raise the global pandemic alert level.
45,000 excess deaths annually linked to lack of health insurance: study
Sep 17, 2009 |
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A study published online today estimates nearly 45,000 annual deaths are associated with lack of health insurance. That figure is about two and a half times higher than an estimate from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in ...
Over 65s should take high dose vitamin D to prevent falls, say researchers
Oct 01, 2009 |
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A daily supplement of vitamin D at a dose of 700-1000 IU reduces the risk of falling among older people by 19% according to a study published on BMJ.com today. But a dose of less than 700 IU per day has no effect.
US Navy culture leads to heavy drinking
Jun 09, 2009 |
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The nature of the U.S. Navy workplace leads to higher heavy drinking for sailors than for civilians, according to an article in the May issue of the Journal of Mixed Methods Research published by SAGE.
Swine flu hits Europe
Apr 27, 2009 |
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Swine flu hit Europe with the first confirmed cases in Britain and Spain on Monday as governments and travel companies urged travellers to avoid Mexico where the virus has likely killed 149 people.
Yes, a female condom
Jan 28, 2009 |
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Sometime during the next six months, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will consider approving the FC2, a second-generation female condom. That appears likely, since an FDA advisory panel unanimously recommended the product ...
The key to a healthy lifestyle is in the mind
Jan 16, 2009 |
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The main factors influencing the amount of physical exercise people carry out are their self-perceived ability and the extent of their desire to exercise. A study of 5167 Canadians, reported in the open access journal BMC Pu ...
People entering their 60s may have more disabilities today than in prior generations
Nov 12, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In a development that could have significant ramifications for the nation's health care system, Baby Boomers may well be entering their 60s suffering far more disabilities than their counterparts did in previous ...
New arenavirus discovered as cause of hemorrhagic fever outbreak in South Africa and Zambia
Jun 02, 2009 |
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Scientists at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, the South African National Institute for Communicable Diseases of National Health Laboratory Service (NICD-NHLS), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and ...
Over 2,200 veterans died in 2008 due to lack of health insurance
Nov 10, 2009 |
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A research team at Harvard Medical School estimates 2,266 U.S. military veterans under the age of 65 died last year because they lacked health insurance and thus had reduced access to care. That figure is ...
Most would refuse emergency use H1N1 vaccine or additive
Sep 29, 2009 |
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A majority of Americans would not take an H1N1 flu vaccine or drug additive authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and University ...
