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
Rate of autism disorders climbs to 1 percent among 8-year-olds
Dec 18, 2009 |
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Autism and related development disorders are becoming more common, with a prevalence rate approaching 1 percent among American 8-year-olds, according to new data from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham ...
Study finds over 90 percent of people with gum disease are at risk for diabetes
Dec 14, 2009 |
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The study, led by Dr. Shiela Strauss, Associate Professor of Nursing and Co-Director of the Statistics and Data Management Core for NYU's Colleges of Dentistry and Nursing, examined data from 2,923 adult participants in the ...
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. ...
Impact of Menu-Labeling: Study Shows People Eat Less When They Know More
Dec 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The restaurant industry has lobbied hard against mandatory menu labeling in restaurants, highlighting the importance of a new study from Yale University measuring the impact of such regulations. ...
About 25 percent of Arabs in Greater Detroit reported abuse post Sept. 11
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Dec 17, 2009 |
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One quarter of Detroit-area Arab Americans reported personal or familial abuse because of race, ethnicity or religion since 9/11, leading to higher odds of adverse health effects, according to a new University of Michigan ...
Santa should get off his sleigh and walk, says public health doctor
Dec 16, 2009 |
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Santa should share Rudolf's snack of carrots and celery sticks rather than brandy and mince pies and swap his reindeer for a bike or walk, says a public health expert in the Christmas issue published in BMJ today.
For older adults, participating in social service activities can improve brain functions
Dec 15, 2009 |
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Volunteer service, such as tutoring children, can help older adults delay or reverse declining brain function, according to a study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Using functional ...
Delinquent boys at increased risk of premature death and disability by middle age
Dec 07, 2009 |
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Men who have a history of delinquency in childhood are more likely to die or become disabled by the time they are 48, and not just from the obvious consequences of antisocial behaviour, new research indicates.
Alcohol companies target youths with magazine ads, new study shows
Dec 02, 2009 |
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Alcoholic beverages popular among youths are more likely to be advertised in magazines with high youth readership than alcoholic drinks consumed mainly by adults, resulting in disproportionately high youth exposure to such ...
'Outbreaks Near Me' app now available for Android mobile phones
Dec 01, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- "Outbreaks Near Me," an up-to-the-minute disease-tracking system released as an iPhone application in September, is now available for use on Android mobile phones, greatly increasing the number of people ...
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.
The drink and violence ?gender gap?
Dec 16, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Women and men are at the same risk of violence - until they start drinking, new research from Cardiff University has shown.
Obesity epidemic taking root in Africa
Dec 15, 2009 |
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The urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa are the latest victims of the obesity epidemic. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Public Health claim that overweight and obesity are on the increase among this group. ...
Italy's poor go to the hospital more
Dec 11, 2009 |
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Despite free public healthcare, Italy's poor are more likely to end up in hospital with avoidable conditions, new research shows. This pattern, reported today in the online open access journal BMC Public Health, mirrors findin ...
