Chapter 1

Question 1

Who do we reference (in the textbook) when discussing the definition of public health?

Answer 1

Charles Edward A. Winslow

Question 2

What are examples of health problems that were no originally seen as public health issues?

Answer 2

AIDS, environmental social problems, teen pregnancy, violence, substance abuse

Question 3

What are the 3 core functions of public health?

Answer 3

1. Assessment
2. Policy Development
3. Assurance

Question 4

In public health, who/what is referred to as “the patient?” How exactly does public health help?

Answer 4

The community is known as “the patient” and it tries to improve the health of the population and works on preventing illnesses

Question 5

What is the “Assessment” function defined as? (3 core functions)

Answer 5

It encompasses how a public health agency collects and analyzes information on the health of the population.

Question 6

What is the “Policy Development” function defined as? (3 core functions)

Answer 6

This step applies a the use of scientific knowledge to develop an approach to improve the health of the population/community.

Question 7

What is the “Assurance” function defined as? (3 core functions)

Answer 7

Here, public health agencies have to assure that the services for their protection of public health are available/accessible to all.

Question 8

What makes public health different than medicine?

Answer 8

Its focus on prevention

Question 9

What is meant by the “silent victories” of public health?

Answer 9

Unlike a doctor, who is recognized for healing the sick, those in public health go unrecognized because instead, they help prevent illnesses in the first place

Question 10

What percent of the nations total health spending is on public health?

Answer 10

about 3 percent

Question 11

Which president passed a law funding prevention, wellness and public health? What was it called? (include year)

Answer 11

Obama passed a health reform law in 2010 that funded public health

Question 12

t/f effective public health programs are more expensive when considering medical costs

Answer 12

false, they are generally less expensive because you avoid paying for emergency visits/expensive medical care costs

Question 13

Has the life expectancy increased or decreased for Americans? How?

Answer 13

It has increased from 45 to 75 (20th century). Only 5 out of the 30 years can be due to medicine, the majority was thanks to improvements in public health (nutrition, housing, sanitation, occupational safety etc).

Question 14

When a patient is a community/country, whose responsibility is it to accept the recommendations of the public?

Answer 14

The government

Question 15

Politics play a role which of the 3 core functions?

Answer 15

Policy Development and Assurance

Question 16

t/f public health is based on a broad range of professional disciplines

Answer 16

true

Question 17

What areas are the basis for the assessment function of public health?

Answer 17

Assessment includes the collection and analysis of information so epidemiology and statistics are fields related to this.

Question 18

t/f both assessment and policy development need an understanding of the causes of health problems in a community

Answer 18

true

Question 19

biomedical sciences, social and behavior sciences and environmental sciences are tied to what core functions?

Answer 19

Assessment and Policy Development

Question 20

Which professional discipline is tied into the assurance function?

Answer 20

public administration/management

Question 21

__________ has been called the basic science of public health.

(think of the 6 professions mentioned)

Answer 21

Epidemiology

Question 22

how does the field of statistics play a role?

Answer 22

Due to the immense amount of data and findings, statistics is a big contributor in summarizing all of it
ex: # of births/deaths, outbreaks, cases of cancer, etc.

Question 23

What is biomedical research used for?

Answer 23

gaining an understanding of the leading causes of deaths and finding ways to control it.

Question 24

what type of health science is concerned with preventing the spread of disease through water air and food?

Answer 24

Environmental Health Science

Question 25

What is social and behavioral science concerned with?

Answer 25

Not only do they look at causes of death (and the numbers), they also take into consideration racial/ethnic groups and why their health differs

Question 26

What is the 5 step process (approach to help communities)

Answer 26

1. Define the problem
2. Identify the risk factors
3. Develop community level interventions to control/prevent the cause of the problem
4. Encourage interventions to improve the health of the pop.
5. Monitor interventions to analyze effectivness

Question 27

What are the 3 levels of prevention?

Answer 27

Primary prevention, secondary prevention, and tertiary prevention

Question 28

What is primary prevention?

Answer 28

Preventing an illness/injury from ever occurring

Question 29

What is secondary prevention?

Answer 29

Minimizing the severity of the injury/illness once it has occurred

Question 30

What is tertiary prevention?

Answer 30

Minimizing disability by providing medical and rehab services

Question 31

What is an example of primary prevention?

Answer 31

discouraging teenagers from smoking

Question 32

What is an example of secondary prevention?

Answer 32

preventing cancer from spreading even though it has already started

Question 33

What is an example of tertiary prevention?

Answer 33

medical treatment and rehab of cancer patients

Question 34

What is involved during a chain of causation?

Answer 34

agent, host, environment

Question 35

t/f interventions can only focus on the agent

Answer 35

false, it can focus on controlling any of them

agent, host, environment

Question 36

How is prevention accomplished in the chain of causation?

Answer 36

By interrupting the chain of causation at any time

Question 37

What targets what?
(antibiotics, sanitization,Immunization)
(agent, host, environment)

Answer 37

Antibiotics target a host
Immunizations target the agent
Sanitization target the environment

Question 38

t/f the chain of causation can also be applied to other models such as suicide

Answer 38

true

Question 39

How does public health relate to the incident of 9/11?

Answer 39

They have to control the damage caused by these events

Question 40

9/11 was part of what type of prevention?

Answer 40

tertiary prevention