Introduction to Public Health (LEC) Flashcards
FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNITY HEALTH
These factors affect the health of a community.
e.g.
- Geography: high land versus low land
- Environment: manmade or natural catastrophes
- Industrial development: pollution
occupational hazards
Physical determinants
FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNITY HEALTH
These factors affect the health of a community including the beliefs, traditions, and social customs in the community.
It also involves the economy, politics, and religion in the community.
Socio-cultural factors
FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNITY HEALTH
These factors include the community size,
arrangement and distribution of resources
(“Relations of productions’)
Community organization
FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNITY HEALTH
These factors affecting health include individual behavior and lifestyle affecting the health of an individual and the community.
e.g.
- smoking, alcoholism, and promiscuity
Behavioral determinants
What are the FOUR factors affecting community health?
- Physical determinants
- Behavioral determinants
- Socio-cultural factors
- Community organizations
CORE FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH
It is equivalent to the doctor’s actual treatment of the patient.
Assurance
CORE FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH
It involves the use of scientific knowledge to develop a strategic approach to improving the community’s health.
e.g.
- like a doctor’s development of a treatment plan for a sick patient.
Policy development
CORE FUNCTIONS OF PUBLIC HEALTH
It constitutes the diagnostic function, in which a public health agency collects, assembles, analyzes, and makes available information on the health of the population.
Assessment
What are the THREE core functions of public health?
- Assessment
- Assurance
- Policy development
MODES OF PREVENTION
- Preventing a disease from occurring. - - -
- Works with both the individual and the community.
- It may be directed at the host to increase resistance to the agent
e.g.
- such as in immunization or cessation of smoking
Primary prevention
MODES OF PREVENTION
Making an early diagnosis and giving prompt and effective treatment to stop progress or shorten the duration and prevent complications from an already existing disease process.
Secondary prevention
MODES OF PREVENTION
Preventing long-term impairments or disabilities as sequelae; restoring and maintaining optimal function once the disease process has stabilized; for instance, promoting functional rehabilitation.
Tertiary prevention
MODES OF PREVENTION
- Fostering national, community, and individual knowledge, attitudes, practices, policies, and standards conducive to good health; promoting legislative, social, or environmental conditions and individual self-care that reduce individual and community risk; and creating a healthful environment. It is directed toward action on the determinants of health.
e.g.
- poor diet
- infrequent exercise
- unprotected sexual intercourse
- lack of prenatal care
- use of tobacco
- alcohol
- drugs
Health promotion
STAGES OF DISEASE
- In this stage, there are NO signs or symptoms and the patient DOES NOT KNOW that he has any disease.
- These stages of disease may lead to the clinical stage, or an individual may recover without developing any signs or symptoms of that disease
Subclinical stage
STAGES OF DISEASE
- In this stage, the person has signs and symptoms of the disease.
- These stages of disease may have several possible outcomes including recovery, disability, and death.
e.g.
- rabies
- polio
Clinical stage
