L2 Public Health Flashcards
(16 cards)
What is the Acheson Report 1988 definition of public health?
The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through organised efforts of society.
How is public health different from clinical medicine?
- focuses on the entire population instead of individual patients.
- includes facilitation and promotion of healthy behaviours and environments.
- unlike medical care received when we need it, public health is required all of the time.
What are the three domains of public health?
Health Protection.
Health Improvement.
Health Care Public Health.
What is health protection?
Focuses on safeguarding populations from infectious disease, environmental hazards, and chemical or radiation threats.
In the UK, who is the key organisation responsible for health protection, and provide an example of an initiative.
UK Health Security Agency (2021).
- house over 4,500 isolates of potentially deadly fungi (near Bristol).
- resource for research and public health.
- supports the study of fungal pathogens for the development of diagnostics and treatment.
- preparedness against fungal disease.
What is health improvement?
Assessing population health needs, evaluating health programmes and initiatives to promote healthy behaviours.
This includes:
- improving nutrition
- physical activity
- sexual health
- substance abuse
- importance of vaccinations
In the UK, what organisations support health improvement?
- NHS
- Charities
- Local councils
- The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).
What campaign did OHID flagship in the UK for health improvement?
Better health campaign:
- empowering individuals to take control of their health through small lifestyle changes.
- originally part of governments “healthy weight strategy” in 2020, but evolved to target a wider range of health behaviours.
- Range of apps introduced e.g. NHS weigh loss app and ‘How are you?’ mental health app.
What is health care public health (HCPH)?
Focuses on improving the health of populations by ensuring that healthcare services are high quality, evidence based, and address issues of effectiveness, efficiency, and equity.
Who is primarily in charge of HCPH in the UK?
NHS
What is an example programme of HCPH?
NHS Health Check Programme.
- aimed at ages 40-74
- assesses risk for stroke, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and kidney disease.
HCPH aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme and ensure high-risk populations are reached.
What are determinants of health?
Factors that influence health.
Behaviours plus ‘wider’ determinants e.g. socioeconomic, environmental.
“upstream” determinants = factors that influence health before the disease begins.
What are three priorities and targets for public health, and give examples of each.
Biomedical - Cancers, obesity, mental disorders etc.
Behavioural - smoking, physical activity, substance abuse, sexual behaviour.
Socio-environmental - poverty, unemployment, housing, air pollution, working conditions
What are the three levels of prevention?
Primary - prevent disease in healthy populations e.g. banning smoking in public places, immunisation.
Secondary - early detection and treatment of disease or modification of risk factors e.g. screening.
Tertiary - reducing long term impact (mortality, morbidity) once disease is established e.g. cardiac rehabilitation.
Who does public health in England? Multiple examples.
Local public health teams.
National public health bodies - OHID and HSA.
Epidemiologists.
Professional and policy-makers in other sectors.
Charities.
What evidence do we use to make public health decisions?
Routine Data e.g. morbidity and mortality statistics.
Healthcare Data e.g. hospital admissions, WHO.
Specific surveys, audits, qualitative and review data.
