Public Health in Action Flashcards
(10 cards)
What does public health deal with?
the prevention and management of epidemics (NCDs) and infectious diseases (IDs)
What are the most common NPDs?
- hypertension
- diabetes
- hyper-lipidaemia
What is the health disease continuum?
a visual model that shows the range of health a person can experience; it shows that health is not a fixed state, but can change over time
Who should be screened?
- people at high risk (age, family history, lifestyle factors, occupation)
- populations where the disease is common
- people with early symptoms
- general population screening e.g. for cancer, IDs or chronic diseases
- prenatal or newborn screening
What is primary, secondary and tertiary prevention?
- primary - preventing the onset of disease and keeping the population healthy
- secondary - screening for early diagnosis and effective interventions to delay the onset of clinical disease
- effective treatment to delay the onset of complications and death e.g. rehabilitation to improve the quality of life
What is BMI?
the body mass divided by the square of the body height, expressed in units of kg/m2
What are complications of diabetes?
damage to small blood vessels, CVD, diabetic neuropathy and foot damage
What factors influence obesity?
- genes – metabolism, HPA and appetite
- epigenetics – environmental factors affecting one generation can influence obesity risk in future generations
- microbiome – communities of bacteria and other microbes in the body play a role in metabolism, digestion, and energy balance
Describe the KAB model:
- gaining knowledge about a subject leads to development of a positive or negative attitude towards it
- the attitude then drives behaviour change, such as adopting healthy practices or avoiding harmful action
Where is the KAB model used?
in health promotion, education, and behaviour change interventions to guide the design of strategies that improve knowledge and attitudes, ultimately fostering desirable behaviours
