HAS 3150

What is public health?

Chapters 1-3

Story of AIDS

• Lack of disease

• Greeks

• WHO

• Body, mind, spirit

Definition of Health

Body

• Disease

• Impairment

• Disability

• Dependency

Mind

Spirit

Determinants of Health

• Scientifically established factors that relate directly to the level of the health problem.

History

• Dark ages

• Colonial America

• Agriculturalism vs Industrialization

• 1850s

• Today

1735 Proclamation

History

• Dark ages

• Colonial America

• Agriculturalism vs Industrialization

• 1850s

• Today

Question…

• What actions has government taken to ensure that people are safer and healthier today than people were 100 years ago?

Core functions…

• Assessment

• Policy development

• Assurance

More…

• How does public health differ from medical care?

• In what ways are they similar?

Six disciplines…

• Epidemiology

• Statistics

• Biomedical sciences

• Environmental sciences

• Social/behavioral sciences

• Health policy and management

Activity…

• Identify a health problem in our community. What are some of the risk factors associated with the problem? Suggest a possible intervention.

• Describe the health problem in terms of a chain of causation. What “links” could be interrupted to help prevent the problem?

Controversy

The issues…

• Economic impact

• Individual liberty

• Moral and religious opposition

Activity…

• Give an example of a measure that would improve public health but might be expensive to implement.

• Who would benefit?

• Who would pay the cost?

Public health agencies

• Local public health

• State public health

• Federal public health

Local

• Where the “rubber meets the road”

• Carry out laws and ordinances

• Usually organized at county level

• Some of what they do…

State Public Health

• Usually limited to federal grants– Revenue sharing– Block grants– Categorical grants

• Core functions of state health department

Federal Public Health

• Public Health Service

• Assistant Secretary for Health

• Surgeon General

Components of public health service

• Alcohol, drug abuse and mental health administration

• Centers for Disease Control• Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease

Registry• Food and Drug Administration• Health Resources and Services Administration• National Institutes of Health