What is Public Health?

Introduction

The many factors that contribute to disease and health, or determinants, are complex and often break down to genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. In addition Public Health is a multi-disciplinary enterprise that requires expertise in biology, pathology, environmental science, sociology, psychology, government, medicine, statistics, communication, and more to truly understand.

Someone who is overwieght and smokes might require a expensive heart surgery to prolong their life. However, public health is about the intervensions that prevent disease from occuring in the first place, so the benefits tend to be less obvious. The prevention of disease not only prolongs life, but improves the qaulity of life. In a sense public health is the epidemic that didn't happen, or the heart disease that didn't developed. Successful public health is the sum of the adverse health outcomes that never occurred.

Chapter Objectives:

1. List and describe the three core functions of public health
2. Expand on the three core functions of public health and discuss how they relate to the 10 essential functions of public health
3. Define and give examples of primary, secondary, and teriary prevention of disease
4. Discuss modern concepts of population health
5. Briefly explain how "Public Health 3.0" differs from earlier approaches.
6. Explain the rationale and approach of Health Impact in 5 Years (HI-5)
7. Outline the overall structure of global public health
8. Outline the overall structure of US public health