the art and science of dealing with the protection and improvement of community health by organized community effort and including preventive medicine and sanitary and social health.
School of Public Health, Twin Cities.
The approach to medicine that is concerned with the health of the community as a whole. Public health is community health. It has been said that: "Health care is vital to all of us some of the time, but public health is vital to all of us all of the time." See the entire definition of Public health
the Basic Societal Function that is concerned with the health of groups of people or a population.
Physicians in this branch of medicine help guide a community, agency, health organization, medical office, or program to reach their group or community health goals.
The basic premise behind the notion of public health is straightforward: society has an interest in protecting the health of its members and is justified in acting to do so. But protecting public health -- say, against the risk of epidemic disease -- may often conflict with other societal goals, such as protecting confidentiality and autonomy. How to balance these conflicting demands is not yet entirely clear; rather, it has largely been decided case by case. Nonetheless, some mechanisms are now in place that override patients' confidentiality, for example, with a view to reducing the risk of infection of others. Public health can also be more active and less reactive, inasmuch as it takes positive steps to educate the public about health matters. [See Case Studies related to Public Health
The term public health is used in one of two ways. It is commonly used to refer to the general health of the population, much in the way that one might say "public awareness." Public health also refers to the specific population-based health science field that studies biostatistics, health administration, environmental health, health law, health policy, ethics, minority health, maternal and child health, injury and violence prevention, community nutrition, health education, infectious or chronic disease control, and other topics pertaining to entire populations or groups within a population, such as epidemiology, the study of the causes and transmission of disease within a population.
The public health system in Canada is responsible for helping to protect Canadians from injury and disease and for helping them to stay healthy. A good public system means fewer people become sick or injured, and more people can live longer, healthier lives.
Public health is the organised response by society to protect and promote health and to prevent illness, injury and disability. Public health seeks to improve health and wellbeing using approaches that focus on whole populations. It aims to reduce inequalities in health status between social groups and to influence the underlying social, economic, physical and biological determinants of health.
There have been many public health acts produced throughout the world to reduce public health problems and stop pollution of the environment. In the UK the first Act published was the Public Health Act 1848, and subsequent acts have been enacted in, Public Health Act 1875, Public Health Act 1936 and Public Health Act 1961.
The aspect of medical activity directed towards improving the health of the whole community.
The science and art of promoting health, preventing disease and prolonging life through organised efforts of society.
Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level.
One of the efforts organised by society to protect, promote, and restore the people's health. It is the combination of sciences, skills, and beliefs that are directed to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all the people through collective or social actions. The programs, services, and institutions involved emphasise the prevention of disease and the health needs of the population as a whole. Public health activities change with changing technology and social values, but the goals remain the same: to reduce the amount of disease, premature death, and disease-produced discomfort and disability in the population. Public health is thus a social institution, a discipline, and a practice.
an effort organized by society to protect, promote, and restore the people's health.
A set of policies and methods for protecting and improving the health of a community through efforts that include disease prevention, health education, and sanitation.
a bureau of the Department of Health and Human Services, served by the corps of medical officers presided over by the Surgeon General, concerned with scientific research, domestic and insular quarantine, administration of government hospitals, publication of sanitary reports and statistics; associated with the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other units.
the medical science directed at improving and maintaining the health of all people around the world. This may involve the prevention and diagnosis of communicable or tropical diseases, as well as environmentally-caused diseases, such as those linked to toxins, malnutrition and parasites.
A branch of medicine concerned with improving the health of the population, rather than treating the diseases of individual patients. Public health functions include health surveillance and analysis; investigation of disease outbreaks; establishing and managing health promotion and disease prevention programs; enabling and empowering communities to promote health and reduce inequalities; creating and sustaining intergovernmental partnerships to improve health; ensuring compliance with regulations and laws to protect and promote health; and maintaining a well educated and trained, multidisciplinary public health workforce.
the health or physical well-being of a whole community.
(-) The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health
Public health is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. Health is defined and promoted differently by many organizations. The World Health Organization, the United Nations body that sets standards and provides global surveillance of disease, defines health as: "A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."