Understanding the Vital Role of Public Health in Promoting Community Wellness

Public health promotes and protects the health of people and the communities where they live, learn, work and play. While a doctor treats people who are sick, those working in public health try to prevent people from getting sick or injured in the first place. We also promote wellness by encouraging healthy behaviors.

Public health works to track disease outbreaks, prevent injuries and shed light on why some of us are more likely to suffer from poor health than others. The many facets of public health include speaking out for laws that promote smoke-free indoor air and seatbelts, spreading the word about ways to stay healthy and giving science-based solutions to problems. facets : Speaking out: spreading the word:

Public health is a science that is aimed at protecting and improving the health of individuals, communities and greater populations, which may be as small as a neighborhood or as big as a region of the world.

Regardless of the size of the populations they serve, public health professionals, work to prevent health problems from occurring or reoccurring, and mitigate the effects when problems do occur. mitigate:

They accomplish this task through educational programs, the creation and implementation of policies, the administration of services, and through research. Therefore, a major objective of public health is to promote healthcare equity, quality, and accessibility. accessibility :

The objectives of public health may be carried out through public or private endeavors, and many times efforts are coordinated among a number of private and public entities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the goal of public health is to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Endeavors:

The World Health Organization recognizes the main objectives of public health initiatives to be: To assess and monitor the health of communities and populations at risk so as to identify health problems and priorities Initiatives:

To formulate public policies designed to solve local and national health problems and priorities To assure that all populations have access to cost-effective and appropriate care, which includes health promotion and disease prevention services cost-effective:

In short, the goals of public health are to save money, improve the quality of life, help children thrive, and reduce human suffering by: Assuring the quality and accessibility of health services Preventing epidemics and the spread of disease Preventing injuries thrive :

Promoting and encouraging healthy behaviors Protecting against environmental hazards Responding to disasters and assisting communities in recovery

Public health can be distinguished from healthcare in that instead of treating diseases and injuries, one patient at a time, public health is focused on preventing disease and injury in communities and populations. In other words, public health professionals are motivated to identify the cause of disease and disability and implement solutions to address these causes.

A good example of healthcare versus public health is that a medical practitioner would treat a gunshot wound, while a public health professional would work to identify the systemic causes of gun violence and look for solutions. medical practitioner :

Similarly, while a medical professional would prescribe medication to treat high cholesterol, a public health professional would examine causes of obesity and high cholesterol and work to implement programs to encourage healthy lifestyle changes among populations. concessions :

Public health encompasses a wide array of topics and issues, such as chronic disease, the science of aging, mental health, injury prevention, disaster response, and tobacco control. encompasses : array : Chronic: Aging:

Just a few of the contemporary topics in public health include: Developing emergency preparedness plans Examining the dangers of secondhand tobacco smoke exposure Identifying ways to stop bullying in schools Improving technologies that make clean drinking water available Preparedness: Secondhand: Bullying:

Investigating the consequences of antibiotic use in industrial agriculture Promoting family planning and reproductive health programs and policies Promoting policies that protect the global environment reproductive health: