What is Public Health?
Public Health is both a science and art whose goal is to protect and improve the health of the community. This is done through health education, promotion of wellness, research, policy change, and disease prevention. While medicine focuses on the health of individuals, public health focuses on the well-being of populations on a local, national, and international level.
The field of public health is varied and encompasses many disciplines! The core areas include:
1. Environmental Health - Air, water, food, land, and housing quality
2. Biostatistics - Health trends and statistics
3. Health Education - Promoting healthy lifestyles
4. Epidemiology - Causes of disease, who is at risk, and how to control its spread
5. Health Services Administration - Planning, organization, policy formulation, and management of health services and resources
6. Maternal and Child Health - The well-being of children, mothers, and families
7. Nutrition - Healthy eating, physical activity
8. International Health - Health of global populations, incorporating all areas of public health
9. Public Health Policy - Legislative action, changing laws and policies
Public health professionals work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, laboratories, non-profit organizations, public health departments, and local, national, and international agencies.
*Information taken from http://www.whatispublichealth.org/ and
http://pathwaystopublichealth.org/
The field of public health is varied and encompasses many disciplines! The core areas include:
1. Environmental Health - Air, water, food, land, and housing quality
2. Biostatistics - Health trends and statistics
3. Health Education - Promoting healthy lifestyles
4. Epidemiology - Causes of disease, who is at risk, and how to control its spread
5. Health Services Administration - Planning, organization, policy formulation, and management of health services and resources
6. Maternal and Child Health - The well-being of children, mothers, and families
7. Nutrition - Healthy eating, physical activity
8. International Health - Health of global populations, incorporating all areas of public health
9. Public Health Policy - Legislative action, changing laws and policies
Public health professionals work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, laboratories, non-profit organizations, public health departments, and local, national, and international agencies.
*Information taken from http://www.whatispublichealth.org/ and
http://pathwaystopublichealth.org/
