Why Is Public Health Important

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Table of Contents

Monitoring Health Status
Providing Health Education
Public Health in Policy Making
Assurance of Competent Health Care
How Societal Factors Influence Public Health.
Conclusion
References

Health promotion, disease prevention, and life extension are public health goals. Public health aims to maintain and promote peoples health in their communities and protect their environments health (American Public Health Association, 2020). A primary objective of public health is to promote healthy lifestyles, prevent disease and injuries, and detect, prevent and respond to infectious diseases, according to the CDC Foundation (2021). Often, it requires coordination across sectors and is future-oriented. In public health, actions are taken to address healths social and ecological determinants, frequently requiring public policy change and community involvement (Cabaj et al., 2019). This paper will explain why public health is essential and analyze how societal factors influence public health.

Monitoring Health Status

The purpose of public health is to assess the populations health status. Population health monitoring regularly gathers information on pertinent aspects of population health and its determinants. Friis & Sellers (2020) emphasize the importance of detecting health issues early and responding appropriately to prevent disease development. A health component is deemed vital if it addresses significant public health relevance based on figures and trends, geographic reach, expenses, and impacts on health (Gamache et al., 2018). In essence, the elements are coherent with one another and consider the options for taking action to enhance population health. The strategy may be all-encompassing, seeking to give a broad view of public health, or topical, concentrating on a specific issue, such as childrens health. Monitoring population health can incorporate techniques such as modeling, forecasting, and evidence from epidemiology, psychosocial, and medical fields. Therefore to monitor health, it is essential to recognize and keep an eye on all facets of life that may impact health status.

Public health surveillance has no value if there is no reporting. Communication of a populations wellbeing and assistance with the planning and assessment stages of health policy formulation and health care are the main objectives of public health reporting (Pollack Porter et al., 2018). Regular public health monitoring cannot successfully influence policy without disclosure. The reporting function for public health monitoring might appear in various ways, such as websites, billboards, and advertisements. Therefore, the information products include data, explanatory texts, and links to research findings, expert sources, and policy papers.

Providing Health Education

In health education, people are informed, educated, and empowered about health issues. Public health is critical because it raises public awareness of health risks through educational programs and campaigns and influences government policies. Substance abuse, chronic illness knowledge and prevention, maternal and newborn health, nutrition, exercise, obesity prevention, injury and violence prevention, and mental and behavioral health are all affected by the value of health education in a community. Education is an effective tool for achieving health equity (Greenberg et al., 2017). Learning about various health topics is made possible by health education. Campaigns promoting health literacy are often appropriate for their intended population (Levin-Zamir et al., 2017). As a result, health education provides the target audience with information on various health-related subjects, including the dangers and advantages of their health, and tools to boost competence and assist lifestyle decisions in an appropriate environment.

Public Health in Policy Making

One potentially efficient method for enhancing population health is policy. Public health professionals have a significant role in policy-making. They perform policy analysis, present findings, form alliances, and advocate for and implement evidence-based interventions. The professionals utilize data to guide policies that promote health equity. Policy translation techniques include designing policies with adoption in mind and conducting proactive research (Pollack Porter et al., 2018). Applying these guidelines to developing and implementing scientific proof public health policy involves several vital actors. Numerous state and local public health regulations are the responsibility of public health agencies. Engaging with partners from other sectors is necessary to put these principles into practice and encourage practical cross-sector cooperation. Decisions significantly influence health and wellbeing in fields other than public health and healthcare, such as education, transport, and criminal justice. Decision-makers and stakeholders from these different sectors must be included in efforts to enhance public health through policy change. Policy changes can consequently aid in addressing present and future public health problems. Therefore, problem identification, program evaluation, strategy development, and policy implementation fall under the purview of public health.

Assurance of Competent Health Care

An effective public health system ensures that the public and individuals access competent health care. It provides a large enough skilled workforce to deliver public health services successfully. The development of human resources to effectively tackle pressing issues is vital in public health. Increasing the quality of services and meeting new public health concerns requires a pre-service and ongoing in-service training program in several public health disciplines (CDC, 2019). The public health workforce needs distribution, retention, and performance evaluation. It necessitates proper licensing and recertification procedures and updated job descriptions that guarantee the caliber of training and relevant experience of the present and future working population. Public health ensures balanced allocation and deployment for efficient public health service delivery. Therefore, public health provides a skilled workforce in public and private healthcare.

How Societal Factors Influence Public Health.

Social determinants of health are the circumstances in which people live. They include socioeconomic position, environment, education, occupation, social networks of support, and access to healthcare. Access to healthcare, education, a safe place to live, and nutritious food also encompasses political, societal, and cultural challenges (Sherrell, 2021). Improving health and reducing persisting disparities in healthcare necessitates tackling health-related socioeconomic concerns (CDC, 2019). Therefore, the determinants of health outcomes can influence peoples health behaviors.

Lifestyle decisions and the standard of medical care that keeps individuals healthy are influenced by economic stability. Food security and home stability require a stable job with a consistent income (Sherrell, 2021). Furthermore, persons may experience an even more significant disadvantage if they have chronic illnesses or disabilities. Health indicators and a persons income and education level are strongly correlated. Access to decent education may have an impact on future living situations. Youth from low-income households, those with disabilities, and those subjected to societal inequalities at a young age may fare worse in school. Consequently, people from low-income families generally struggle to find stable, rewarding employment. Therefore, economic stress can harm a persons health.

The environment and living arrangements can directly impact an individuals health and safety. It is common for these residents to live in areas that are plagued by high levels of violent crime, environmental pollution, unhealthy water, and polluted air (Sherrell, 2021). Low-income families and marginalized racial and ethnic groups seem more likely to live in dangerous places. Individuals could be subjected to harmful substances such as secondhand smoke at work. As a result, public health develops programs to ensure students have access to nutritious meals and safety measures to protect staff.

Conclusion

Public health objectives include monitoring disease outbreaks, averting accidents, and elucidating why some people are more likely than others to experience ill health. The many facets of public health include promoting legislation, sharing knowledge about healthy lifestyle options, and providing issues with rational scientific answers. Health education aims to inform, educate, and empower people about health issues. The public and individuals can access competent health care when the public health system is effective. Peoples living conditions are social determinants of health. There is a need for public health programs to guarantee health equity because health-related social determinants vary.

References

American Public Health Association. (2020). What is public health? Apha.org. Web.

Cabaj, J. L., Musto, R., & Ghali, W. A. (2019). Public health: Who, what, and why? Canadian Journal of Public Health, 110(3), 340343. Web.

CDC. (2019). Frequently asked questions | social determinants of health | NCHHSTP | CDC. Www.cdc.gov. Web.

CDC Foundation. (2021). What is public health? | CDC foundation. Www.cdcfoundation.org. Web.

Center for Disease Control (CDC). (2022). CDC policy process | AD for policy and strategy | CDC. Www.cdc.gov. Web.

Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. (2020). Epidemiology for public health practice. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Gamache, R., Kharrazi, H., & Weiner, J. P. (2018). Public and population health informatics: The bridging of big data to benefit communities. Yearbook of Medical Informatics, 27(1), 199206. Web.

Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C. E., Weissberg, R. P., & Durlak, J. A. (2017). Social and emotional learning as a public health approach to education. The Future of Children, 27(1), 1332. Web.

Levin-Zamir, D., Leung, A. Y. M., Dodson, S., & Rowlands, G. (2017). Health literacy in selected populations: Individuals, families, and communities from the international and cultural perspective. Information Services & Use, 37(2), 131151. Web.

Pollack Porter, K. M., Rutkow, L., & McGinty, E. E. (2018). The importance of policy change for addressing public health problems. Public Health Reports, 133(1_suppl), 9S14S. Web.

Sherrell, Z. (2021). Social determinants of health: Definition, influence, outcomes. Www.medicalnewstoday.com. Web.

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