What is Public Health?
What is Health?
Before considering what public health is, it is helpful to consider what we mean by health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) define health in this way:
"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity" (WHO, 2021).
It is important to note that the definition considers mental and social wellbeing to be as important as physical health.
Take a moment to reflect. Write down what physical, mental, and social wellbeing mean to you.
What is Public Health?
Public health is defined as “the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society” (Acheson, 1988).
Public health is about prevention of ill health in communities and populations. The focus of public health is to identify the health needs of communities, rather than individuals, and to provide care, resources and services to address them (Binns & Low, 2015).
Public health started in the 18th century with the Sanitary Movement which was initiated because large numbers of people were dying from diseases, such as cholera (an infection of the intestine), which were spread through unsanitary conditions. Just like today, there was disagreement around who was responsible for improving the health of individuals and populations. Some believed that it was the responsibility of the individual and others disagreed saying that the State had to take action to make a difference (Sim & McKee, 2011).
In the 1800s and 1900s, cholera high up on the public health agenda. Which issues would be considered a priority in today's public health agenda? Scroll through the images below for some examples.
The number of cases of cholera in the UK population were significantly reduced when the Sanitary Movement began and systems were put in place to safely remove waste and provide clean water (Sim & Kee, 2011).
Public health takes a holistic approach to health, where the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of groups of people or populations is considered. Instead of just focussing on immediate health problems, professionals taking a public health approach will look at the reasons why individuals and communities are getting ill.
Using the example of the sanitary movement, large numbers of people were becoming ill because of poor sanitation and an unclean water supply. The long term solution to this problem was not to treat the disease directly, but to provide ways of delivering clean water and removing waste safely.
An upstream approach is when we identify the reasons why a problem keeps happening and we find ways to prevent it occurring in the first place. See the video below which explains what an upstream approach is.
Now watch the NHS video which gives an overview of what public health is.
Who do you think is responsible for public health? Consider the complex factors that influence our physical, psychological, and social health. Write your answers on the Padlet below.
References
Acheson, E. D. (1988). On the state of the public health [the fourth Duncan lecture]. Public Health, 102(5), 431–437.
Binns, C. & Low, W.Y. (2015) What Is Public Health? Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health. 27(1): 5-6.
Sim, F. and McKee, M. (2011) Issues in Public Health. Second edition. London, Open University Press.
World Health Organisation (2021a) Constitution. https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution