Public health

Slovak term: Slovenský termín

1. The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts of the society (Amory Winslow 2008).

Explanation

The goal of public health is to improve community health status through the prevention or treatment of disease. The public health approach can be applied to a population of just a handful of people or to the whole human population. Public health is typically divided into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental health, occupational health and health promotion are also important subfields (WHO 2009)

Example

Public health pays special attention to the environmental and social determinants of health, and focuses on improving health through society-wide measures aimed at reducing health risks. Such measures can be, for example, vaccinations, distribution of condoms or the fluoridation of drinking water (WHO 2009).

References

• Amory Winslow CE (2008) The encyclopedia of public health
• WHO (2009) Health impact assessment glossary: E-learning modules

Links

• WHO — The Health and Environment Lexicon