Introduction to Public Health 302, PUBH
302: Intro To Public Health
Provide a definition of "public health" - The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging
life, and promoting health through organized community efforts and informed choices of
society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals
-Focuses on populations rather than individuals
-Focused on creating conditions in which people can be healthy
-Successive re-defining of the unacceptable
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (1) -
Prevention: preventing premature death, injury, and illness
Ex: providing vaccinations, wearing masks
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (2) -
Protection: protecting population by making recommendations to keep people healthy
Ex: Healthy People goals, MyPlate, 150-300 mins moderate intensity aerobic exercise
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (3) -
Promotion: promoting things that are healthy and get people to be more conscious of things
they do that are not healthy and how to change those behaviors
Ex: warning labels on nicotine products; education and PSA's
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (4) -
Prolonging life: prolong life and provide a high quality of life
Ex: Increasing life expectancy by improving sanitation, providing vaccines
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (5) -
Product safety: of food in stores, cars, etc.
Ex: FDA regulations, seatbelts, airbags
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (6) -
Physical, social, and economic environments: connection between environment and health
Ex: air we breathe, friends influencing behavior, affording healthy foods
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (7) -
Populations: what is truly impacting us at a population level in terms of health outcomes
, Ex: examining leading causes of illness, death, injury, and being able to prevent to protect
populations (like collecting data, surveys); who is most at risk
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (8) - (Big)
Picture: everything together; overlap of the P's
Ex: public health digs into complex picture to figure out how to protect people and
populations (for instance, protecting populations by promoting the prolonging of life by
getting vaccines)
Explain the term "determinants of health" and be able to provide examples - Determinants of
health are the range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence
health status
Examples: vaping, tanning, premature delivery, physical inactivity, human trafficking, food
insecurity, flu shots
Major Historical Eras/Key People (1) - Ancient Greeks (500-323 BC)
-Understood the importance of personal hygiene (washing hands, taking a bath, exercising,
eating good food)
-Physical fitness (Olympics)
-Naturalistic concept (disease is caused by imbalance between man and environment; ex:
overindulgence)
Major Historical Eras/Key People (1) Ancient Greeks - -Hippocrates: father of western
medicine, coined the term epidemic, said illness and a physical and rational explanation;
described relationships between disease and factors such as climate, soil, lifestyle, etc.
Major Historical Eras/Key People (2) - Roman Empire (23 BC-475 AD)
-Adopted Greek health values
-Engineers built aqueducts, plumbing technology was advanced, had lead pipes
-Public baths, inspections, water supply, sewage system
Major Historical Eras/Key People (3) - Middle Ages (476-1450 AD)
-Shift away from Greek and Roman values (decline of hygiene/sanitation, physical body less
important than spiritual self--used faith and prayer as treatment)
-Beginnings of public health tools (quarantining ships)
-The Plague/Black death: killed 1/3 of European population; bubonic (spread by flea bites)
and pneumonic (spread by sneezing)
Major Historical Eras/Key People (4) - Renaissance (1400-1600)
-Global exploration: disease spread by traders and explorers (killed 90% of indigenous
population in New World)
302: Intro To Public Health
Provide a definition of "public health" - The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging
life, and promoting health through organized community efforts and informed choices of
society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals
-Focuses on populations rather than individuals
-Focused on creating conditions in which people can be healthy
-Successive re-defining of the unacceptable
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (1) -
Prevention: preventing premature death, injury, and illness
Ex: providing vaccinations, wearing masks
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (2) -
Protection: protecting population by making recommendations to keep people healthy
Ex: Healthy People goals, MyPlate, 150-300 mins moderate intensity aerobic exercise
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (3) -
Promotion: promoting things that are healthy and get people to be more conscious of things
they do that are not healthy and how to change those behaviors
Ex: warning labels on nicotine products; education and PSA's
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (4) -
Prolonging life: prolong life and provide a high quality of life
Ex: Increasing life expectancy by improving sanitation, providing vaccines
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (5) -
Product safety: of food in stores, cars, etc.
Ex: FDA regulations, seatbelts, airbags
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (6) -
Physical, social, and economic environments: connection between environment and health
Ex: air we breathe, friends influencing behavior, affording healthy foods
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (7) -
Populations: what is truly impacting us at a population level in terms of health outcomes
, Ex: examining leading causes of illness, death, injury, and being able to prevent to protect
populations (like collecting data, surveys); who is most at risk
Explain the "P's" of public health; be able to provide examples related to each "P" (8) - (Big)
Picture: everything together; overlap of the P's
Ex: public health digs into complex picture to figure out how to protect people and
populations (for instance, protecting populations by promoting the prolonging of life by
getting vaccines)
Explain the term "determinants of health" and be able to provide examples - Determinants of
health are the range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence
health status
Examples: vaping, tanning, premature delivery, physical inactivity, human trafficking, food
insecurity, flu shots
Major Historical Eras/Key People (1) - Ancient Greeks (500-323 BC)
-Understood the importance of personal hygiene (washing hands, taking a bath, exercising,
eating good food)
-Physical fitness (Olympics)
-Naturalistic concept (disease is caused by imbalance between man and environment; ex:
overindulgence)
Major Historical Eras/Key People (1) Ancient Greeks - -Hippocrates: father of western
medicine, coined the term epidemic, said illness and a physical and rational explanation;
described relationships between disease and factors such as climate, soil, lifestyle, etc.
Major Historical Eras/Key People (2) - Roman Empire (23 BC-475 AD)
-Adopted Greek health values
-Engineers built aqueducts, plumbing technology was advanced, had lead pipes
-Public baths, inspections, water supply, sewage system
Major Historical Eras/Key People (3) - Middle Ages (476-1450 AD)
-Shift away from Greek and Roman values (decline of hygiene/sanitation, physical body less
important than spiritual self--used faith and prayer as treatment)
-Beginnings of public health tools (quarantining ships)
-The Plague/Black death: killed 1/3 of European population; bubonic (spread by flea bites)
and pneumonic (spread by sneezing)
Major Historical Eras/Key People (4) - Renaissance (1400-1600)
-Global exploration: disease spread by traders and explorers (killed 90% of indigenous
population in New World)
