Public health is the science and practice of preventing diseases, increasing life expectancy and promoting health through the organized efforts of society.
The public health system is a set of tools, procedures and measures implemented by governmental and non-governmental institutions to promote public health, prevent diseases, increase the duration of active and working age and encourage a healthy lifestyle through the combined efforts of the whole society.
Public health includes interdisciplinary approaches of epidemiology, biostatistics and public health. Other important fields are environmental health, public health, psychohygiene, traffic safety, health economics, public policy, mental health, insurance medicine, occupational safety and health, etc.
The focus of public health is to improve health and quality of life through the prevention and treatment of disease and other physical and mental conditions. This is done through epidemiological surveillance of cases and health indicators and by promoting healthy lifestyles. Examples of general public health measures are the promotion of hand washing, breastfeeding, vaccination and condom distribution to combat the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.
Modern public health is the work of multidisciplinary public health teams, including physicians specializing in public health, community medicine, infectious diseases, psychologists, epidemiologists, biostatisticians, medical microbiologists, environmental health officials, public health inspectors, pharmacists, dentists, public health nurses, nutritionists and nutritionists, veterinarians, public health engineers, public health lawyers, sociologists, community development specialists, communication experts, bioethicists, etc.
According to the World Health Organization, the term “health” should be understood as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Components of health:
Physical health is the functioning of the human body and the health of each of its systems. It is important for us to know how our body should function, how to determine whether we are in good health
Mental health is our ability to receive information, our awareness of where to get the necessary information, how to use it. We must be able to gather the necessary knowledge from a variety of sources and be able to use this information to make decisions about our body.
Emotional health is the ability to understand our feelings and express them. Knowing how we feel and how others feel. It helps us to express our feelings in a way that is understandable to others. It is important to feel comfortable with a range of emotions and to know when people feel good and when not.
Social health is how we feel as individuals, male or female, how we interact with other people. We need to understand what is really important to us in our relationships with friends, family, loved ones and all those with whom we interact. We need to develop skills that will help us in these relationships.
Personal health is a sense of self as a person. It is the sense of development of our “ego” (“ego” is a part of our essence that requires us to develop a sense of our own personality and self-improvement), it is our expectations in achievements, our idea of success. Each of us finds unique ways to express ourselves, depending on what we value and what we hope to achieve for ourselves and society. For example, some people find fulfillment in their work or career, others in their family, and still others in doing good for others.
Spiritual health is the core of the components of health. Spiritual health is the core of our existence. It is the essence of our being (what we value and what is most important to us).Spirituality provides an opportunity to understand the relationship of the spiritual health dimension to the other five.
The focus of public health interventions is the prevention and management of disease, injury and other health-related conditions through the surveillance and promotion of healthy lifestyles, healthy communities and environments. Many diseases can be prevented through simple and non-medical methods. For example, studies have shown that the simple act of washing hands with soap and water can prevent many infectious diseases.
Examples of common public health measures are various (aimed at preventing certain diseases – flash mobs, press conferences, actions, round tables, seminars, trainings, etc.) public health communication programs, vaccination programs and condom distribution. Such and similar activities make a significant contribution to the health of the population and increase life expectancy.