News tagged with public health
Lifelong exercise holds key to cognitive well-being
A study by researchers at King's College London highlights a link between lifelong exercise and improved brain function in later life.
Health
Mar 13, 2013 |
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Fighting fat with fat: Stem cell discovery identifies potential obesity treatment
Ottawa scientists have discovered a trigger that turns muscle stem cells into brown fat, a form of good fat that could play a critical role in the fight against obesity. The findings from Dr. Michael Rudnicki's ...
Medical research
Feb 05, 2013 |
4.3 / 5 (8) |
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Deadly virus discovered in bats also jumps species
(Medical Xpress)—Four new forms of hantavirus, one of the most virulent pathogens transmitted from animals to humans, have been identified by international research contributed to by the University of Sydney.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Feb 08, 2013 |
4.7 / 5 (6) |
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Low back pain world's highest contributor to disability, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Low back pain is the highest contributor to disability in the world, according to a pivotal international study released today.
Health
Dec 14, 2012 |
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Why some soldiers develop PTSD while others don't
Pre-war vulnerability is just as important as combat-related trauma in predicting whether veterans' symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be long-lasting, according to new research published in Clinical Ps ...
Psychology & Psychiatry
Feb 21, 2013 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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Hypnosis study unlocks secrets of unexplained paralysis
(Medical Xpress)—Hypnosis has begun to attract renewed interest from neuroscientists interested in using hypnotic suggestion to test predictions about normal cognitive functioning.
Neuroscience
Feb 21, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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Student's fast start in research contributes to life-saving rapid test
As if the story of breakthrough research were not enough, there is the story of the researcher. The accomplishment, in this case, is a rapid test for detecting devastating bacterial infections. The researcher ...
Medical research
May 08, 2013 |
5 / 5 (3) |
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When the cost of healthy eating gets too high
Preaching the benefits of healthy eating has little point when the cost of purchasing healthy foods in South Australia can cost as much as a third of a low-earner's income, according to Flinders University ...
Health
Feb 25, 2013 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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Prescription overdose rate reaches epidemic levels in NYC
The rate of drug overdose from prescription opioids increased seven-fold in New York City over a 16-year period and was concentrated especially among white residents of the city, according to latest research at Columbia University's ...
Medications
Feb 03, 2013 |
3 / 5 (4) |
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Cancer cases dropped after nuke plant closed, study finds
(HealthDay)—There were about 4,300 fewer than expected cases of cancer among people in Sacramento County, Calif., in the two decades after the closure of the Rancho Seco nuclear reactor, according to a ...
Cancer
Apr 03, 2013 |
4 / 5 (3) |
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Researchers show that in some cases, what looks like Lyme could be completely different illness transmitted by same bug
Under the microscope, Sam Telford surveyed the tiny, spiral bacteria floating in spinal fluid taken from an 80-year-old woman. They looked very similar to the spirochete bacteria that can cause Lyme disease. ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Mar 04, 2013 |
3.7 / 5 (3) |
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Humanoid robot helps train children with autism
"Aiden, look!" piped NAO, a two-foot tall humanoid robot, as it pointed to a flat-panel display on a far wall. As the cartoon dog Scooby Doo flashed on the screen, Aiden, a young boy with an unruly thatch ...
Autism spectrum disorders
Mar 20, 2013 |
3.7 / 5 (3) |
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Boomers' health fails to measure up to parents'
(HealthDay)—The baby boom is turning out to be a health bust. Despite growing up at a time of great innovation in health care, the 78 million people born in the United States between 1946 and 1964 aren't ...
Health
Feb 04, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Both heavy and incompatible drinking can increase the chances of divorce
High levels of drinking have repeatedly been shown to predict divorce. The most cited explanation for this is that excessive alcohol use disrupts daily tasks and functioning, and increases spousal conflicts. A study of the ...
Health
Feb 05, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Open windows, lower risk for preterm birth: study
(HealthDay) —Opening the windows at home may help pregnant women reduce their risk for preterm birth or low birth weight, a new study indicates.
Health
Feb 14, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals." (1920, C.E.A. Winslow)[citation needed] It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community based on population health analysis. The population in question can be as small as a handful of people or as large as all the inhabitants of several continents (for instance, in the case of a pandemic). Public health is typically divided into epidemiology, biostatistics and health services. Environmental, social, behavioral, and occupational health are also important subfields.
There are 2 distinct characteristics of public health:
1. It deals with preventive rather than curative aspects of health 2. It deals with population-level, rather than individual-level health issues
The focus of public health intervention is to prevent rather than treat a disease through surveillance of cases and the promotion of healthy behaviors. In addition to these activities, in many cases treating a disease may be vital to preventing it in others, such as during an outbreak of an infectious disease. Hand washing, vaccination programs and distribution of condoms are examples of public health measures.
The goal of public health is to improve lives through the prevention and treatment of disease. The United Nations' World Health Organization defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
For more information about Public health, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
