What exactly is public health?

What is public health?

It is important first of all to unravel what the term ‘public health’ means as it is a complex concept with a range of different meanings and it is a term that is often taken for granted.

In other words, it is easy to assume that there is a ‘common sense’ understanding that public health is concerned with the health of the population, the lifespan of individuals and the extent to which individuals are free from disease.

While this is true, some people might find this approach too ‘simplistic’, as it may imply that public health is medically orientated and only concerned with the control and prevention of epidemics and infectious disease, for example through immunisation and screening.

Viewing public health holistically

A broader and more preferred perspective is one in which public health is viewed holistically, encompassing a concern for well-being, and recognises that health and well-being are influenced by the rich interplay of a wide range of factors.

Debates about the meaning of public health therefore can be focused on how narrow or all-encompassing and broad a term it is.

What is the meaning of ‘the public’?

What about the meaning of the ‘public’? Well, this can be as small as a group of people, or could refer to a community, region, nation or continent but importantly the definition highlights that improving public health requires collective action.

In other words, everyone has a role to play and can play their part.

There are multiple definitions of public health but the one used by the World Health Organization defines public health as:

‘The science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health, through the organised efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals’ (Acheson 1988: 1).

What are the main features of public health?

Public health as a ‘science and art’

References

_{Acheson, D. (1988) Acheson Report: Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health Report. London: The Stationery Office}

_{Arah, O. A. (2009) ‘On the Relationship Between Individual and Population Health’. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy. [online] 12 (3), 235-244. available from https://doi.org/10.1007/s11019-008-9173-8 [18 June 2018]}