What is Public Health? Episode 1 of "That's Public Health"

Summary

In this video, Mighty Fine from the American Public Health Association discusses the importance of public health in preventing diseases like heart disease. Rather than focusing on individual treatment, public health emphasizes a population-based approach to address systemic inequities that affect health. The video highlights the need for holistic interventions, such as improving community infrastructure, to encourage healthy behaviors. It also stresses the significance of an upstream focus to prevent health issues before they occur, aiming to make the healthiest choices accessible to everyone.

Takeaways

• 💼 The American Public Health Association emphasizes the importance of public health in preventing diseases and promoting overall well-being.
• 🩺 Heart disease is a significant health issue in the U.S., with 655,000 deaths annually according to a 2020 report, highlighting the need for public health interventions.
• 🌟 Public health aims to prevent diseases and maintain health at a population level, rather than treating individuals after they fall ill.
• 🏛 Historically, public health has evolved from focusing on sanitation and city planning to addressing systemic inequities that impact health.
• 🔍 Research indicates that disparities in access to resources like safe drinking water and healthcare can lead to a gap of up to 20 years in life expectancy between different communities.
• 🤝 A population-based approach in public health involves collaboration among educators, policymakers, and community leaders to improve societal health.
• 🚗 Automobile safety improvements through education, laws, and technology demonstrate the effectiveness of multifaceted public health strategies.
• 🚭 The persistence of tobacco use despite downstream measures underscores the importance of upstream interventions to prevent health issues before they occur.
• 🏫 Public health interventions can be holistic, targeting not just individual behaviors but also the environments and systems that influence health, such as creating parks in under-resourced communities.
• 🌐 For more information on public health services and guidelines, resources like the CDC's 10 Essential Public Health Services and the APHA website are recommended.

Q & A

What is the role of public health according to the script?

Public health plays a role in preventing diseases and promoting health by addressing systemic inequities and improving policy, education, and access to resources, rather than just treating individuals after they become sick.

How many Americans die of heart disease each year according to the 2020 report from the American Heart Association mentioned in the script?

According to the 2020 report, 655,000 Americans die of heart disease each year.

What is an example of an ancient public health intervention mentioned in the script?

Ancient public health interventions focused on sanitation and city planning.

How did public health efforts evolve in industrial-era Great Britain?

In industrial-era Great Britain, years of protesting led to better working conditions and fewer workplace deaths, which were considered public health efforts.

What is the significance of the population-based approach in public health?

The population-based approach focuses on societies as a whole rather than individuals, allowing for a broader understanding of health issues and the development of more effective interventions.

What is the impact of lacking essential resources like safe drinking water and reliable health care, as shown by the U.S. census data from 2010 through 2015?

People living without these resources can die up to 20 years earlier than those living just a short distance away, highlighting the importance of addressing health inequities.

How did motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. decrease from 1979 to 2011?

Motor vehicle crashes decreased by more than 41% due to a variety of strategies, including increased education, stricter laws around seat belts and speeding, and improved design and use of child car seats.

What does the term 'upstream focus' in public health mean?

An 'upstream focus' in public health means looking back at the causes of potential health issues and how to prevent them, rather than just addressing the issues and their effects downstream.

Why is it important to intervene upstream in public health, using tobacco use as an example?

Intervening upstream in tobacco use is important because despite downstream measures, it remains a leading cause of death. Preventive measures like school materials on health impacts or legislation against tobacco advertising to children can help reduce tobacco use.

How does the script describe effective public health interventions?

Effective public health interventions are holistic, treating health as a whole rather than a single aspect, and they are organized efforts that improve policy, education, and access to make the healthiest choice the easiest for everyone.

What are some resources mentioned in the script for learning more about public health services?

The script mentions the Center for Disease Control’s 10 Essential Public Health Services guidelines and the APHA website as resources for learning more about public health services.

Outlines

00:00

🏥 Introduction to Public Health

The script introduces Mighty Fine from the American Public Health Association, who discusses the concept of public health. It uses the example of a heart disease patient to illustrate the difference between individual medical treatment and public health's focus on preventing illness. The discussion highlights the importance of public health in addressing systemic inequities that affect health, such as access to safe drinking water and reliable healthcare. The script also mentions how public health has evolved from focusing on sanitation and city planning in ancient times to targeting specific groups like factory workers in the industrial era, leading to improved working conditions and reduced workplace deaths.

Keywords

💡Public Health

Public health refers to the organized efforts of society to protect and improve the health and well-being of all members of the community through prevention of disease, promotion of health, and provision of health services. In the video, public health is central as it discusses how it aims to prevent diseases like heart disease and improve overall community health, rather than just treating individuals after they become sick.

💡Heart Disease

Heart disease is a condition that affects the heart's ability to function properly, often due to the buildup of plaque in the arteries. It is highlighted in the script as a significant health issue, with 655,000 Americans dying from it annually according to a 2020 report. The video uses heart disease as an example to illustrate the importance of public health interventions in preventing such conditions.

💡Population-based Approach

A population-based approach in public health focuses on the health of entire communities or populations rather than individuals. The video emphasizes this approach by discussing how public health efforts should consider the systemic inequities that impact health across different groups, such as access to safe drinking water and reliable healthcare.

💡Systemic Inequities

Systemic inequities refer to the structural and societal factors that create and perpetuate disparities in health and other social outcomes. The script mentions that public health efforts often focus on addressing these inequities, which are the differences in factors like where people are born, work, and live that determine their access to resources needed for health.

💡Prevention

Prevention in public health is about taking measures to stop diseases or health conditions before they occur. The video discusses the importance of prevention, particularly 'upstream' prevention, which focuses on the causes of health issues and how to stop them from happening in the first place, as opposed to dealing with the consequences after they occur.

💡Upstream Focus

An upstream focus in public health means addressing the root causes of health issues rather than just managing the symptoms or effects. The video explains that instead of only focusing on the problems and their downstream consequences, public health should look back at the causes of potential health issues and how to prevent them.

💡Tobacco Use

Tobacco use is the act of consuming tobacco products, which is a leading cause of preventable disease and death worldwide. The script uses tobacco use as an example of a public health issue that requires upstream interventions, such as educational programs in schools and legislation to prevent advertising to children, to effectively reduce its prevalence.

💡Motor Vehicle Crashes

Motor vehicle crashes are a significant public health concern due to the high number of injuries and fatalities they cause. The video cites a decrease in such crashes by more than 41% from 1979 to 2011, achieved through a combination of education, stricter laws, and improved car seat designs, illustrating the multifaceted approach needed for effective public health interventions.

💡Holistic

A holistic approach in public health considers health as a whole and not just a single aspect. The video explains that public health efforts should be holistic, treating health comprehensively, which could include initiatives like repairing sidewalks or creating parks to encourage physical activity and improve both physical and mental health.

💡American Public Health Association (APHA)

The American Public Health Association is a leading organization in the field of public health, dedicated to creating the healthiest nation possible. The video is part of a series created by Complexly and APHA to educate the public about the importance of public health, and the APHA website is mentioned as a resource for more information.

💡Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a US federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services. The video mentions the CDC's 10 Essential Public Health Services guidelines as a resource for understanding the breadth of public health services and their importance in maintaining and improving community health.

Highlights

Heart disease is a significant health issue, with 655,000 Americans dying from it annually according to a 2020 report.

Public health aims to keep everyone healthy rather than treating individuals after they fall ill.

Public health is multifaceted, influenced by a variety of factors including sanitation and city planning.

In the 19th century, public health efforts in Great Britain led to improved working conditions and reduced workplace deaths.

Modern public health focuses on addressing systemic inequities that impact health, such as access to safe drinking water and reliable healthcare.

Research shows that lack of resources can lead to a life expectancy gap of up to 20 years between different communities.

Public health adopts a population-based approach, considering societies as a whole rather than individuals.

Public health informs educators, policymakers, and community leaders in improving community health.

Health issues require multiple strategies, as seen in the 41% decrease in U.S. motor vehicle crashes from 1979 to 2011.

Societal inequalities mean different people have different health needs, and public health must consider this diversity.

Public health experts advocate for an 'upstream' focus to prevent health issues before they occur.

Prevention strategies, such as school education on tobacco's health impacts, are crucial for public health.

Public health interventions are holistic, treating health as a comprehensive issue rather than a single aspect.

Efforts to combat heart disease might involve improving community infrastructure, like sidewalks and parks, to encourage physical activity.

Public health's goal is to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice for everyone through improved policy, education, and access.

For more information on public health services, refer to the CDC's 10 Essential Public Health Services guidelines or the APHA website.

Transcripts

Hi, my name is Mighty Fine. I’m an expert with the American Public Health Association,

and today we’re going to talk about public health.

Let’s say someone is diagnosed with heart disease. Their doctor prescribes some changes

to their diet and exercise, maybe even medication, and over time they get healthier.

Our hypothetical heart patient is doing great now. But they could’ve been 1 of the 655,000

Americans who die of heart disease every year, according to a 2020 report from the American

Heart Association. Which is a lot of people our health care system

needs to care for — and that’s just one disease! So instead of treating people individually

after they get sick, ideally we’d just keep everyone healthy in the first place.

That’s where public health comes in. Public health can be tricky to define, partly

because so many factors influence health. In ancient cities, public health interventions

focused on sanitation, but also city planning. Over time, public health started targeting

specific groups of people, like factory workers. In industrial-era Great Britain in the 19th

century, years of protesting led to better working conditions and fewer workplace deaths.

Those were public health efforts too! These days, public health efforts often focus

on addressing the systemic inequities that impact health.

Which are the differences in things like where we're born, where we work, and where we live

that determine our access to the resources we need to be our healthiest selves, like

safe drinking water and reliable health care. Research based on U.S. census data from 2010

through 2015 shows that people living without these resources can die up to 20 years earlier

than people living just a short distance away. Studies like this are an example of public

health’s population-based approach, which focuses on societies as a whole rather than

individuals. A population-based approach can be used to

inform educators, policymakers and community leaders, all of whom play different roles

in improving the health of the community. And like that census study showed, health

issues aren’t caused by any one thing, so they can’t be tackled by any one solution.

Take automobile safety. From 1979 to 2011, motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. decreased

by more than 41%. Which took a variety of strategies — like increased education, stricter

laws around seat belts and speeding, and improved design and use of child car seats.

It wasn’t a single strategy or solution, but multiple players working together to address

the same issue from different angles. Which is important, because our societies

don’t treat people equally and different people have different needs.

And the best interventions don’t just focus on the present. Public health experts call

this an upstream focus. Instead of just focusing on the issue and the problems it causes downstream,

we look back upstream at the causes of potential health issues and how to prevent them.

Like tobacco use. Despite several downstream measures to get people to stop using tobacco

from increased taxes on tobacco products to images of diseased organs on cigarette packaging

it remains a leading cause of death in the U.S.

Which is why intervening upstream and preventing tobacco use is so important.

Prevention could look like state-mandated school materials on the health impacts of

tobacco, or legislation that bars tobacco companies from advertising to children or

communities with high rates of tobacco use. The goal is to prepare future generations

to choose and maintain healthy behaviors. Finally, just like we use a population-based

approach and focus on groups of people rather than individuals, effective public health

interventions are holistic, which means they treat health as a whole rather than a single

aspect. So public health efforts to address heart

disease could look like repairing sidewalks or creating parks in an under-resourced community.

This would encourage people to get active, improving their physical and mental health.

So overall, public health includes all of the organized and holistic efforts to improve

policy, education, and access — to make the healthiest choice the easiest choice for

everyone. If you want to learn more about public health

services, check out the Center for Disease Control’s 10 Essential Public Health Services

guidelines or the APHA website. Thanks for watching! This video is a part

of a series created by Complexly and the American Public Health Association to shed a little

light on the important work that public health does. To learn more, visit APHA.org.