Public Health and Its Fundamentals

This document delves into the fundamental aspects of public health, highlighting its aim to prevent disease and promote life standards. It discusses disease prevention through breaking the chain of causation and interventions such as clean water and immunization. The importance of health promotion, reducing inequalities, and collaborating with institutions is also emphasized. Additionally, it touches on skills acquired in nursing, such as advocating for patients' health and well-being, diagnostic tests, education, and medical procedures.

Running head: PUBLIC HEALTH 1
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Public Health aims at preventing disease, illness, injury as well as promoting the
standards of life of human populations. Its actions focus on providing conditions in which
individuals can be in good health and pays attention to all members of the community.
One of the fundamental characteristics of public health is disease prevention which
entails interfering with the chain of causation which comprises of an agent, host and the
environment. Environment refers to the extrinsic factors that affect the agent; host refers to a
person who is capable of obtaining a disease and agent refers to a disease-causing organism.
Interventions that can be used to break the chain of infection include using clean and safe
drinking water and immunization (Flemings & Parker, 2015).
Health promotion through active community participation to influence the leading causes
of poor health to improve the quality of life of people. Successfully addressing the multiple
determinants of health is key to improving public health. The non-fulfillment of the health care
system to advance and provide production strategies to control preventable diseases
considerately affects health and the economy.
Health improvement by reducing health inequalities and collaborating with other
institutions. Ensuring fairness in health is not an easy task since some people prioritize other
issues such as proper housing and food while ignoring health which is significant (Flemings and
Parker, 2015). Dealing with health issues across populations is vital as it asserts the concept of
equity and social justice which are fundamental to public health activity
The characteristics of public health are not different from what I have studied in my
undergraduate degree. The particular skills that I have acquired in Nursing include advocating
for the health and well-being of a patient, undertaking diagnostic tests, educating patients on how

PUBLIC HEALTH 3
to control illnesses, offering guidance, handling medical equipment, documenting medical
history and symptoms and delivering medications and treatments.
To develop in public health, I need to learn about food safety, environmental
management, disease surveillance, infection control, health promotion and health protection
which are essential areas. I would like to study on how to ensure the safety of food along the
entire food chain and the procedures that are undertaken to detect and respond to public health
threats associated with contaminated food. Am interested in training on estimating, recognizing,
describing and reducing the harm caused by an outbreak, epidemic, and pandemic. I wish to
know about proper disposal and management of waste to guard the human surroundings and their
health. Improving the health status of a population through the support of appropriate public
health interventions is vital for survival.
Learning about infection control will help me initiate and maintain production systems
for the prevention and control of infections. Studying about health promotion will help me
deduce the health needs of a community and the appropriate evidence-based interventions that
can be used to address the wants. Acquiring knowledge of health protection will enable me
ensure that the members of the public are always safe from infectious agents and other health
risks.

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References
Blas, E. and Kurup, A.S. eds., 2010. Equity, social determinants and public health programmes.
World Health Organization.
Fleming, M.L, and Parker, E., 2015. Introduction to Public Health eBook. Elsevier Health
Sciences.
Larkin, M.A. and McGowan, A.K., 2008. Introduction: strengthening public health. Journal of
Law, Medicine & Ethics, 36(3), pp.S4-S4.
US Department of Health and Human Services, 1990. Healthy People 2000: National Health
Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives—Nutrition Priority Area. Nutrition
Today, 25(6), pp.29-39.