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An increasing number of studies and reports Focusing more on lifestyle issues and their
from different organizations and contexts relationships with functional health, data
examine the linkages between health and from the Alameda County Study suggested
different factors, including lifestyles, that people can improve their health via
environments, health care organization, and exercise, enough sleep, maintaining a
health policy – such as the 1974 Lalonde healthy body weight, limiting alcohol use,
report from Canada;[10] the Alameda County and avoiding smoking.[16] The ability to
Study in California;[11] and the series of adapt and to self manage have been
World Health Reports of the World Health suggested as core components of human
Organization, which focuses on global health.[17]
health issues including access to health care
and improving public health outcomes, The environment is often cited as an
especially in developing countries.[12] important factor influencing the health status
of individuals. This includes characteristics
The concept of the "health field," as distinct of the natural environment, the built
from medical care, emerged from the environment, and the social environment.
Lalonde report from Canada. The report Factors such as clean water and air, adequate
identified three interdependent fields as key housing, and safe communities and roads all
determinants of an individual's health. These have been found to contribute to good
are:[10] health, especially to the health of infants and
children.[8][18] Some studies have shown that person. Other terms include: 'mental health
a lack of neighborhood recreational spaces problem', 'illness', 'disorder', 'dysfunction'.
including natural environment leads to lower (Hungerford et al. 2012).
levels of personal satisfaction and higher
levels of obesity, linked to lower overall Roughly a quarter of all adults 18 and over
health and well being.[19] This suggests that in the US suffer from a diagnosable mental
the positive health benefits of natural space illness. Mental illnesses are the leading
in urban neighborhoods should be taken into cause of disability in the US and Canada.
account in public policy and land use. Examples include, schizophrenia, ADHD,
major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder,
Genetics, or inherited traits from parents, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress
also play a role in determining the health disorder and autism.[21]
status of individuals and populations. This
can encompass both the predisposition to Maintaining health
certain diseases and health conditions, as
well as the habits and behaviors individuals
Achieving and maintaining health is an
develop through the lifestyle of their
ongoing process, shaped by both the
families. For example, genetics may play a
evolution of health care knowledge and
role in the manner in which people cope
practices as well as personal strategies and
with stress, either mental, emotional or
organized interventions for staying healthy
physical (One difficulty is the issue raised
known as Lifestyle Management.
by the debate over the relative strengths of
genetics and other factors; interactions
between genetics and environment may be Role of science in health
of particular importance.).
Main articles: Health science and Health
care
Mental health
Main article: Mental health The Dutch Public Health Service provides
medical care for the natives of the Dutch
The World Health Organization describes East Indies, May 1946
mental health as "a state of well-being in
which the individual realizes his or her own Health science is the branch of science
abilities, can cope with the normal stresses focused on health. There are two main
of life, can work productively and fruitfully, approaches to health science: the study and
and is able to make a contribution to his or research of the body and health-related
her community".[20] Mental Health is not just issues to understand how humans (and
the absence of mental illness. animals) function, and the application of that
knowledge to improve health and to prevent
Mental illness is described as 'the spectrum and cure diseases and other physical and
of cognitive, emotional, and behavioural mental impairments. The science builds on
conditions that interfere with social and many sub-fields, including biology,
emotional wellbeing and the lives and biochemistry, physics, epidemiology,
productivity of people. Having a mental pharmacology, medical sociology. Applied
illness can seriously impair; temporarily or health sciences endeavor to better
permanently, the mental functioning of a understand and improve human health
through applications in areas such as health Public health has been described as "the
education, biomedical engineering, science and art of preventing disease,
biotechnology and public health. prolonging life and promoting health
through the organized efforts and informed
Organized interventions to improve health choices of society, organizations, public and
based on the principles and procedures private, communities and individuals."[22] It
developed through the health sciences are is concerned with threats to the overall
provided by practitioners trained in health of a community based on population
medicine, nursing, nutrition, pharmacy, health analysis. The population in question
social work, psychology, occupational can be as small as a handful of people or as
therapy, physical therapy and other health large as all the inhabitants of several
care professions. Clinical practitioners focus continents (for instance, in the case of a
mainly on the health of individuals, while pandemic). Public health has many sub-
public health practitioners consider the fields, but typically includes the
overall health of communities and interdisciplinary categories of epidemiology,
populations. Workplace wellness programs biostatistics and health services.
are increasingly adopted by companies for Environmental health, community health,
their value in improving the health and well- behavioral health, and occupational health
being of their employees, as are school are also important areas of public health.
health services to improve the health and
well-being of children. The focus of public health interventions is to
prevent and manage diseases, injuries and
Role of public health other health conditions through surveillance
of cases and the promotion of healthy
Main article: Public health behavior, communities, and (in aspects
See also: Global health relevant to human health) environments. Its
aim is to prevent health problems from
happening or re-occurring by implementing
educational programs, developing policies,
administering services, and conducting
research.[23] In many cases, treating a disease
or controlling a pathogen can be vital to
preventing it in others, such as during an
outbreak. Vaccination programs and
distribution of condoms to prevent the
spread of communicable diseases are
examples of common preventive public
health measures, as are educational
campaigns to promote vaccination and the
use of condoms (including overcoming
resistance to such).
Postage stamp, New Zealand, 1933. Public
health has been promoted – and depicted – Public health also takes various actions to
in a wide variety of ways. limit the health disparities between different
areas of the country and, in some cases, the
continent or world. One issue is the access
of individuals and communities to health disease, usually a chronic condition, through
care in terms of financial, geographical or integrative care. They also include personal
sociocultural constraints to accessing and hygiene practices to prevent infection and
using services.[citation needed] Applications of the illness, such as bathing and washing hands
public health system include the areas of with soap; brushing and flossing teeth;
maternal and child health, health services storing, preparing and handling food safely;
administration, emergency response, and and many others. The information gleaned
prevention and control of infectious and from personal observations of daily living –
chronic diseases. such as about sleep patterns, exercise
behavior, nutritional intake, and
The great positive impact of public health environmental features – may be used to
programs is widely acknowledged. Due in inform personal decisions and actions (e.g.,
part to the policies and actions developed "I feel tired in the morning so I am going to
through public health, the 20th century try sleeping on a different pillow"), as well
registered a decrease in the mortality rates as clinical decisions and treatment plans
for infants and children and a continual (e.g., a patient who notices his or her shoes
increase in life expectancy in most parts of are tighter than usual may be having
the world. For example, it is estimated that exacerbation of left-sided heart failure, and
life expectancy has increased for Americans may require diuretic medication to reduce
by thirty years since 1900,[24] and worldwide fluid overload).[26]
by six years since 1990.[25]
Personal health also depends partially on the
Self-care strategies social structure of a person's life. The
maintenance of strong social relationships,
Main article: Self care volunteering, and other social activities have
See also: Chronic care management, Social been linked to positive mental health and
relation, and Stress management even increased longevity. One American
study among seniors over age 70, found that
frequent volunteering was associated with
reduced risk of dying compared with older
persons who did not volunteer, regardless of
physical health status.[27] Another study from
Singapore reported that volunteering retirees
had significantly better cognitive
performance scores, fewer depressive
symptoms, and better mental well-being and
life satisfaction than non-volunteering
retirees.[28]