Subject: Environmental Health

and Disease Prevention

Code: PT 04107

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 Introduction to Environmental
Health
Presenter: Carolyn Lissu
RN, BSc N, NT
2012

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 Course Outline
By the end of this module we will be able to cover
the following enabling outcomes:
2. 1 Apply environment health strategies to
prevent and control diseases in the community.
Where by;
2.1.1 Describe common methods of
vector control
2.1.2 Promote food hygiene through
health education
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2.1.3 Promote sanitation, safe water,
housing, and general hygiene.
2.1.4 Apply strategies to improve
management of sanitary refuse and
hazardous material

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 Course Introduction
Related Tasks
1. Identify environment factors which affect
health
2. Maintain cleanliness in own environment
3. Describe ways in which environment can be
polluted
4. Teach the importance of having a well
ventilated house
5. Define the meaning of safe water
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6. State the ways in which water can be made
safe for human consumption
7. Protect good communication
8. Teach methods of good hygiene
9. Describe how air is polluted and dangers of
pollution
10. Teach patients how to avoid spread of air
borne diseases and how to prevent
communicable diseases

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 The environment
Related tasks
At the end of this session students will be able to:
1. Give descriptive definition of Health,
Environment , Environmental Health and
Health Effect
2. Explain the basic relationship between the
environment and health
3. State environmental factors affecting health
4. Outline the basic needs to the community for
health.
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 Definition: Health
‘…is a state of complete physical, mental and
social well-being and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity’(WHO, 1948)
‘Health is only possible where resources are
available to meet human needs and where the
living and working environment is protected
from life-threatening and health threatening
pollutants, pathogens and physical
hazards’(Who, 1992a)
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Descriptive Definition of : Environment.

‘…[All] that which is external to individual

human host. [It] can be divided into physical,
biological, social cultural and any or all of which
can influence health status in populations.’
(WHO, 1995)

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 Definition of environment
Environment is the collective term used to
describe all the living and non living things that
make up our surrounding, such as the air we
breath, the food we eat, the water we drink, the
house we live in etc.
Mans environment consists basically of four
major compounds:-

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i. Physical environment
ii. Biological environment
iii. Social and cultural environment
iv. Economical and political environment

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 Biological Environment

Is made up of all things that have life:

 Vegetation such as trees, grass, and crops
 Animals
 Insects particularly mosquitoes and houseflies
 Infective organisms such as amoeba, bilharzia,
tetanus

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 Physical environment
Is made up of all the geographical, physical and
chemical features i.e. non- living part of the
environment which include:-
• The land – mountains, valleys, plains
• Type of soil and water
• Climate
• Altitude
• Chemical and toxic substance
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 Social and Culture environment
Is made up of all the customs ,belief and
organizations in security.
 Customs and belief
 Family and Kinships
 Religion
 Leadership and power structure

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 Economical and Political environment

Is made up of work, money, and government

 Villagilisation and self-reliance
 Rural and Urban economies
 Parties and political influences
 Development Policies

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 Definition: Environmental Health
‘…comprises those aspects of human health,
including quality of life, that are determined
by physical, biological, social and psychosocial
factors in the environment.
It also, refers to the theory and practice of
assessing, correcting, controlling, and
preventing those factors in the environment
that can potentially affect adversely the health
of present and future generations’ (WHO,
1993a)
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 Environmental Health

It is usually water, soil, vegetation, buildings

and air which are used by man.

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 Sanitation

The formulation and application of measures

to promote and establish conditions favorable
to health especially public health.

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Population Perspective of Relations
All populations

Human population

Community, nation

Family

Individual

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 Good Environmental Sanitation

o Means Keeping the environment safe as

possible for man to use.
o This is usually done by health inspectors and
their assistant and they form a very important
members of the health team

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 Two aspects of good environmental
sanitation

 Giving people enough clean water

 Dealing with their excreta in proper way

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 The basic requirements for healthy
environment

 Clean Air
 Safe and Sufficient Water
 Adequate and Safe Food
 Safe and Peaceful Settlements
 Stable Global Environment

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 Environment factors influencing health
• Population- If a population is too large , people
may not get the needed basic needs.
• Disease – Environment changes introduce new
diseases or make existing once worse, thus
making the environment less health.
• Customs and belief – Has an effect on human
health e.g. eggs which contain protein may be
available and be eaten by adults and often not
given to young children as they thought to cause
sterility. This will result to malnutrition to
children
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• Ignorance and poverty- The food needed by the
children and adults may be available but
women may not know how to mix the food and
get a well balanced diet.
• In poverty- The food is available but the family
does not have money to buy it.
• Climatic condition – when the air is dry no
crops will grow, and if there is too much rain
the crops will also be affected
• Basic needs – when the human basic needs are
not met, man will not be healthy, sleep,
exercise, food, and reaction are important for
mental and physical health.
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• Health facilities – Dispensaries and health
centres if not enough or not well distributed
man will not be healthy
• Leadership – ie Type of government, policies,
may affect the health of the people eg
autocratic leadership and health policies
which do not meet the needs of the people.

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 Definition:
‘Health Effect…’

‘…is the specific damage to health that an

environmental hazard can cause an individual
person. Often the same hazard can cause a
range of different effects of different severity.’
(Yassi et al., 2001)

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 Interdependence
Health depends on resources.
Good health depends on accessibility to
sustainable resources.
Bad health results from inaccessibility to
sustainable resources or exposure to a hazard.
Sustainable resources and hazards exist in the
environment.
Therefore, quality of health depends on the
environment
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 Health and Environment
Perspective of Relations
Environmental health
Public Health

Occupational Health

Family Health

Personal
Health

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 Environmental Effects on Health
• The indicators of beneficial environmental
effects are longevity and sustained
functionality.
• Two degrees of adverse environmental effects
are: injury (syn. include: debilitating,
dysfunctional, lame) with decreased longevity
or death (syn. include: life-threatening,
terminal, deleterious)

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• Injury does not prematurely end life, but can
hinder the capacity to function to the fullest
potential
• Death does end life and is the most extreme
adverse state of health
• This means of classification is simple and
rigorous

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• An individual’s response to an environmental
effect is a function of their physical
environment, their health state, and their
culture.

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 Basic Needs of community for health Living
 Provision of clean and safe water supply
 Production of adequate food supply
 Provision of good housing and advice to
people for the construction of their own
houses
 Getting rid of human excreta
 Control of insets and rats
 Control and treatment of infections and other
diseases
 Town and village planning
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 Key Points
o Environmental health is the broadest scope of
health problem definition
o Environmental health studies the impact of the
environment on populations
o It is a population based science that can be
scaled to study individual within populations
o Problem definition and potential resolution is
possible through the implementation of a
systematic approach
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 Thank you for Listening

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