Hello Hive commuity, my name is Bakare Olasubomi Abigeal, i am a 100 level public health student and this post is the first in my Public Health Presentation Series and in this series i will be breaking down what public health is all about in a simple and complex language and why it plays a vital role in our day to day activities.
When most people hear public health,all they think of is hospitals,doctors or medicine and some even address them as enviromental health officer also known as wolewole.This assumption are correct but public health goes beyond that,the things that keeps us hale and healthy today are clean water, proper waste disposal and vaccinations all these exists because of public health intervention, they work in the background unlike doctors, nurses, pharmacists who work openly but public health make sure everyone is healthy
In this first series,i will be talking about:
-What public health is and what it's all about
-How public health is different from other personal/medical care
-why public health is important to individuals and the whole population.
WHAT IS PUBLIC HEALTH AND WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
Public Health is a field of study that focuces on preventing and protecting the health of the entire populations from health risks.For instance,while a doctor treats a patients who has malaria, a public health practioner asks questions like
-why are people getting sick and getting malaria?
-how can the rate at which people get malaria be reduced?
- how do we educate populations on preventions of malaria?
PUBLIC HEALTH VS PERSONAL/MEDICAL CARE?
Medical care usually comes in after people are already ill, WHILE public health makes sure to act fast even before the ilnesss occurs
FOR EXAMPLE:
A nurse treats a child with diarrhea → clinical care
Ensuring clean drinking water to prevent diarrhea in the community → public health
Both are important, but public health often works quietly in the background, making sure in preventing problems before they start.
WHY PUBLIC HEALTH IS IMPORTANT TO INDIVIDUALS AND POPULATIONS?
In many communities, people only seek medical help when sickness becomes worsen or severe. This leads to higher costs, complications, and sometimes preventable deaths. Public health change this idea by bringing and encouraging early prevention, health education, and safe environments conducive for living