The Goals and Values of Public Health - Essay Example

?What is Public Health? The Goals and Values of Public Health Public Health Significance vs. Personal Health: The World Health Organization (WHO) provides a concise definition of “health”. This definition helps in understanding the conceptual premises of community health. WHO’s definition is widely acceptable at professional level studies and defines health as "a state of complete, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or conformity." Understanding the concept of health we may conclude that public health is the concept which defines the wellbeing and absence of disease form the lives of the public. The professional definition of public health as defined by Winslow is "the science and the art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized efforts." To further illuminate the concept of public health Institutte of Medicine (IOM) provides a useful explanation of this term. The IOM provides that the aim of public health practitioners is to fulfill the society’s interest in guaranteeing provisions which conform to the health requirements of public at large. The IOM’s statements can be used as a mission or aim of public health practitioners and not the definition of the term “Public health”. “Public health significance” is the concept which deals with defining the extent, magnitude and importance of the health activity, its graveness and/or its apparent significance to the public. On the other hand, personal health is the concept which weighs the health activities and events according to their perceived importance and meaning to individuals. Hence, we may say that Public health topics and issues are related to the public at large and the relative merits and demerits of a particular health event is weighed on the basis of their effects and consequences on public whereas, personal health weighs the consequences and significance of health activities and effects of interventions as they impact an individual’s life and health conditions. Public Health Assessment A public health assessment provides a review of the existing information regarding the harmful possible impacts of chemicals and other explosive and dangerous materials at a site. This assessment basically aims at calculating the impact and effects of an uncalled incident that may arise or alternatively the possible negative effects of a plant or a site on the inhabitants of that field. The public health assessment is beneficial in measuring the environmental foot print of any activity and not only confines itself to the healthiness and therapeutic issues involved with it. The benefits of public health assessment, hence, involve a study of the possible benefits and harms of a hazardous activity. This assessment helps in taking decisions of either continuing the activity or discontinuing it as per the results of the assessment. It helps in the reduction of the costs which might be required to restore the environmental conditions destroyed by the activity performed. This assessment is also beneficial in early examination of the possible outcomes of the activity and also in budgeting during and after the completion of the targets/processes (Lock 2000). The additional time, increased costs and conflicts that may arise as a result of public health assessments are the major disadvantages involved. The conflicts may arise on the issue of acceptability and rejection of a particular task due to its hazardous effects. The inhabitants who are affected or the stakeholders in other words, may divide themselves into categories with different demands. One group, for instance, may take a position in opposition to the activity, while the other may act in its favors. This may give rise to the conflicts within the communities. These conflicts may be resolved by either properly incorporating the concerns of the opponents or weighing between the arguments of the parties. The policy makers may form a policy that protects the environment and health of the larger community. In this manner, the government or the policy makers may firmly justify their positions to proceed or suspend a project. One of the prerequisites of public policy is to predict the health consequences and environmental impact of the policy alternatives available or under review. This allows policy makers to decide on the policy which best suits the conditions prevalent. The public health assessment, hence, helps in meeting the prerequisite of policymaking process. It helps the policymakers in choosing the best policy option with minimal environmental or health impacts. Public health Assessment is a tool which aids the policymaking process by providing important results on the possible consequences of the policy options (Kemm 2001). Examples of a policies that have been adopted in order to save and secure public health concerns is Smoking bans in public places, minimum purchasing age policies, higher taxes and so on. However, these policies were discouraged by the opponents on the ground of the economic impact of these policies. The reduction or loss of sales forms a major part of this debate. However, keeping the vast negative consequences of smoking on public, these financial and economic consequences could be ignored. Hence, the policies aimed at reducing smoking habits prevailed and were adopted widely. Reduction of Tobacco sales is an attempt to reduce the smoking and tobacco consumption rate which further may help in the reduction of healthcare budgets due to a reduction in illnesses caused by smoking alone. The unemployment which might result by adoption of these policies was a conflicting situation that arose on the debate of this policy. However, the policymakers suggested way out of this situation by directing the finances used to uphold the tobacco sales to other areas. This was the employment opportunities are not reduced but replaced by the new ones (Buck, 1995). Bibliography: Kemm, J. (February 28, 2001). Health Impact Assessment: a tool for Healthy Public Policy. Health Promotion International, 16, 1, 79. Buck, D. (1995). Tobacco and jobs: The impact of reducing consumption on employment in the UK. York, England: Society for the Study of Addiction. Lock, K. (2000) Health Impact Assessment. British Medical Journal, 320, 1395–1398. Read More