Role of Public Health

in America

Regan Orman

HLST 2001

Spring 2014

The goal of public health is the prevention of

heath crises through education and

awareness.

Preventative measures, based on research,

are taken in order to avoid spreading

disease amongst a population.

Anything from water purification to

community sanitation departments

encompass the idea of “public health”.

At the Federal, State, and Local levels, implementation of Public Health initiatives should be a primary concern (Williams and Torrens, 2008).

VACCINATIONS

SANITATION

HEALTH EDUCATION

VITAL STATISITICS

FOOD SAFETY

The Role of Public Health in America

While the United States spends more on

health care than any other nation in the

world, it lags behind many developed nations

in important health measures (APHA, n.d.).

For example, doctors frequently treat diseases

related to poor diet and exercise, obesity,

smoking, HIV/AIDS, etc.

Instead of treating the symptoms, the focus

should be on educating the public on SAFETY

and PREVENTION.

Hippocrates (460 BC-380 BC)

is often considered the father of

Western medicine, and was the

first widely recognized figure to

recognize the need for public

health.

“We must also consider the qualities of the waters and the mode in which the inhabitants live, and what are their pursuits, whether they are fond of drinking and eating to excess and given to indolence, or are fond of exercise and labor, and not given to excess in eating and drinking” (Public

health timeline, n.d.).

The History of Public Health

Created to address health issues concerning maritime trade, such as scurvy and yellow fever, it later became the US Public Health Service (Public health timeline, n.d.)

1798- Marine Hospital Service

New York is the first state to conduct a

sanitation survey, examining the poor living

conditions of those in the city (Public health

timeline, n.d.).

1863- New York Sanitation Movement

Foundation of the APHA. Now the oldest

and largest association of public health

professionals in the world (Public health

timeline, n.d.).

1872- American Public Health Assn.

In the early 20th century, EPIDEMICS struck America, and took a painful toll on the country’s population.

Events like this led to implementation of public health standards by the national government to prevent the spread of disease.

1909- Bubonic Plague in San Francisco, CA finally diminishes after causing many deaths (Public health timeline, n.d.).

1918- Influenza outbreak kills over 600,000 people and does not subside until the 1950s (Public health timeline, n.d.).

For a complete timeline, utilize this link:

http://www.sphtc.org/timeline/flash%20timeline/player.html

Child Labor Laws

Family Planning

Water Fluoridation

Tobacco Hazards

Vaccinations

The National Child Labor Committee’s work to end child labor was combined with efforts to provide free, compulsory education for all children, and culminated in the passage of the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, which set federal standards for child labor(Health issues, n.d.).

Why is this a concern of public health? Higher mortality rates occur when children are forced to work. Employee safety and health is also compromised.

Developmental risk factors for children include:

• Rapid skeletal growth

• Development of organs and tissues

• Greater risk of hearing loss

• Developing ability to assess risks

• Greater need for food and rest

• Higher chemical absorption rates

• Smaller size

• Lower heat tolerance

• Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) published two controversial pamphlets concerning basic knowledge “every woman should know” about menstruation and sexual tendencies (Public health timeline, n.d.).

• She also highly advocated the use of birth control.

• This was the first step toward women’s health initiatives.

Just two short years later, in 1948, many North

American municipalities began to add fluoride

ions to the public water supply (Public health

timeline, n.d.).

Not only did this action reduce the overall tooth

decay of the population, but it proved that

improving public health was beneficial to

everyone- improving the quality of life, not just

the health, of Americans.

In 1946, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC) was established in Atlanta.

In 1964, Surgeon General Luther Terry

released the first Report on Smoking and

Health, which was the first government

publication concerning the negative

effects of smoking on one’s health.

In the last 50 years, 31 Surgeon General’s

Reports have been released. We now

know that smoking causes a host of

cancers and other illnesses and is still the

leading preventable cause of death in the

United States, killing 443,000 people each

year (Tobacco, n.d.).

However…Programs of population-wide vaccinations resulted in:

The Eradication of Smallpox

Elimination of Polio in the Americas

Control of measles, rubella, tetanus, diphtheria, and other infectious diseases in the United States and other parts of the world (What is public health?, n.d.).

Vaccines may be one of the most controversial movements associated

with government implemented public health initiatives.

Courtesy of www.whatispublichealth.org.

In the 20th Century

Strengths

In the 20th century, the rate of people who smoked dropped from 45% in 1965 to 19% in 2010 (APHA, n.d.).

Vaccines, such as the flu shot, have drastically decreased the occurrence of epidemics.

Every dollar spent on prevention saves about $5.60 in health care costs (APHA, n.d.).

Challenges

The amount of money spent by the government to promote public health is still very low compared to the money spent of treating preventable diseases, such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

Natural disaster, terrorism, population control, and drug misuse are areas of public health that have yet to be addressed (Williams and Torrens, 2008).

Public health is a sleeping giant. Its ability to make

significant strides in the future is unlimited,

provided we muster the political will to support it

(The future of public health, n.d.).

Minimal investment is no longer going to work. The dramatic

increase in life expectancy achieved through public health efforts

contributes to one of the greatest challenges facing our health

care system and public health — an aging population (The future

of public health, n.d.).

Conclusion

The Role of Public Health

in America is critical to the

health and prosperity of

our nation in the future. It

is our job to promote all

aspects of preventative

health care to lessen costs

of treatment and increase

awareness of disease.

Resources

APHA: American Public Health Association. (n.d.). APHA: American Public Health Association. Retrieved February 18, 2014, from http://www.apha.org/

Google Images (2014). The most comprehensive image on the web. Retrieved February 12, 2014 from http://images.google.com/

Health issues. (n.d.). The child labor education project. Retrieved February 19, 2014, from http:www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/health_issues.html

Public health timeline. (n.d.). The North Carolina institute for public health. Retrieved February 19, 2014, from http://www.sphtc.org/timeline/

flash%20timeline/player.html

The future of public health. (n.d.). Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved February 19, 2014, from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/ephli/Resources/CARE_public_health_suppl.pdf

Tobacco. (n.d.). Surgeon General. Retrieved February 19, 2014, from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/initiatives/tobacco

What is public health?. (n.d.). What is public health?. Retrieved February 19, 2014, from http://www.whatispublichealth.org/

Williams, S. J., & Torrens, P. R. (2008). Introduction to health services. New York: Delmar, Cengage Learning.