Community health
Encyclopedia
Community health, a field of public health
, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community
can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared characteristics. The health characteristics of a community are often examined using geographic information system
(GIS) software and public health
datasets. Some projects, such as InfoShare or GEOPROJ combine GIS with existing datasets, allowing the general public to examine the characteristics of any given community in the United States.
Because health III (broadly defined as well-being) is influenced by a wide array of socio-demographic characteristics, relevant variables range from the proportion of residents of a given age group to the overall life expectancy of the neighborhood. Medical interventions aimed at improving the health of a community range from improving access to medical care to public health communications campaigns. Recent research efforts have focused on how the built environment and socio-economic
status affect health.
In Africa, community health is studied in three broad categories:
Success of community health programs rely on the transfer of information from health professionals to the general public using one-to-one or one to many communication (Mass communication
). The latest shift is toward Health marketing
with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) taking the lead.
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
, is a discipline that concerns itself with the study and betterment of the health characteristics of biological communities. While the term community
Community
The term community has two distinct meanings:*a group of interacting people, possibly living in close proximity, and often refers to a group that shares some common values, and is attributed with social cohesion within a shared geographical location, generally in social units larger than a household...
can be broadly defined, community health tends to focus on geographic areas rather than people with shared characteristics. The health characteristics of a community are often examined using geographic information system
Geographic Information System
A geographic information system, geographical information science, or geospatial information studies is a system designed to capture, store, manipulate, analyze, manage, and present all types of geographically referenced data...
(GIS) software and public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
datasets. Some projects, such as InfoShare or GEOPROJ combine GIS with existing datasets, allowing the general public to examine the characteristics of any given community in the United States.
Because health III (broadly defined as well-being) is influenced by a wide array of socio-demographic characteristics, relevant variables range from the proportion of residents of a given age group to the overall life expectancy of the neighborhood. Medical interventions aimed at improving the health of a community range from improving access to medical care to public health communications campaigns. Recent research efforts have focused on how the built environment and socio-economic
Socioeconomics
Socioeconomics or socio-economics or social economics is an umbrella term with different usages. 'Social economics' may refer broadly to the "use of economics in the study of society." More narrowly, contemporary practice considers behavioral interactions of individuals and groups through social...
status affect health.
In Africa, community health is studied in three broad categories:
- Primary health carePrimary health carePrimary health care, often abbreviated as “PHC”, has been defined as "essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community through their full participation and at a cost...
which refers to interventions that focus on the individual or family such as hand-washing, immunisation, circumcisionCircumcisionMale circumcision is the surgical removal of some or all of the foreskin from the penis. The word "circumcision" comes from Latin and ....
and use of condoms etc.
- Secondary health care refers to those activities which focus on the environment such as draining puddles of water near the house, clearing bushes and spraying insecticides to control vectors like mosquitoes.
- Tertiary health care on the other hand refers to those interventions that take place in a hospital setting such as intravenous re-hydration or surgerySurgerySurgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
.
Success of community health programs rely on the transfer of information from health professionals to the general public using one-to-one or one to many communication (Mass communication
Mass communication
Mass communication is the term used to describe the academic study of the various means by which individuals and entities relay information through mass media to large segments of the population at the same time...
). The latest shift is toward Health marketing
Health marketing
Health marketing is an innovative approach to public health that applies traditional marketing principles and theories alongside science-based strategies to prevention, health promotion and health protection....
with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC) taking the lead.
Academic resources
- Journal of Urban Health, , ISSN: 1468-2869 (electronic) 1099-3460 (paper),
See also
- Population healthPopulation healthPopulation health has been defined as “the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group.” It is an approach to health that aims to improve the health of an entire population. One major step in achieving this aim is to reduce health...
- Community mental health serviceCommunity mental health serviceCommunity mental health services , also known as Community Mental Health Teams in the United Kingdom, support or treat people with mental disorders in a domiciliary setting, instead of a psychiatric hospital . The array of community mental health services vary depending on the country in which...
- Online health communitiesOnline Health CommunitiesOnline health communities provide a means for patients and their families to learn about an illness, seek and offer support, and connect with others in similar circumstances.-Overview:...
- Prison reformPrison reformPrison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system.-History:Prisons have only been used as the primary punishment for criminal acts in the last couple of centuries...
- Urban Health Resource Center