Public health is the science and art of improving the health and well-being of communities. Public health interventions go beyond individual healthcare to focus on preventing diseases and injuries, promoting healthy behaviors, and addressing sociocultural, economic, and environmental factors that impact health.
While topics of public health, such as maternal health, child health, and epidemiology of infectious and noncommunicable diseases, require familiarity with clinical terms and concepts, the author demystifies medical knowledge to make it accessible to a wider audience. Challenges faced by low-income countries, as well as success stories from developed nations, are included to make the book relevant for global readers.
With a focus on essentials and priority issues, the author employs simple and straightforward language to present situational cases that shed light on global public health challenges and possible interventions. To stimulate analytical thinking and encourage readers to approach the subject with scientific rigor, concepts and facts are substantiated with their background, rationale, or application. Readers should be able to relate learnings with their field experience.
While this book is primarily for public health practitioners, including community health nurses and physicians, social workers, and health managers, it may be a valuable resource for anyone interested in public health and its application in creating healthier societies.