Word | Definition |
Health | “A state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity” (WHO, 1947) |
Community | Group of people who have common characteristics; can be defined by location, race, ethnicity, age, occupation, interest, or other common bond |
Characteristics of communities | 1. Membership
2. Common symbol system
3. Shared values and norms
4. Mutual influence
5. Shared needs and commitment
6. Shared emotional connection |
Public health | “what we as a society do collectively to assure the conditions in which people can be healthy” (IOM, 1988 |
Community health | the health status of a defined group of people and the actions and conditions to promote, protect, and preserve their health |
Population health | the health status of people who are not organized and have no identity as a group or locality and the actions and conditions to promote, protect, and preserve their health |
Personal health activities | Individual actions and decision-making that affect the health of an individual or his or her immediate family |
Community health activities | Those aimed at protecting or improving the health of a population or community |
Physical factors | industrial development, community size, environment, geography |
Social and cultural factors | beliefs, traditions, and prejudices; economics; politics; religion; socioeconomic status; social norms |
Community organization | identify problem, mobilize resources, work toward change |
Individual behaviors | takes the concerted effort of many—if not most—to improve community health |
Epidemiology | “the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in specified populations, and the application of this study to control health problems” (Last, 2001) |
Endemic Diseases | diseases that occur regularly in a population as a matter of course |
Epidemic | An unexpectedly large number of cases of an illness, specific health-related behavior, or other health-related event in a particular population |
Epidemiologist | “an investigator who studies the occurrence of disease or other health-related conditions or events in defined populations” (Last, 2001) |
Epizootic | outbreak of disease that begins in animals and spreads to humans |
Pandemic | outbreak of disease over a wide geographical area such as a continent (flu pandemic of 1918-19 killed 25 million people worldwide) |
Cases | those afflicted |
Rates | the number of events that occur in a given population in a given period of time; three categories– natality (birth), morbidity (sickness), & mortality or fatality (death) rates |
Importance of Rates | allows for a comparison of outbreaks that occur at different times or in different places |
Incidence rate | the number of new health-related events or cases of a disease in a population exposed to that risk in a given time period |
Prevalence rate | calculated by dividing all current cases of a disease (old & new) by the total population |
Attack rate | a special incidence rate calculated for a particular population for a single disease outbreak expressed as a percentage |
Acute diseases | those that last three months or less |
Chronic diseases | those that last three months or longer |
Crude rates | those in which the dominator includes the total population |
Age-adjusted rates | those used to make comparisons of relative risks across group & over time when groups differ in age structure |
Specific rates | measure morbidity or mortality for particular populations or diseases |
Notifiable diseases | infectious diseases which health officials request or require reporting |
National Electronic Telecommunications System (NETS) | the electronic reporting system used by state health departments and CDC |
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) | a report of CDC used to present notifiable disease data |
Mortality statistics | single most reliable measure of population health |
Life expectancy | average number of years a person from a specific cohort (e.g., born in 2008) is projected to live from a given point in time (e.g., birth, age 65, age 75) |
Years of potential life lost (YPLL) | number of years lost when death occurs before age 65 or 75 |
Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) | measure of the burden of disease that takes into account premature death & loss of healthy life resulting from disability |
Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE) | number of years of healthy life expected on average in a given population |
U.S. Census | Conducted every 10 years; enumeration of population |
Statistical Abstract of the United States | a book published annually that includes statistics on social, political, and economic organization |
Monthly Vital Statistics Report | Statistical summaries of records of major life events |
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) | Prepared by the CDC & reports cases of notifiable diseases in the U.S.; also includes articles on other public health problems |
Epidemic curve | a graphic display of the cases of a disease according to the time or date of onset |
Point source epidemic | an epidemic curve depicting a distribution of cases which all can be traced to a single source |
Propagated epidemic curve | an epidemic curve depicting a distribution of cases traceable to multiple sources of exposure |
Odds ratio | a probability statement about the association between a particular disease & specific risk factor resulting from a case/control study |
Relative risk | a statement of the relationship between the risk of acquiring a disease when a specific risk factor is present and the risk of acquiring that same disease when the risk factor is absent |
Communicable | caused by specific biological agent or its product and can be transmitted from infected to susceptible host |
Noncommunicable | one that cannot be transmitted from infected to susceptible host |
Acute | last < 3 months |
Chronic | last > 3 months |
Infectivity | the ability of a biological agent to enter and grow in a host |
Pathogenicity | the capability of a communicable disease agent to cause disease in a susceptible host |
Agent (Communicable Disease Model) | the element that must
be present in order for cause
of the disease to occur |
Host (Communicable Disease Model) | Any susceptible
organism invaded
by an infectious agent |
Environment (Communicable Disease Model) | All other
factors that inhibit or
promote disease
transmission |
Pathogen (Chain of Infection) | the disease-causing agent (e.g.,
virus, bacteria, rickettsiae, protozoa, fungi
& yeasts, nematoda) |
Reservoir (Chain of Infection) | the habitat in which an infectious agent normally lives & grows |
Human Reservoir | Anthroponoses; symptomatic or asymptomatic |
Animal Reservoir | Zoonoses |
Environmental Reservoir | Plants, soil, & water |
Portal of exit (Chain of Infection) | the path by which an agent leaves the source host |
Modes of Transmission (Chain of Infection) | how pathogens are passed |
Direct (immediate transfer) | direct contact, droplet spread |
Indirect | airborne, vehicleborne, vectorborne (mechanical & biological) |
Portal of entry | agent enters susceptible host; means (respiratory, oral, skin, intravenous, gastrointestinal) |
New host | final link is a susceptible host |
Coronary heart disease (CHD) | Characterized by damage to the coronary arteries; also called coronary artery disease; #1 killer |
Atherosclerosis | Narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from the build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of the blood vessel |
Cerebrovascular disease (stroke) | Blood supply to the brain is disrupted; #3 killer |
Cancer | occurs when cells lose control over their growth and division; develop into a tumor; #2 killer |
Metastasis | parts of the tumor break off & travel to the rest of the body’s organs & continue their growth |
Stages | I, II, III, & IV; most curable in early stages |
Leading causes of death | CHD, cancer, stroke |
Years of potential life lost | cancer, CHD, unintentional injuries |
Economic cost to society | alcohol and other drugs |
Prevention | the planning for & taking of action to forestall the onset of a disease or other health problem (e.g., immunization) |
Intervention | taking action during an event (e.g., taking an antibiotic) |
Control | containment of disease; limiting transmission |
Eradication | total elimination of the disease |
Primary Prevention | measures that forestall the onset of illness or injury during the pre-pathogenesis period (e.g., immunizations) |
Secondary Prevention | measures that lead to early diagnosis & prompt treatment of a disease or injury to limit disability or prevent more severe pathogenesis (e.g., screenings) |
Tertiary Prevention | measures aimed at rehabilitation following significant pathogenesis (e.g., physical therapy) |
Community Organizing | “A process through which communities are helped to identify common problems or goals, mobilize resources, and in other ways develop and implement strategies for reaching their goals they have collectively set” (Minkler & Wallerstein, 2005) |
Community capacity | Community characteristics affecting its ability to identify, mobilize, & address problems (Goodman et al., 1999) |
Empowered community | “One in which individuals and organizations apply their skills and resources in collective efforts to meet their respective needs” (Israel et al., 1994) |
Participation & relevance | “Community organizing that starts where the people are and engages community members as equals” (Minkler & Wallerstein, 2005) |
Social capital | “relationships and structures within a community that promote cooperation for mutual benefit” (Minkler & Wallerstein, 2005) |
Locality development | based on the concept of broad self-help participation from the local community |
Social planning | is heavily task oriented, stressing rational-empirical problem solving & involves various levels of participation from many people & outside planners |
Social action | a technique that involves the redistribution of power & resources to disadvantaged segments of the population |
Recognizing the issue (Generic Approach to Community Organizing) | From the inside– grass-roots, citizen initiated, bottom up
From the outside– top down |
Gaining entry into the community (Generic Approach to Community Organizing) | Gatekeepers
Being culturally sensitive & working toward culturally competent |
Organizing the people (Generic Approach to Community Organizing) | Executive participants
Networking & expanding the constituencies
Creating an association, task force or coalition |
Assessing the community (Generic Approach to Community Organizing) | Needs based vs. assets based; mapping
Community building: “an orientation to community that is strength-based rather than need-based & stresses the identification, nurturing, & celebration of community assets” (Minkler, 2005) |
Primary building blocks | located and controlled in the neighborhood: individuals (skills), organizations |
Secondary building blocks | assets located in the neighborhood, but controlled outside: schools, hospitals, housing, social services |
Potential building blocks | resources outside the neighborhood and controlled outside: welfare, public information |
Determining the priorities & setting goals (Generic Approach to Community Organizing) | Build ownership
5 criteria for selecting problem: winnable, simple & specific, must unite, affect many & build community, & part of larger plan (Miller) |
Arriving at a solution & selecting intervention strategies (Generic Approach to Community Organizing) | Create an intervention
Avoid turfism |
Health education | “any combination of planned learning experiences based on sound theories that provide individuals, groups, and communities the opportunity to acquire information and the skills to make quality health decisions” (Joint Committee, 1991) |
Health promotion | “any planned combination of educational, political, environmental, regulatory, or organizational mechanisms that support actions and conditions of living conducive to health of individuals, groups, and communities” (Joint Committee, 1999) |
Maternal, Infant, and Child (MIC) Health | the health of women of childbearing age from pre-pregnancy through pregnancy, labor, and delivery, the postpartum period and the health of the child prior to birth through adolescence |
Family | “A group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people (including subfamily members) are considered as members of one family.” – U.S. Census Bureau |
Family | “Two or more persons who are joined together by bonds of sharing and emotional closeness and who identify themselves as being part of a family.” – Friedman |
Unmarried mothers (compared to married mothers) are more likely to have | Lower education
Lower incomes
Greater dependence on welfare |
Teenagers who become pregnant and have a child are more likely than their peers who are not mothers to: | Drop out of school
Not get married or have a marriage end in divorce
Rely on public assistance
Live in poverty |
Roe v. Wade | A 1973 Supreme Court decision that made it unconstitutional for state laws to prohibit abortions |
Pro-life | A medical/ethical position that holds that performing an abortion is an act of murder |
Pro-choice | A medical /ethical position that holds that women have a right to reproductive freedom |
Maternal health | The health of women in the childbearing years, including those in the pre-pregnancy period, those who are pregnant, and those who are caring for young children |
Maternal mortality | The death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental cau |
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) | Grants 12 weeks of unpaid leave to men or women after the birth of a child, an adoption, or in the event of illness in the immediate family |
Family Support Act | Provides funding for child care assistance to welfare parents who are employed or participating in an approved training program |
Adolescents & young adults | 15–24 yrs. of age |
Adults | 25–64 yrs. of age |
Puberty to maturity | face hormonal changes, physical maturation, & frequent opportunities to engage in risky behavior |
Young adults | face many physical, emotional, & educational changes (e.g., completion of physical development & maturity, marriages, starting families & careers) |
Number of Adolescents and Young Adults | Peaked at 21% in 1979 with baby boomers; in 2005 the number was just over 14%; ~66% were white |
Living Arrangements | In 2005, 32% lived in single-parent homes; 66% of black children lived in single-parent homes |
Employment Status | has remained relatively constant since 1980 |