Public and Community Health

Antivaxxers are crazy. That is the perception we all gain from the media, the internet, celebrities, and beyond, writes Bernice Hausman in Anti/Vax, but we need to open our eyes and ears so that we can all have a better conversation about vaccine skepticism and its implications.

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer among light-skinned populations. The chief environmental cause of skin cancer is ultraviolet radiation (UVR). UVR exposure comes mainly from the sun, but over the past three decades, there has been an increase in the use of artificial sources of UVR in the form of artificial tanning devices such as sunbeds, stand up booths, and facial tanners. This deliberate exposure to UVR for cosmetic purposes is increasing the incidence of the major types of skin cancer and driving down the age of first appearance. This document is intended for government health authorities to assist in the development of public health interventions in relation to the use and management of sunbeds. The document provides a summary of health effects as well as a catalog of interventions that have been used to reduce risks associated with artificial tanning. It is supplemented by a WHO database on sunbed regulations.

How can society most effectively prevent disease and promote health? That is the challenge addressed by this textbook. Public health is the art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society. The 'science' is concerned with making a diagnosis of a population's health problems, establishing their cause and determining effective interventions. The 'art' lies in creatively addressing these problems. Essential Public Health captures both the art and science of the field.

Health Protection: Principles and practice is a practical guide for practitioners working at all levels in public health and health protection, including those with a non-specialist background. It is the first textbook in health protection to address all three domains within the field (communicable disease control; emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR); and environmental public health) in a comprehensive and integrated manner.

Obesity is a health problem that is growing rapidly in the United States and other parts of the world. In this country, it is epidemic. About one in three Americans is obese. It may be natural for people to gain at least a little weight later in life. But that is no longer the issue. The problem today is that by the time American children reach their teens, nearly one in five is already obese, a condition all too likely to continue into adulthood. This issue guide asks: How should we reduce obesity in America? It presents three different options for deliberation, each rooted in something held widely valuable and representing a different way of looking at the problem.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the focus on health informatics and healthcare technology for policy makers and healthcare professionals worldwide.. This book includes papers on the topic of the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to informatics reporting from hospitals and institutions from around the world, including South Korea, Europe, and the USA. The book encompasses the field of biomedical and health informatics in a very broad framework, and the timely inclusion of papers on the current pandemic will make it of particular interest to all those involved in the provision of healthcare everywhere.

Decisions made by the food, tobacco, alcohol, pharmaceutical, gun, and automobile industries have a greater impact on today's health than the decisions of scientists and policymakers. As the collective influence of corporations has grown, governments around the world have stepped back from their responsibility to protect public health by privatizing key services, weakening regulations, and cutting funding for consumer and environmental protection. Today's corporations are increasingly free to make decisions that benefit their bottom line at the expense of public health.

Poor quality dietary habits are one of the most pressing public health concerns of our time. As a society, we are faced with the paradox of malnutrition and overconsumption existing side-by-side. Many people in our communities deal with the stark reality of food insecurity coupled with a reliance on inexpensive, nutrient-poor calories that contribute to the nationwide prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. As a resource for both students and practitioners, Public Health and Community Nutrition provides an overview of how social determinants of health & socioeconomic factors that influence a population's or an individual's well-being & contribute to the existence of health disparities in the United States.

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of death globally, particularly among children and young adults. The spread of new pathogens and the threat of antimicrobial resistance pose particular challenges in combating these diseases. Major Infectious Diseases identifies feasible, cost-effective packages of interventions and strategies across delivery platforms to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, malaria, adult febrile illness, viral hepatitis, and neglected tropical diseases.

In today's world, we must all be ready and informed about medical and security issues while traveling. Combining the expertise of three world experts in travel, health and safety, Lizard Bites & Street Riots: Travel Emergencies and Your Health, Safety, and Security is a compact resource certain to save lives, increase comfort, and generate peace of mind; besides which, it is a mighty exciting read. The key is preparation and prevention. Lizard Bites & Street Riots informs you, in a concise, practical, non-alarmist tone how to decrease your chances of drowning, getting caught in an avalanche, being in an airplane hijacking, or becoming the victim of identity theft. And then it reveals what to do if you are. It shows you how to handle hypothermia, abdominal pain, and malaria, among many other scenarios. Thoroughly revised for our times, it provides updates on emerging viral diseases, including Covid-19.

Reading this book is like sitting down with Dr. David Satcher to hear stories of leadership and lessons learned from his lifetime commitment to health equity. Dr. David Satcher is one of the most widely known and well-regarded physicians of our time. Drawing on his early memories, medical school days, experience in the civil rights movement, and professional highs and lows, Dr. Satcher touches on a number of topics, including * the essential qualities of leadership * leading from science to policy to practice * the importance of clear communication and continual learning * the need for workplace discipline * confronting failure * specific health issues, including the obesity epidemic, reproductive health, and mental health stigma * team approaches to leadership * and much more In this book, readers will discover a template for using leadership roles of all types to eliminate health disparities. My Quest for Health Equity is a vital resource for current and rising leaders.

Nutrition is an essential part of life. It affects our health and can be applied in the prevention and treatment of disease. Substantial interventions in dietary intake and lifestyle changes have been demonstrated to cause significant decrease in disease risk in in the general population and also in patients suffering from various diseases. Traditional plant-based diets and medicines have received much attention as an alternative to modern science-based drugs, while recent technology development in bioinformatics, genomics, and proteomics has provided a better understanding of plant-based drugs, improved quality assurance and allowed the acceleration of clinical trials to bridge the gap with Western medicine. Moreover, research in nutrigenomics and epigenomics has further enhanced the knowledge of the association between nutrition and disease. The book deals with the concerns of the future well-being of our planet, the health of the global human population related to the worldwide obesity epidemic, the issues related to sustainable food production, and the need for a switch to a healthier, more plant-based diet.

Deaths from preventable disease have decreased life expectancy in the United States for the first time in a century. This book argues that we must deal with the crisis by embracing prevention as our nation's top health sector priority. In Prevention First, Dr. Anand K. Parekh, chief medical advisor of the Bipartisan Policy Center, argues that disease prevention must be our nation's top health policy priority.

A number of economic, cultural, and contextual factors are driving urban America's obesity crisis, which can create chronic health conditions for those least able to manage them. Considering urban obesity through a social justice lens, this book is the first to help social workers and others develop targeted interventions for effective outcomes. The text dissects the problem of urban obesity in populations of color from individual, family, group, community, and policy perspectives.