Introduction to Community and

Public Health
What is Public health?
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
Aims to improve the health of community through an
organized community effort
Concerned with threats to the overall health of a
community based on population health analysis
Typically divided into:
Epidemiology
Biostatistics
Health services

Other important subfields:

Environmental health
Social health
Behavioral health
Occupational health
Deals with:
Preventive rather than curative aspects of health

Population-level rather than individual-level health issues

What is community?
A group of people with common characteristics or
interests living together within a territory or
geographical or physical boundary
World views on community
1. Family, Community, and Society
2. Contradictions and Conflicts
3. Change
1. Family, Community, and Society
A. Individual
Patient – one who is sick
Client – one who is not sick

B. Family
Roles and relationship
* Mothers are expected to have the ability to provide care and usually takes the
role of keeping the family well and healthy by combining knowledge, attitude,
and skills
C. Community
Everything that affects the individual affects the family and
eventually the community
2. Contradictions and Conflicts
People in the community are always in constant conflict and faced with
contradictions
Intra-personal conflicts
Inter-personal conflicts
Intra-familial conflicts
Inter-familial conflicts
Intra-communal conflicts
Inter-communal conflicts
Intra-societal conflicts
Inter-societal conflicts
In the Philippines, negative regional stereotyping is very
common
People from Iloilo: “kuripot”
People from Antique: “buki”
People from Capiz: “aswang”
People from Bacolod: “mayabang”
Avoid negative perspectives, look for the source of the conflicts and try to find
solutions
Try to adapt positive perspectives in order to achieve a positive development
People from Iloilo: thrifty
People from Antique: conservative
People from Capiz: mysterious
People from Bacolod: assertive
3. Change
Inevitable or unavoidable because a community is
dynamic (active, full of life) and is always changing (not
static)

* A Community Health Worker should constantly assess

the community to come up with suitable interventions or
actions which are responsive to the people’s needs
Community as setting for community health practice
Place where people under usual or normal conditions
are found

Outside of purely curative institutions such as

hospitals

Usually centers for wellness to do health promotion

and disease prevention
Variables influencing health status, beliefs, and
practices
A. Internal Variables
B. External Variables
A. Internal Variables
Usually non-modifiable or difficult to modify

Biologic dimension - genetic makeup, sex, age, and

developmental level
Psychological dimension - emotional factors which include
mind-body interactions and self-concept
Cognitive dimension - intellectual factors which include
lifestyle choices and spiritual and religious beliefs
B. External variables
Macro-system

Environment - geographical locations determine climate, and

climate affects health, environmental hazards
Economics - standards of living reflecting occupation, income and
education is related to health, morbidity and mortality
Family and cultural beliefs - the family passes on life patterns of
daily living and lifestyles to offspring
Culture and social interactions - influence how a person
perceives, experiences, and copes with health and illness
Social support networks – political systems of governance,
religion, church, mass media