Unit 8- Promoting Public
Health
By Tasniya Uddin
TASNIYA UDDIN 1
,Contents:
TASNIYA UDDIN 2
, Introduction:
What is Public health?
Public health is an attempt to improve the overall health and wellbeing of society by preventing any
diseases from occurring and through encouraging positive health of individuals within society. This is
through science as well as with the help of society.
Aims of Public Health Policy:
By planning and understanding the provision of healthcare across the nation it would
promote the overall health and wellbeing of the population.
It would require the identification and assessing the necessities and requirements of the
population.
Understanding whether there are specific groups and communities across society that fall
prey to inequalities and working to decrease these inequalities.
It would be necessary to protect and safeguard individuals, communities and other groups
within society from anything that could pose as a threat or risk to an individual’s health and
wellbeing which can be caused by environmental factors or diseases that can be spread,
such as the flu.
Conveying certain national problems to do with health over a certain time period.
Coming up with programmes to promote the idea of an early diagnosis to try and reduce the
risk of diseases becoming much worse with a later diagnosis.
A1: The origins and aims of public health policy
John Snow (1813-1858) He was an anaesthetist discovered that cholera had been spread through
the contamination of water however, other people who Snow had discussed this with thought that
cholera was caused by bad smells and pollution. Today, John Snow’s theory can be applied because
it explains how people interact with the environments that they are living in, such as people living in
dirty environments which led to the cholera outbreak. By understanding that lack of cleanliness and
hygiene can lead to worse health, the government are able to put out specific public health
strategies to tackle these problems.
Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890) analysed how the individuals living in poverty are mostly affected by
poor sanitation. He came up with the understanding that there was a connotation between the poor
standards that people are living in and the rate in which diseases and infections can spread (The
Health Foundation, 2023).
Sanitary movement and Florence Nightingale: Nightingale discovered the link between unsanitary
conditions and disease when working as a nurse during the war. Therefore, she ensured that
cleanliness was a priority when taking care of the soldiers. (Policy Navigator, 2023)
Poor law Act (1834) this is an act of parliament that ensured individuals living in poverty had
housing, clothing and food to maintain an adequate standard of living. If there were children who
had entered the work place then they would have some level of education and as a return for the
care that was provided by the law, the workers would have to work many hours. (National Archives,
2023).
First Public Health Act (1848) Edwin Chadwick was one of the main people who had instigated the
decision of the First Public health Act. He had implied that the reason for this poor health is due to
TASNIYA UDDIN 3
Health
By Tasniya Uddin
TASNIYA UDDIN 1
,Contents:
TASNIYA UDDIN 2
, Introduction:
What is Public health?
Public health is an attempt to improve the overall health and wellbeing of society by preventing any
diseases from occurring and through encouraging positive health of individuals within society. This is
through science as well as with the help of society.
Aims of Public Health Policy:
By planning and understanding the provision of healthcare across the nation it would
promote the overall health and wellbeing of the population.
It would require the identification and assessing the necessities and requirements of the
population.
Understanding whether there are specific groups and communities across society that fall
prey to inequalities and working to decrease these inequalities.
It would be necessary to protect and safeguard individuals, communities and other groups
within society from anything that could pose as a threat or risk to an individual’s health and
wellbeing which can be caused by environmental factors or diseases that can be spread,
such as the flu.
Conveying certain national problems to do with health over a certain time period.
Coming up with programmes to promote the idea of an early diagnosis to try and reduce the
risk of diseases becoming much worse with a later diagnosis.
A1: The origins and aims of public health policy
John Snow (1813-1858) He was an anaesthetist discovered that cholera had been spread through
the contamination of water however, other people who Snow had discussed this with thought that
cholera was caused by bad smells and pollution. Today, John Snow’s theory can be applied because
it explains how people interact with the environments that they are living in, such as people living in
dirty environments which led to the cholera outbreak. By understanding that lack of cleanliness and
hygiene can lead to worse health, the government are able to put out specific public health
strategies to tackle these problems.
Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890) analysed how the individuals living in poverty are mostly affected by
poor sanitation. He came up with the understanding that there was a connotation between the poor
standards that people are living in and the rate in which diseases and infections can spread (The
Health Foundation, 2023).
Sanitary movement and Florence Nightingale: Nightingale discovered the link between unsanitary
conditions and disease when working as a nurse during the war. Therefore, she ensured that
cleanliness was a priority when taking care of the soldiers. (Policy Navigator, 2023)
Poor law Act (1834) this is an act of parliament that ensured individuals living in poverty had
housing, clothing and food to maintain an adequate standard of living. If there were children who
had entered the work place then they would have some level of education and as a return for the
care that was provided by the law, the workers would have to work many hours. (National Archives,
2023).
First Public Health Act (1848) Edwin Chadwick was one of the main people who had instigated the
decision of the First Public health Act. He had implied that the reason for this poor health is due to
TASNIYA UDDIN 3
