What is social health?

By Dr. Mohamad E. Allaf
Updated 2021-02-17 19:44:39 | Published 2018-07-28 07:05:00
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Social health

Public health is the health of the population as a whole, formed due to the impact of social and biological factors. It is estimated based on certain indicators: basic (demographic, indicators of morbidity, physical development), additional medical-demographic and sociological. This is a combination of sciences, skills and concepts aimed at preserving the health of all people through collective or social action. In the corresponding programs, services and institutions, special attention is paid to the prevention of diseases and the health-related needs of the general population.

Measures to protect public health are changing along with technology and social values, but the main goals remain the same: reduction of morbidity, prevention of premature mortality and acquired inconveniences and disability resulting from a disease. Thus, public health is a social institution, discipline and practice.

Based on the analysis of world trends, the management of public health should be understood as a set of public infrastructure activities with the following areas:

  • supporting and developing appropriate strategies and creating an institutional structure for the health sector, promoting the effective implementation of health-related aspects in social, economic and environmental policies;
  • sustaining health promotion and health development programs;
  • creation of mechanisms for monitoring the health of the population and its habitat, as well as for conducting multifactor research in the system environment – public health;
  • promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing environmental, social and behavioral risk factors for human health;
  • adaptation to the needs of the population the services that allow to pay closer attention to one's own health;
  • providing high-quality, up-to-date and accessible information: to population – on health and healthy lifestyles; to the government and to policy-makers – to develop tactical and strategic solutions for strengthening public health, increasing its capacity and resources.

One of the most important sections of the overall social health is the hygiene of the individual way of life. The formation of a responsible attitude to one's health among the population works produces a great economic effect on each unit of social investment in comparison with the demand of the society to increase the financing of medical medicine. Therefore, a compelling motivation and qualitative social and propaganda of work aimed at making the health of the population a primary basic life value becomes an urgent necessity.

The importance of the problem of forming a healthy lifestyle is no longer questioned at any level of state infrastructure. However, unfortunately, this most often occurs not based on the understanding of the strategic importance of prevention for the social and economic well-being of society, but in connection with the threatening growth of negative trends in demography and the health status of the population. At the same time public authorities are implementing their sincere desire to raise the level of public health in a standard way, i.e. mainly through an increase in the costs of medical medicine. At the same time, world experience shows that any system aimed at improving the health of the population through a disproportionate development of diagnostics and treatment as opposed to prevention tools will eventually reach the limit of effectiveness in terms of impact on public health. So, prevention has to become the key priority for the decision-makers.

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