HLT 605 Grand Canyon Week 1 DQ 2

Review the Ten Great Public Health Achievements (Exhibit 2.3) of your textbook. Select one of the 10 achievements. What is the importance of your chosen achievement to society? In your own words, defend its right to be considered a “Great Public Health Achievement.” Select three other peers’ postings and debate their analysis. Keep in mind all postings should be substantive and well supported with examples, details, and evidence. Brief responses are not appropriate.

 

MORE INFO 

The Ten Great Public Health Achievements

Introduction

Public health is not just about disease and death. It’s about changing the world for the better. If you think that sounds like a tall order, you’re right! Public health is a lot harder than it looks. In fact, there have been some truly amazing achievements that have changed our world for the better by making it safer, healthier and more enjoyable for everyone.

Vaccines

Vaccines are one of the greatest public health achievements. They have saved millions of lives and have been used to eradicate smallpox, control other infectious diseases like measles, mumps and rubella (German measles), and prevent chickenpox in children.

The first vaccine was developed in 1798 by Edward Jenner who discovered that exposure to cowpox gave people immunity against smallpox caused by a variant virus. In 1807 Alexander Gordon Laidlaw developed an oral vaccine for rabies using material from rabid dogs; this was soon followed by Francis Crick’s discovery that DNA could be used as a basis for creating viruses that could be injected into humans or animals to produce immunity against those diseases.

Motor-vehicle safety

• Seatbelts and airbags: The first half of the twentieth century was a time when car travel was considered dangerous, and it wasn’t until 1949 that seat belts became standard equipment on American cars. In 1959, the federal government mandated that all new cars sold in America include them.

• Child safety seats: Beginning in 1982, children younger than 2 years old could ride in regular adult passenger seats without being strapped into a child harness or booster seat; however, they still required shoulder belts (which were usually located right behind your head). This change took place because research showed that infants could be seriously injured if they fell forward on top of their parents’ heads while buckled into a rear-facing car seat—and more importantly because parents wanted their kids to have some independence as soon as possible!

• Anti-lock brakes: By 1997 there were more than twelve million vehicles on American roads with anti-lock brakes (ABS), which help prevent skidding by keeping wheels from locking up under heavy braking force. Today ABS technology is used in everything from luxury sports cars with speed limits over 100 mph down through economy models made for everyday driving conditions such as commuting or shopping at supermarkets; even though it doesn’t appear obvious at first glance how this makes us safer drivers overall…

Safer workplaces

The workplace is a major source of injury and illness, accounting for more than half of all cases. Many people are injured at work every year, but there is still much room for improvement. Since the early 1900s, workplace safety laws have been passed to protect workers from harm on their jobs and help them recover after an accident occurs. As technology has developed over time, so too has our ability to create safer workplaces through technology such as robotic arms and computers that can automatically detect human motion patterns in order to prevent injuries within factories or warehouses where employees may be working long hours without breaks or rest periods between shifts (i.e., shift work).

Control of infectious diseases

In the early 1900s, it was estimated that one in every three deaths in Canada could be attributed to infectious diseases. Today, we know that these numbers are much lower and that there are many ways to prevent them from spreading:

• Vaccines have helped control infectious diseases by keeping them on a tight leash. They can’t spread without a human host—and if a host is vaccinated against a particular disease, there will be no way for the virus or bacteria involved in that disease to enter into their bodies. This makes vaccinations extremely effective at preventing outbreaks of contagious diseases like measles or chickenpox (which had been common before vaccines were introduced).

• Vaccines have also helped prevent some other potentially devastating public health crises like polio epidemics and diphtheria outbreaks where thousands of people died each year because they lacked access to proper medical care and protection against infection due to poor sanitation practices during this time period; however these days antibiotics have replaced vaccines as our main method of preventing infectious diseases from spreading throughout society today

Decline in deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke

Coronary heart disease and stroke are two of the leading causes of death in the United States. They can be prevented through lifestyle changes, including eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly and not smoking.

The decline in deaths from these conditions is a great public health achievement that should be celebrated by all Americans.

Safer and healthier foods

You may be surprised to learn that the safety of food has improved. In the United States, for example, there have been no reports of E coli O157:H7 in fresh vegetables since 1998 and only five such cases over the last decade. Even more important than the fact that your lettuce is safe to eat is that it’s healthier—vegetables are often rich in vitamins and minerals like vitamin C or potassium which can help prevent disease.

In addition to improving our diet with safer foods (and making sure people don’t get sick), public health organizations have also helped us live longer lives by detecting dangerous diseases early on before they spread further throughout a community or country; preventing epidemics from taking hold in vulnerable populations; providing social support systems such as healthcare services when needed most (like during pandemics); encouraging healthy lifestyle choices such as exercising regularly–all while working towards eliminating social inequities like poverty which affect health outcomes across generations.”

Healthier mothers and babies

• Prenatal care

• Breastfeeding

• Immunizations

Family planning

Family planning is the practice of controlling the number of children in a family and the intervals between their births, particularly by means of artificial contraception or sterilization. Family planning can be used as a euphemism for contraception if it is practiced only to avoid pregnancy rather than to prevent disease or health problems.

Fluoridation of drinking water

Fluoride, a mineral that helps prevent cavities, has been added to the water supply of most U.S. cities since 1945. In fact, nearly 75% of U.S citizens live in areas with fluoridated drinking water and between 70%-90% have access to fluoridated toothpaste or other dental products.

Fluoride is one of the most effective tools we have for preventing tooth decay in young children who are at greatest risk for developing cavities as they age (1). The effectiveness of fluoride treatment has been shown in several international studies showing that communities with high levels of naturally occurring fluoride in their water supply had significantly less tooth decay than those without fluoride (2). Studies also indicate that there may be benefits beyond helping prevent cavities; some research suggests that drinking fluoridated water may help reduce rates of osteoporosis later in life due to its positive effects on bone health (3).

Recognition of tobacco use as a health hazard

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Tobacco use has been linked to many diseases and health problems, including lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. The American Lung Association estimates that tobacco kills more than 480,000 people each year due to complications from smoking.

Tobacco can be addictive because it affects brain chemistry; nicotine makes people feel good and gives them an increased sense of pleasure when they smoke or chew tobacco products (such as cigarettes). This helps them continue to want more of these substances despite knowing how harmful they are for their health in general

Takeaway:

The takeaway from this article is that there are many ways to improve public health. This can be done by changing the way we eat, how we move, and even our genetics. There are also plenty of opportunities for you to get involved in improving your local community’s health—and you don’t need to be a doctor or scientist!

Conclusion

These are just some of the ways in which we have been able to improve public health. We hope that this article has given you a sense for how far we have come and what we can do to continue improving our health in the future.