Principles and approaches in public health practice

Public health is “the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health and efficiency through organized community effort and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private communities, and individuals.” The definition and area of public health practice is no more confined to hygiene and sanitation. It deals with the social determinants of health, i.e., from macroeconomic policies to performance of health systems. Understanding the basic principles and approaches in public health practice is essential to develop, implement, evaluate, and scale up various evidence-based public health interventions that deliver the essential services to improve and maintain the health and well-being of the individual and population. Public health practice revolves around subspeciality areas like epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, environmental and occupational health, health policy, program and management, and health economics. However, it is a dynamic and evolving field due to the ongoing newer understandings and the emergence of newer technologies.