Public Health

&

COVID-19

What is public health?

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Public Health

“the 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.” — CEA Winslow

Focuses on protecting health at the level of the community

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“a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” —World Health Organization (WHO)

• Health can be broken down into distinct types:
• Physical: our body’s condition
• Mental: our state of mind
• Social: our interactions with others
• ALL are important, not just physical

Health in Public Health

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• Prevention and Intervention!

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• What do you think these strategies involve?

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How does Public Health Protect our Community?

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Prevention

Strategies that keep diseases from affecting individuals or limit the extent of their effects.

• Focuses on preventing the occurrence of disease in the first place
• What are some strategies for primary prevention of these common conditions?
1. Heart Disease
2. Type II Diabetes
3. Depression
4. Skin Cancer
5. Influenza

Primary Prevention

Primary Prevention in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Social Distancing
• Masks
• Vaccines (Pfizer, Moderna, J&J, Astrazeneca)
• Isolation of confirmed cases

Why are each of these considered primary prevention strategies?

Are the impacts of these strategies the same for all people?

Primary Prevention in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Inequities in vaccine access can limit its benefits for certain LA populations - what causes inequities?

Data from Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LACDPH) - LINK

Differing Social Determinants of Health

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• Understanding social determinants of health is CRUCIAL - these directly impact the effectiveness of prevention among individual populations
• What are some ways social determinants of health can impact access to primary prevention measures of COVID-19?

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Example: Vaccine Hesitancy

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• People who have access to the vaccine opting not to receive it due to concerns about:
• Efficacy (does it really work?)
• Adverse events (side effects) - especially because of the speed in which they were developed
• Past exploitation of minority groups in healthcare (covered in a future lesson)
• May sometimes be overrepresented in explanations of vaccine access inequity

• Focuses on screenings that detect disease early
• What are some strategies for secondary prevention of these common diseases?
• Heart Disease
• Type II Diabetes
• Depression
• Skin Cancer
• Influenza

Secondary Prevention

Secondary Prevention in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Regular Testing
• Symptom Monitoring Surveys

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Why are each of these considered secondary prevention strategies?

How do social determinants of health impact access to secondary prevention strategies?

Secondary Prevention in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Secondary prevention relies on individuals having access to
• Doctors
• Health Care Facilities
• Health Insurance
• … which isn’t always the case

Secondary Prevention in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Data from LACDPH’s 2015 report on health insurance coverage - LINK

• Focus on treating/managing disease and relieving symptoms
• What are some strategies for tertiary prevention of these common diseases?
• Heart Disease
• Type II Diabetes
• Depression
• Skin Cancer
• Influenza
• Most difficult form of prevention - WHY?

Tertiary Prevention

Tertiary Prevention in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Hospitalization/ICU Care
• Ventilators
• Antivirals

Why are each of these considered tertiary prevention strategies?

How do social determinants of health impact access to tertiary prevention strategies?

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Intervention

Guidelines and policies that implement prevention strategies.

• Responsible for directly improving communities’ public health
• Decreased the incidence of infectious diseases like pneumonia and tuberculosis
• Ensure that water and air quality are regulated
• Helped increase life expectancy over time
• More on specific public health policies in a future lesson!

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Intervention’s Importance

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Intervention’s Importance

Intervention in the COVID-19 Pandemic

• Stay-at-home orders and travel restrictions
• Mask and vaccine mandates
• Proof of vaccination/ negative test result requirements

Can you think of any others?

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Activity: Reflect

We just went through a LOT of information - how does it apply to your experiences during the pandemic?

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Feel free to explore the CDC’s COVID tracker for interactive data on the pandemic, or the CDC’s strategies for ensuring health equity during the pandemic

Project

Brainstorming!

Start to narrow down

your research interest

to one topic

• Brainstorm activity - finish by January 11th
• Office Hours Next Monday 6:00 - 7:00pm PST

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Research