PUBLIC HEALTH POLICIES
Public Health Policies, Interventions, and Prevention
- How Public Health Policies and Interventions Affect Our Daily Lives
- Examples of Primary Prevention, Secondary Prevention, and Tertiary Prevention for Specific Disease Conditions
Chronic Diseases
Common chronic diseases include cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, obesity, arthritis, and hepatitis C (viral diseases) (Dietz et al., 2015).
- Primary Prevention
Education about maintaining safe and healthy eating habits and exercising regularly may help prevent future incidences of chronic diseases like obesity. Population-based health interventions like encouraging less sugar consumption reduce related risks such as diabetes. Immunization against infectious chronic diseases is also a primary preventive measure of disease prevention.
- Secondary Prevention
Early intervention may be conducted to decrease the prevalence of infectious chronic diseases like Hepatitis C. This involves conducting regular blood tests or diagnostic tests to detect early stages of illness and prevent further spread. Regular exams and screening tests, for instance, mammograms may be conducted to detect breast cancer disease in its earliest stages (Jacobsen, 2014). Screening tests are often the most crucial secondary preventive measure and allow early interventions that are more cost-effective than when treating the symptoms of a chronic illness.
- Tertiary Prevention
Treatment may be done to boost the immune system and reduce symptoms for patients with advanced chronic illness (Dietz et al., 2015). Conducting insulin therapies for patients with Type II diabetes would help restore body function and reduce disease-related complications. Forming support groups for members who are coping with chronic illness would also provide them with a platform to share strategies for healthy living.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that Cardiovascular Diseases (CVDs) like high blood pressure, congenital heart diseases, stroke, heart attack, and heart failure account for some of the most common health problems in the U.S. Many of these diseases are preventable, as they are highly related to lifestyle choices which include tobacco use, salt intake, and failure to engage in regular physical activity.
- Primary Prevention
Encouraging less consumption of salts to avoid cases of high blood pressure is a primary preventive measure. Other measures like regular exercises allow constant blood flow hence reducing cases of CVDs like stroke and heart attack. Education about safe habits like avoiding tobacco smoking promotes good health and reduces cases of CVDs.
- Secondary Prevention
Jacobsen (2014) suggests that CVDs prevention should go beyond primary preventive measures. Secondary prevention of CVDs focuses on social organizations and aims at modifying the conditions that lead to diseases. It addresses general health factors rather than individual exposure to risk factors. Secondary prevention may involve administering low-dose aspirins to individuals daily or offering exercise and diet programs to avoid further cases of heart attacks or strokes.
- Tertiary Prevention
To reduce the further impact of already-established CVDs and other disease-related complications, the responsible unit may decide to offer stroke or cardiac management and rehabilitation programs to enhance the quality of life. Tertiary prevention for those coping with the illness helps manage the often-complex, long-term health and improves an individual’s ability to function (Jacobsen, 2014).
References
Jacobsen, K. H. (2014). Introduction to global health. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Dietz, W. H., Solomon, L. S., Pronk, N., Ziegenhorn, S. K., Standish, M., Longjohn, M. M. … & Sanchez, E. J. (2015). An integrated framework for the prevention and treatment of obesity and its related chronic diseases. Health affairs, 34(9), 1456-1463.