Public Health - Introduction

Public Health has been defined as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society."

It is concerned with threats to the overall health of a community rather than with individual-level health issues and deals with preventive rather than curative aspects of health.

A large range of factors are known to affect health, both positively and negatively.These include the age, sex and genetic makeup of individuals, as well as lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet and exercise. Wider determinants such as community networks, living and working conditions, healthcare services, and general socio-economic and environmental conditions also influence health.

The health of the nation is not just the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government and the NHS then. Everyone has a part to play in improving health in Wales.

This idea of organisations and individuals sharing responsibility was reinforced by the ‘Review of Health and Social Care in Wales’, which showed that the demand for health and care services is unsustainable in the longer term. So greater emphasis needs to be placed on preventing ill health in the first place, to free up our health service to treat unavoidable disease.