Global Health Sohail Nasir
Assistant Professor
Foundation University College of Nursing
Objectives
Define Global Health
Know the differences between global and international health research
Discuss the global health issues and its causes
Identify key challenges to global health
Recognize the importance of preventive activities in improving global
health
Recognize the need for global networking to improve global health locally
and globally
Community
Community is a collection of people who share some important feature of their
lives.
The term community refers to a collection of people who interact with one
another and whose common interests or characteristics form the basis for a sense
of unity or belonging.
It can be a society of people holding common rights and privileges (e.g.,
citizens of a town), sharing common interests (e.g., a community of farmers), or
living under the same laws and regulations (e.g., a prison community).
Community Health
A community often is defined by its geographic boundaries
A city, town, or neighborhood is a geographic community
Community health is the identification of needs, along with the
protection and improvement of collective health, within a
geographically defined area
Public health
It is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and
promoting health and efficiency through organized community efforts
for:
Sanitation of the environment
Control of communicable infections
Education of the individual in personal hygiene
Organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis
and preventive treatment of diseases
Development of the social machinery to insure everyone a standard of
living adequate for the maintenance of health.
(Clinton County Health Department, 2006, p. 1)
Public health
An effort organized by society to protect, promote, and restore the people’s
health
Concerned more with national issues. focus on populations, social justice and
equity, emphasis on preventions vs cure.
International Health GLOBAL HEALTH
More concerned with the • More recent in its origin
diseases and conditions and emphasises a
(war, natural disasters) greater scope of health
of middle and low problems and solutions
income countries.
that transcend national
boundaries requiring
greater inter-disciplinary
approach
Global health
Health problems, issues, and concerns that transcend national
boundaries, which may be influenced by circumstances or
experiences in other countries, and which are best addressed by
cooperative actions and solutions.
Global health is not about the health of one country or region.
Global health transcends boundaries and regions, encompassing
all the factors that comprise our health
Global health
Refers to any health issue that concerns many countries or is affected
by transnational determinants such as:
Climate change
Urbanization
Malnutrition – under or over nutrition
Or solutions such as:
Polio eradication
Avian influenza vaccine
Approaches to tobacco control
World Health Organization (WHO)
is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the
United Nations system.
It is responsible for providing leadership on global health
matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and
standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing
technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing
health trends.
Disciplines involved in Global Health
Social sciences
Behavioral sciences
Law
Economics
History
Engineering
Biomedical sciences
Environmental sciences
Communicable Diseases and Risk Factors
Infectious diseases are communicable but so are elements of western
lifestyles:
– Dietary changes
– Lack of physical activity
– Reliance on automobile transport
– Smoking
– Stress
– Urbanization
Key Concepts related to Global
Health
Determinants of health
Measurement of health status
Importance of culture to health
Global burden of disease
Key risk factors for various
health problems
Organization and Function of
Health Systems
Determinants of Health
Genetic make up Environmental factors
Age Working conditions
Gender Education
Lifestyle choices Access to health services
Community influences Geographical location
Income status Culture
Determinants of Health
Political Stability
Civil Rights
Environmental Degradation
Population Growth/Pressure
Urbanization
The Measurement of Health Status
Cause of death
Life expectancy at birth
Maternal mortality rate
Infant mortality rate
Neonatal mortality rate
Child mortality rate
importance of culture to health
Culture
The predominating attitudes and behavior that characterize the functioning of
a group or organization. Traditional health systems
Beliefs about health
e.g. epilepsy/ Psychoses – a disorder vs a form of possession/bad spirit.
Requiring the assistance of traditional healer/spiritualist or psychiatrist ?
Influence of culture of health
Diversity, vulnerability due to race, gender and ethnicity
The global burden of disease
Predicted changes in burden of disease from communicable to non-
communicable between 2004 and 2030
Reductions in malaria, diarrheal diseases, TB and HIV/AIDS
Increase in cardiovascular deaths, COPD, road traffic accidents and
diabetes mellitus
Ageing populations in middle and low income countries
Socioeconomic growth with increased car ownership
Key Risk Factors for Various Health
Conditions
Tobacco use –related to the top ten causes of mortality world wide
Poor sanitation and access to clean water - related to high levels of
diarrheal/water borne diseases
Low contraceptive use –– HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections
Malnutrition –Under-nutrition (increased susceptibility to infectious diseases)
and over-nutrition responsible for cardiovascular diseases, cancers, obesity
etc.
Organization and Function of
Health Systems
A health system – comprises all organizations, institutions and
resources devoted to producing actions whose primary intent is to
improve health.
Most national health systems consist:
Public & private sectors
Traditional and informal sectors:
Health Patterns In
Resource Poor Countries
Infectious/Communicable Diseases Hepatitis
Prevalent HIV/Aids
Acute Respiratory Infections (ARI) Malnutrition Related Conditions
Diarrheal Diseases (Cholera) (Calorie Deficiencies, Micro-nutrient
Malaria Deficiencies)
Trauma/Accidents
TB
Health Patterns In
Resource Rich Countries
Non-communicable Diseases are prevalent.
Causes of death (all ages):
40% Circulatory diseases, e.g. heart disease, strokes, etc.
25% Cancers
16% Respiratory diseases
5% Injuries and Poisonings
0.6% Infectious diseases
Many of these deaths are related to lifestyle factors and are
preventable
Health Patterns In
Resource Rich Countries
Lifestyle factors affecting physical and mental health:
Smoking – one third of cancer deaths related to smoking
Drinking
Healthy eating/nutrition
Physical activity
Substance abuse
