Often we get to hear that this disease is a public health concern or it is a public health disease is there any standard criterion to call it a public health concern?
In terse , what are the condition or criterion to call a disease a public health condition or concern
To my knowledged there are not fixed criteria to lable a condition a "PH concern". Reasons oe rationales you frequently see in papers (especially in the introduction):
- The condition has a high prevalence (e.g. 10%) or its prevalence is/has been/is expected to be rising
- The phenomenon is a risk factor for subsequent disease (e.g. metabolic syndrome, obesity)
- High cost for individual patients, their family, and in particular social security systems (e.g. health care)
- High levels of individual suffering/impairment (e.g. DALYs)
that the things I can come up with off the top of my head. I am sure there are more "informal criteria"
Preventability can be another criterium as can be 'societal consequences' (partners get problems, alcohol leads to violence at home etc) or 'fear' if the issue is of a particularly sensitive nature (dying babies, unexpected increase in congenital malformations). Being unexpected and potentially out of control (new infectious disease) has also been an historically important criterium.
Though there is no 'definition' or 'term' - Public Health Concern as such.
According to the WHO:
"Public health refers to all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole. Its activities aim to provide conditions in which people can be healthy and focus on entire populations, not on individual patients or diseases. Thus, public health is concerned with the total system and not only the eradication of a particular disease. The three main public health functions are:
- The assessment and monitoring of the health of communities and populations at risk to identify health problems and priorities.
- The formulation of public policies designed to solve identified local and national health problems and priorities.
- To assure that all populations have access to appropriate and cost-effective care, including health promotion and disease prevention services."
A public health concern may thus be something that needs a change in the present system or a modification in order to address it. It may be a disease, a behaviour or an event. A public health concern may be a challenge to the present system of any or all of the three public health functions.
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