CONTEMPORARY PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY

Opportunities and Challenges of Contemporary Public Health Policy for Specialist Community Public Health Nursing



Opportunities and Challenges of Contemporary Public Health Policy for Specialist Community Public Health Nursing

Introduction

Several factors affect the health of populations. Some relate to the individual, its biological and genetic predisposition, others involving the community. Lifestyle habits and other behaviors of daily life style, have a major influence on health status. Living conditions and living environments (school, family, work, etc). By actions on the determinants, levels of the population and systems that govern it, public health seeks to prevent disease, protect and promote the health of populations and to protect life. Moreover, despite the efforts made in recent decades to act on these determinants of health, several phenomena present major challenges to contemporary public health. This paper proposes an analysis of key opportunities and challenges to public health and raises questions about the levers to cope, considering the efforts of structuring and organization made ??so far in Public Health Nursing.

Discussion

Opportunities and Challenges

Population health is constantly threatened by epidemics, which in many cases, extend from one continent to another. Access to care and services is particularly problematic for developing countries, most affected by this disease, and threatens the integrity of entire communities and the sustainability of health systems (Fleming, 2000, 1696-1698).

Environmental threats also pose significant challenges to public health. Air emissions generated by industries and road transport are increasingly important, and despite the efforts initiated under the Protocol which United Kingdom has so far refused to join. Many health problems related to the environment are poorly documented or not (Marceau, 2000, 25-33). To meet these challenges in the governance of health systems, should favor policies that reflect the importance of acting and to invest not only on individual determinants of health (lifestyle), which is ...