Introduction to Population Health

-The interrelated conditions and factors that influence the health of populations over the life course

-Identification of systemic variations in their patterns of occurrence

-Application of the resulting knowledge to develop and implement policies and actions to improve the health outcomes of those populations

Health results throughout the course of life when an individual's potential - supported by social and environmental determinants - suffice to respond satisfactorily to the demands of life

Life's demands can be physiological, psychosocial, or environmental, and they will vary across contexts, but in every case unsatisfactory responses will lead to disease

The broad range of personal, social, economic and environmental factors that determine individual and population health

According to the National Academy of Medicine, ~70% of population's health depend on non-genetic determinants

Population B has a greater prevalence of obesity than population A

-Overlap distributions of populations A and B

Objective of Population Health Science

-Shift the entire curve of Population B so that this population's BMIs are more like that of Population A

Addressing social determinants of health is the primary approach to:

-Achieving health equity

-Requires one to look beyond behavioral factors

-Addresses the underlying factors related to social determinants of health