Public Health Study for the Welfare of Society

Public health is the study of prolonging the life of a group of people through the prevention of diseases and the promotion of health with assistance from organised efforts and informed decisions of individuals, organisations and communities within such a group. The scope of this study varies from a small number of people in a tribe to as large as everyone in a continent.

This study generally deals with the preventive aspects of health rather than the curative ones. This means that health programs are more focused on ensuring that everyone observes the proper habits to avoid illnesses. Professionals in this field also survey cases of illnesses and devise ways to avoid the spread of diseases.

Another characteristic of this endeavour is that health issues are looked upon on a population level rather than an individual level. This means that health concerns are considered for the welfare of the general public rather than individual cases.

The main aim of public health is to enhance the lives of people through the prevention and treatment of various diseases that could affect a large scale of the population. Although advanced health issues are a matter of concern for public health professionals who are assigned in major cities, simple and basic public health knowledge are still of intensive concern in many areas such as the tribal parts of many countries.

There are many humanitarian groups that reach out to tribes which have poor or no access to basic amenities that are necessary for sustainable living. These organisations want to assist these tribes to better the people's welfare in terms of health as well as education. One of these groups is the Association for Akha Education and Culture in Thailand, or AFECT, which is involved in redeveloping Thai Hill Tribes in 268 villages. You can check out the other sections of this website for information on volunteering for our organisation.