The video by Mighty Fine, “What is Public Health”, has indicated that public health interventions in ancient cities focused on city planning and sanitation. This involves targeting specific groups of people like factory workers in industrial Great Britain. Public health protests to improve working conditions and reduce workplace deaths (Fine, 2021). Currently, the efforts by public health focus on addressing systematic inequalities which affect people’s health. The systematic inequalities addressed by public health include the places we were born, where we work, and the places we live. These inequalities are noted to determine our access to resources like safe drinking water and reliable health care services.
Notably, public health puts more attention to these resources because many people living without resources have more chances of dying up to 20 years earlier compared to those with resources. The other critical approach is population-based, which does not focus on individuals but on society. This approach is used by public health to inform community leaders, educators and policymakers and helps improve community health (Fine, 2021). The population-based approach helped reduce the number of motor vehicle crashes by 41% since public health implemented strategies like improved design and use of childcare seats, increased public education, and stricter laws regarding seat belts and speeding. These approaches differ from front-line healthcare providers focusing on directly offering community services, especially in rural and remote areas. The front-line health care providers provide lifesaving treatment and care and invest in training and support that better the community’s health.
Read Bolotnikova and Gostin and explore the CDC website. What are the key statistics around death and injury from auto accidents that you found striking and surprising?
The critical statistics around death and injury that I found striking is the 1.25 million deaths in 2013 across the globe from the road traffic crash. These deaths were high in just one year, which involved crushing the lives of young people aged 15 years to 29 years who were at the peak of their productive lives (Bolotnikova, 2021). The other statistic that surprised me is the cost of crashes in low and middle-income countries, which is about $65 billion to 100 billion annually. This amount is more than the money required for their development. The other figure, according to Bolotnikova, is the number of American people killed by cars in 2020, which was 42,060, which increased from 39 107 in 2019. This number of deaths by car crashes is noted to increase by 16% in 2021 (Gostin, 2018).
What public health measures do you think would help reduce fatalities and serious injuries resulting from auto accidents, especially among your friends and age peers?
The first public health measure to reduce fatalities and serious injuries caused by auto accidents is improving traffic law enforcement. These improvements will cause a rapid reduction in injuries and deaths since drivers must obey the speed limits while mandating cyclists and pedestrians to wear seatbelts (Bolotnikova, 2021). This will also require drivers to avoid drinking while drinking and put in place child restraints to change the behaviours of road users. The other measure is to improve public advocacy and road user education. Public health needs to offer thorough education programs to new drivers, and these programs should be regulated and supervised by experts from transportation departments, police and public health officers (Gostin, 2018). Schools should introduce the programs to help my friends and peers understand and develop their driving competencies early.
What do you think about the argument that the language and terms we use to discuss this challenge matter?
The language we use to talk about the challenge matters a lot because human beings are social, and they need to have the ability to communicate to socialise effectively with other people. Language is used as a communication tool, enabling people to express their feelings and thoughts and be understood by the audience. It is the only way to express the unique customs and ideas within different societies and cultures. The terms or words also represent the morals, beliefs and principles that shape the audiences’ perceptions.
References
Bolotnikova, M. (2021, September 19). America’s car crash epidemic. Vox. https://www.vox.com/22675358/us-car-deaths-year-traffic-covid-pandemic/
Fine, M. (2021). What is Public Health? Episode 1 of “That is Public Health” [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ig2cnOLFBR4/
Gostin, L. (2018, February 28). Traffic injuries and deaths: A public health problem we can solve. JAMA Network | Home of JAMA and the Specialty Journals of the American Medical Association. https://jamanetwork.com/channels/health-forum/fullarticle/2760052/
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