Kids "R" Us =)

When one thinks about Public Health you thinks about well being of the population, but a more stable definition of public health is the science that focuses and emphasizes prevention of diseases and illnesses through health promotion. We also tend to implement interventions in which involves treatment of the community. Public health is a very common and integral part of life itself, for if you think of anything, there is some affiliation to public health whether it is from a safety issue, health issue, policies etc.

The area we chose to put our sticker was at The University Mall. Here at the mall there is a playground for kids to enjoy themselves and this was a perfect area that exemplified Public Health. You may wonder to yourself, then how does this relate to public health? The playground is an area occupied by a population and the common population there, is children. Children tend to get sick easily due to the fact that they are actively strengthening their immunity. At the playground there are various rides and toy like objects which act as “fomites” (inanimate objects capable of spreading a disease). Children are more prone to touch themselves and put their hands in their mouths and touch other kids and so on. The chance of catching something at the playground therefore is high, and so it is important that public health measures be taken in respect to cleanliness and sanitary methods to lower the risk of spreading something.

While scoping the playground there were a few rules in regards to public health promotion. There was a sign that prohibited food, so as to keep it sanitary. There was an installed hand sanitizer stand, which provided kids with proper method of cleaning their hands, this is really important because being at the playground children emphasize their tactile sense more than anything so this was a great prevention invention. They also listed the hours that the playground was closed for, for full cleaning. This is Public Health in its entirety. Incorporating the policies and actively implementing methods that reduce the cause of diseases.