EHS 303- Introduction to Public Health

There is no single universally accepted definition of Public Health Nutrition rather; Public health is a combination of science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting physical health and efficiency through organized community efforts. While science is objective, art is subjective (Stein, 2014). Public Health Nutrition emphasises disease prevention and promotion of well-being. Malnutrition and nutrition-related disease are a global problem. Consumption of adequate quantity and quality of nutritious foods will reduce these nutrition-related diseases and infections. Public Health Nutrition to a large extent should be evidence-based (Stein, 2014). It should be an outcome of evidence gathered through scientific studies and critical appraisal of those evidence. The availability and accessibility of adequate quantity and quality foods and encouraging people to eat them is an aspect of public health nutrition. Public health nutrition was developed in USA in response to health issues such as malnutrition, epidemics of communicable and non-communicable diseases, infant mortality, access to health care, poor hygiene and sanitation, economic depression, wars and civil rights, poor healthy lifestyles, poverty and migration, elderly care and infant care, care givers and school meals (Nnakwe, 2018) Public health nutrition involves the problems related to inadequate quantity and quality of the habitual diet; problems related to excessive intake of quantity of the habitual diet and food additives and supplement; food safety problems that affect the health and function of a large percent of the general population; nutrition problems prevented or ameliorated by identification of risk factors and early detection by screening when 18 feasible, in contrast to only specific nutrient treatment; environmental and life style risk factors and global warming, as well as natural disasters (flooding, droughts, civil strife, etc.) (……). Public health nutrition relates to problems of inadequate quantity and quality of food intake. If these problems prolongs, it results to nutrient deficiencies. In this Unit, we will discuss in details these nutrients, their sources and fuctions.