Population Health Science: Fulfilling the Mission of Public Health
Frederick J. Zimmerman
Abstract
Policy Points The historical mission of public health is to ensure the conditions in which people can be healthy, and yet the field of public health has been distracted from this mission by an excessive reliance on randomized-control trials, a lack of formal theoretical models, and a fear of politics. The field of population health science has emerged to rigorously address all of these constraints. It deserves ongoing and formal institutional support.
Topics & Concepts
Public healthPopulation healthHealth policyPopulationField (mathematics)Public relationsHealth promotionPolitical scienceEnvironmental healthMedicineNursingMathematicsPure mathematicsPublic Health Policies and EducationPrimary Care and Health OutcomesHealth Policy Implementation Science