“Public Health is Where You Are.”
Public health is an important aspect of our lives, and it's something that we should all be aware of. National Public Health Week 2022 begins today! It is a great time to learn more about public health and how it affects us daily. This year's theme is “Public Health is Where You Are.” and each day of the week will focus on a different topic area pertinent to public health. The last couple of years has catapulted the discipline of public health into the media and international stage like we have not seen before. When I started in public health during college we supported a campaign called “This is Public Health” at the time we placed stickers around the University of Hawaii campus to bring awareness to where and how public health plays a role in our daily lives. This year's theme is full circle for me in how far the discipline of public health has come and the expansion of public health communications. I have been working in public health for over a decade, and it has been an amazing journey to play an active role in the growth and change.
One of the great things about public health is that it is everywhere. It's not just in the clinic or the hospital. It's in our homes, our schools, our workplaces, and our communities. Public health is all around us, and it's something that we should all be aware of. It's important to understand how public health affects us every day which is why this year's themes are so fitting to how we interact with public health on a daily basis.
NPHW 2022 Daily Themes
Racism: A Public Health Crisis (Monday) Public Health Workforce: Essential to our Future (Tuesday) Community: Collaboration and Resilience (Wednesday) World Health Day: Health is a Human Right (Thursday) Accessibility: Closing the Health Equity Gap (Friday) Climate Change: Taking Action for Equity (Saturday) Mental Wellness: Redefining the Meaning of Health (Sunday) Today, Why is Racism a Public Health Crisis? Racism harms us all. Racism directly affects the physical and mental health of people of color. In public health, we talk about the social determinants of health – things like income, education, em
ployment, and housing that affect our overall well-being. Racism is one of the biggest social determinants of health in the United States, and it’s a public health crisis. People of color are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes than white people, in large part because of the racism they experience. Racism can lead to stress and anxiety, which can have a negative impact on our physical and mental health. Even when socioeconomic status is removed, Black women are three times more likely to die within one year of childbirth.
We need to dismantle racism to improve the public’s health.
-Racism harms us all and has a negative impact on the physical and mental health of people of color.
-In public health, we talk about the social determinants of health, which are things like income, education, employment, and housing that affect our overall well-being.
-Racism is one of the biggest social determinants of health in the United States, and it’s a public health crisis. -People of color are more likely to experience poorer health outcomes than white people, in large part because of the racism they experience.
-Racism can lead to stress and anxiety, which can have a negative impact on our physical and mental health. -Even when socioeconomic status is removed, Black women are three times more likely to die within one year of childbirth.
-We need to dismantle racism to improve the public’s health. Follow along this week as we explore racism as a public health crisis. This is public health.
This is public health. Every day of the week will focus on a different topic area pertinent to public health across the NPHW 2022 themes.
Also, Join @PublicHealthGoals on the NPHW Twitter chat on Wednesday, April 6 from 2 PM- 3 PM EST.