Community as Public Health Week
The 2022 theme for Public Health Week is Community!
Evidence-based research states that a community emerges as a group of people with diverse characteristics linked by social ties, sharing common perspectives, and engaging in joint action in geographical locations or settings for marginalized people of color to our political, educational, and mental advancement. It can also impact our physical health and wellbeing.
Public health focuses on the scientific process of preventing infectious diseases, while community health focuses more on the overall contributors to a population’s physical and mental health. The CDC states that community health “helps to reduce health gaps caused by differences in race and ethnicity, location, social status, income, and other factors that can affect health.
Events like our Covid-19 pandemic showed us the need for social interaction and connection. It also made us aware of the lack of time to curate links and build relationships. We even saw during our political races that many individuals did not know the needs or even the people passing legislation within their states and counties. The lack of knowledge of what was happening in our backyard prompted people in record-breaking numbers to want to learn more about politics and education.
The book Health Behavior: Theory, Research states that community health can be improved by community engagement, community organizers, and community building. In addition, the National Institute of Health provides an extensive toolkit of ways to stay healthy while embracing your community. Below are categories and keyways for all of us to get involved with our community and center our community health.
- Make connections
- Choose the month’s book and get your homegirls together for a book club!
- Spirituality makes up a considerable component of our well-being, and it’s great to take the time to explore that.
- Words are powerful, and studies show that writing is a huge stress reliever so a poetry club can be fun.
- Take care as caregivers
- Taking breaks throughout the day and calling a loved one.
- Activities together
- Volunteering is a beautiful way to give back and connect with the community.
- Community gardens are fun and one way to address food insecurity.
Medical physicians can also be involved with their community by volunteering and research. It is not enough to just treat patients. One has to volunteer and learn about the communities they are serving. HUED programming is working to empower patients to make sure their providers are doing that.
Community is one of the fundamental blocks of well-being, and we must remember that community health is beneficial to all individuals.
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Site content is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.