Social Pharmacy is a key subject in D. Pharmacy, and understanding concepts of health and pharmacist roles are clearly important than just memorizing. In this post, Social Pharmacy Important questions are explained in simple language, which is useful for MSBTE, AKTU, BTEUP, RUHS and other state boards.
1) Health and Various Dimensions of Health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition highlights that health is a positive concept and includes overall well-being, not just freedom from illness.
Physical health refers to the normal functioning of the body and its organs. In a physically healthy person, all cells, tissues, and organs work efficiently. Indicators of good physical health include normal height and weight, good appetite, normal breathing, and proper functioning of sense organs like eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin. Vital parameters such as blood pressure, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and heart rate are commonly used to assess physical health.
Mental health is related to psychological well-being. It is as important as physical health and reflects a balanced relationship between an individual and the environment. A mentally healthy person is emotionally stable, behaves appropriately in society, adjusts well to life situations, and can face problems calmly and solve them logically.
Social health indicates how well an individual interacts with society. It represents harmony between the individual and the community. Social relationships, family support, education, and social development play an important role in maintaining good health.
Spiritual health is related to the inner self or soul. It helps maintain balance between physical and mental health. Practices like yoga, meditation, and spiritual thinking promote inner peace and overall well-being.
Emotional health deals with feelings and emotions. Long-term emotional disturbances such as anxiety, sadness, stress, or anger can negatively affect physical and mental health and may lead to psychological disorders.
Vocational health refers to satisfaction and stability in one’s occupation. Job security, safe working conditions, and financial stability contribute to good health, while unemployment or job dissatisfaction can disturb mental, social, and physical well-being.
2) Various Indicators of Health
To assess the health status of a community, various indicators are used.
Mortality indicators reflect death patterns in a population. These include Infant Mortality Rate, which measures deaths of infants below one year per 1000 live births, Child Mortality Rate for children aged one to four years, disease-specific mortality rate, and crude death rate, which indicates total deaths per 1000 population per year.
Morbidity indicators measure the occurrence of disease in a population. Incidence refers to new cases occurring during a specific period, while prevalence refers to total existing cases at a given time. Hospital attendance rate also reflects morbidity levels.
Disability indicators measure the proportion of people suffering from temporary or permanent disability due to disease or injury, indicating the burden of illness in the community.
Nutritional status indicators assess health using measurements such as height, weight, and haemoglobin levels in children and adults, helping identify malnutrition.
Healthcare service indicators reflect the availability and accessibility of health services, including the number of doctors, hospitals, hospital beds, and pharmacies.
Socioeconomic indicators include literacy rate, employment status, population growth, and mental health status, which strongly influence community health.
Quality of life indicators measure living conditions and life satisfaction, indirectly representing the overall health of a nation.
Environmental indicators assess pollution levels of air, water, and noise, as a healthy environment is essential for good public health.
3) National Health Policy (NHP)
The National Health Policy is formulated by the Government of India to provide direction and guidance to the healthcare system. It aims to improve population health by strengthening healthcare infrastructure, promoting preventive care, and ensuring equitable access to health services. The first National Health Policy was introduced in 1983.
The priority areas of the National Health Policy include reduction of maternal and child mortality, control of communicable diseases, prevention and management of non-communicable diseases, strengthening primary healthcare services, development of trained healthcare manpower, improvement of healthcare infrastructure, promotion of AYUSH systems, provision of affordable and accessible healthcare, and strengthening health education and public awareness.
4) Demography and Demographic Cycle
Demography is the scientific study of human populations, including their size, composition, distribution, and changes over time. It helps in understanding population trends and planning health services.
The demographic cycle consists of five stages. In the high stationary stage, both birth rate and death rate are high, so population remains stable. In the early expanding stage, death rate decreases while birth rate remains high, leading to rapid population growth. In the low stationary stage, both birth rate and death rate are low, resulting in population stability. In the declining stage, birth rate falls below death rate and population begins to decline. In the advanced declining stage, population decline continues, as seen in some East European countries like Germany and Hungary.
5) Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the scientific study of the distribution and determinants of diseases, disabilities, and health-related events in a population. The term comes from Greek words: Epi meaning among, Demos meaning people, and Logos meaning study.
Quantitative epidemiology measures health events using incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality, rates, and ratios.
Descriptive epidemiology describes disease distribution according to time, place, and person. Analytical epidemiology studies associations and identifies causes of diseases.
Experimental epidemiology involves controlled studies to evaluate preventive and therapeutic interventions.
Epidemiology is used for community diagnosis, monitoring changes in health status, disease surveillance, early detection of outbreaks, outbreak investigation and control, and for planning and evaluation of health services.
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