History of community health: societies were interested in and practicing physical strength, medicine, and sanitation characteristics as early as 500 B.C. As the human race transitioned into the middle Ages, health and disease were often associated with spirituality and religion; because of this, many epidemics ran rampant. During another time of transition, the Renaissance, people became smarter and more skeptical; as a result, there was a growing belief that disease was caused by the environment rather than a higher power. Shortly thereafter, science blossomed and was being used more in medicine. It was during this time period that the first vaccine was discovered and subsequently utilized. As the amount of educated people grew, so did community health. The nineteenth century introduced both the modern era of public health and the germ theory. Moving into a post-World War II era, health-conscious citizens became enamored with health insurance and promotion. Both factors continue to this day, and now a fairly high percentage of the population has been educated by health professionals to know that diseases are preventable if treated correctly. In recent years, both the United States government and the World Health Organization have been planning and acting on behalf of the health of humanity. For example, the U.S. has established its Healthy People documents and has educated its people on the dangers to its general health, whether it come from laziness, alcoholism, or terrorism.
Also, it is important to note that the four factors that affect the health of a community are physical, social and cultural, community organization, and individual behaviors.
Vocab words: health, community, community health, population health, public health, and public health system, community organizing, herd immunity, Bioterrorism
