Community and Environmental Health

• Environmental health

  • is concerned with how the environment affects the health of people
  • this field deals with both natural and built environments
• natural environment

  • non-artificial aspect of the world around us
  • These places are the ones that were not built by humans, and their presence can be attributed to natural means.
  • Examples of natural environments in the Philippines are rainforests, beaches, and montane forests.
• Built environments

  • refer to man-made areas
  • artificial areas created by humans for a variety of purposes
  • Some of the most common built environments include cities and towns.
  • Places that are constructed to reflect natural settings, like parks, are also still considered to be built environments.
• Both natural and built environments have effects on human health. Some examples include sunlight, particulate matter in the air, toxins in the atmosphere, parasites, and many more. These, if not managed, can potentially cause diseases in humans.
• The following should be considered when exposed in the environment:

  • What you are exposed to
  • The amount and duration of exposure
  • Individual differences
• What you are exposed to

  • There are many aspects of the natural and built environments that a person are exposed to, and many of these have health effects.
  • An example is sunlight, which allows the body to produce vitamins in the right amounts, but can damage the skin or cause cancer if exposed to in excess.
• The amount and duration of exposure

  • Other factors to consider are how often a person is exposed, and the amount that a person is exposed to it.
  • From sunlight, the most harmful to health usually comes from prolonged exposures to it. For chemicals in the environment, on the other hand, long-term exposure can negatively impact health.
• Individual differences

  • What affects one person may not necessarily affect another. There are also distinct differences between people, and not everyone will react to the environment in the same way.
  • An example would be that some people are more naturally resistant to ingesting toxins as a result of them being of a larger body mass and size.
• Environmental Health Watchlist


  The following are areas of concern of Environmental Health:

  Disaster management

  Good air quality

  Parasite control

  Others (such as waste management, chemicals, food safety, etc.)
• In biology, a community refers to a group of different species living together within one area.
• Community

  • In the field of environmental health, however, the term community refers to a group of people living in a given place.
  • It does not just apply to the inhabitants that are immediately around you. Your community may also indicate your neighbors, the other people within your vicinity, the people you interact with, the people they communicate with, and so on.
• Disaster management


  This involves the prevention and mitigation of the effects of natural calamities. Monitoring and catering the health of the environment can help in mitigating the hazards brought by disasters.
• Good air quality


  The quality of air that we breathe in directly affects respiratory health. An example of good quality air is that which does not have high amounts of particulate matter
• Parasite control


  The control of parasites is of particular concern in many urban areas, where their spread is common.
• As all communities reside in either natural or built environments, they are also frequently exposed to the many factors within these environments. The quality of each environment varies, and the more toxic environments generally lead to worse health in the members of the communities exposed to them.
• Many built communities, for example, pose more risks to human health if proper precautions are not observed. Things like poor air quality, noise pollution, or the presence of toxins are threats to human health and are relatively common in large cities.
• Ecosystem Services.

  • A vast majority of natural environments and some built environments provide ecosystem services.
  • refer to the benefits that communities gain from the environment as a result of natural processes occurring.
  • Examples include fresh air (through photosynthesis of plants), water (through the water cycle), or preventing disasters like floods (through trees).
• Human activities, however, have been consistently degrading the quality of natural environments in recent decades. It led to these natural environments to lose many of their beneficial qualities. Examples include deforestation of mountains or excessive pollution of bodies of water. The loss of these beneficial qualities leads to declines concerning ecosystem services, and adversely impacts communities.
• While the health and safety of individuals are also concerns of the field of environmental health, it mostly deals with the well-being and health of communities.
• The dynamics of many of the factors that can affect humans change when considered in a larger scale like a community, as opposed to taking into account just one person. An example would be the case of how parasites spread. The spread of parasites is usually faster in areas with high population density, or areas that have more people within a unit of space.
• Healthy Community

  • one that has physically healthy members, as well as people that work to improve the natural and built environments to benefit the lives of everyone involved.
  • are also sustainable and do not waste and overuse resources
• It takes the efforts of more than just one person to build a healthy community. The collective effort of the community as a whole is needed in order to properly create a sustainable environment that will eventually lead to a healthy community.
• Steps to Build a Community


  There is no definite set of steps to follow to build a healthy community, but it mostly involves making a safe, healthy, and sustainable environment. Some concrete actions that can be done include the following:

  • Segregating waste
  • Planting more trees
  • Cleanup projects
  • Education
  • Others
• Segregating waste


  This includes separation of biodegradable wastes to non-biodegradable wastes. Waste segregation and other waste management strategies will help in the reduction of pollution in the environment.
• Planting more trees


  Planting trees will improve the quality of air, and eventually, respiratory health.
• Cleanup projects


  Initiating causes like cleanup projects will help lessen wastes in the environment hence, the spread of diseases will also be prevented. Acts like this will also promote environmental awareness that can potentially motivate others to do the same.
• Education


  Educating people on the various aspects of the environment that can affect the health of the community is perhaps the most important. Education leads to awareness, which leads to action.
• Others


  Many other activities can be done, including recycling, properly disposing of wastes, preventing the spread of parasites, and more.
• How a Healthy Environment is Beneficial for Communities


  Having an environment that is healthy will have multiple benefits on the communities associated with them. Some of the benefits include the following:

  • Healthier People
  • Less Health Care Expenses
  • Contentment and Happiness
  • Good Source of Income
• Healthier People

  • A healthy environment will naturally have fewer factors that can physically harm the residents of the community, and more elements that can be beneficial.
  • If the conditions in the environment are favorable for humans, then this will naturally lead to a community that is more physically healthy compared to other settings.
  • A good, healthy environment will also lead to fewer diseases in the population.
• Less Health Care Expenses

  • The fewer diseases there are, then the fewer expenses for healthcare there will be for the inhabitants of the community.
  • Hospitalization and medication expenses can reach astronomical amounts depending on the diseases involved, and a healthy environment can help reduce this.
• Contentment and Happiness

  • A healthy environment will also lead to a general sentiment of contentment and happiness within a community, compared to an environment that is not healthy.
  • Many studies show that healthy people generally report higher satisfaction compared to those that aren’t.
• Good Source of Income

  • A healthy environment can also be a good source of income for the inhabitants of the community.
  • As seen in many rural areas, pollution levels are low. Many of these areas are capable of producing crops that are the primary source of income of many of the community’s inhabitants.
  • Like in farming and fishing areas, where the inhabitants use the environment as their source of income.
• Aesthetics can also play a role in becoming a source of income.
• Ecotourism

  • tourism that primarily focuses on natural environments, and can become a stable source of income for the inhabitants of these communities.
  • There are, in fact, many communities in the Philippines that rely on ecotourism.