Chapter One: Abract

Chapter one began witha general overview of what the terms; health, community health, public health, and personal health are defined as. Comparing the four, and listing there differences and simalerities. The chapter then focused on the major affects and influences on community health, breaking them down into four factors; physical factors, cultural and social factors, community organization, and individual behavior.

After the initial description of the topic, the chapter progressed into the historical background of community health, providing examples as early as 500 BC. It discussed advances and struggles community health has faced through each time period, or era, that it has existed in. The destruction of small pox and black plague, and there effect on the world population; the discovery of micro bacterium and backterial inffections, use of vaccinations, and establishment of the CDC, DHS, Medicare, and Medicaid where are listed as significant events throught out the history of community health.

Next the chapter went into great detail discussing how most twenty first cenury societies are "inflicting pain on themselves". The chapter supported theory with precentages and facts comparing overall health of the nation, and overall health of each state seperatly. The chapter concluded with a description of Healthy People 2010, an ideal model of what our nations health should look like in the future, and