Writing a public health essay requires you to select a topic in public health and provide evidence-based arguments to support it. Public health essays raise awareness of health issues in society and also influence policy changes. This article gives you a guide on how to write a public health essay, describes the importance of public health, and addresses ethical issues in public health.
What is a public health career goals essay? A public health career goals essay describes a person’s goals and aspirations for a career in the public health sector. This type of essay is needed for admission to universities, scholarships, and public health jobs. The main aim of writing this essay assignment is to highlight the applicant’s enthusiasm for public health, their knowledge of the area, and their goals for advancing community health.
Writing a compelling public health essay
Below is how to write a public health essay:
- Choose a relevant topic
You should start by choosing a topic that is relevant to the public health field. You should ensure you choose a topic that you are interested in and can compose an essay about it. You should also ensure the topic relates to current challenges and interests in the field, whether it be environmental health, disease prevention, or healthcare inequities.
- Conduct a thorough research
After choosing the topic, you should conduct a thorough research. You should conduct research from reliable sources including scholarly publications, official documents, and medical associations. When conducting the research, you should note down the key points from the research in an outline. Writing a public essay outline is similar to writing a college essay outline.
- Write a strong thesis statement
Come up with a strong thesis statement that describes your essay’s main argument. Your thesis statement should show what your essay will entail. The thesis statement should be concise, clear, and well-written.
- Write the introduction
You should write an engaging introduction to capture the reader’s attention. Give background information on the topic and describe its significance in the public health field. Complete the introduction with the thesis statement describing the essay’s main idea.
- Write the literature review
In the literature review section, you should summarize the literature that is relevant to your topic. Determine the main themes, points of contention, and gaps in the literature that your essay will address.
- Write the body paragraphs
You should write body paragraphs that support the thesis statement. Each body paragraph should have a unique key point. Write well-structured body paragraphs with a topic sentence that introduces the key point, the middle sentences that have evidence-based information and your analysis, and finally the concluding sentences that conclude the entire paragraph.
You should use proper transition words transition from one paragraph to the next. You should add reliable facts and figures that support your main theme. You should also recognize possible counterarguments and address them in the essay. Being cognizant of opposing viewpoints enhances the overall validity of your claim.
- Write the conclusion
The conclusion is a summation of the whole essay thus you should not add new ideas to it. Restate your thesis statement again, emphasize the importance of your findings, and offer possible directions for future study.
- List the references
After completing the essay, you should list all the sources you cited your work from. When writing the references use the instructed essay writing format.
- Revise and edit
You should revise your essay to check for any grammatical or punctuation errors. You should check if your essay is well-organized and your thesis statement is well-supported. You can also give the essay to your peers to read it and give you feedback on how to improve it. Edit your public health essay and submit it.
Using the steps above, you will be able to compose a good public health essay. Your public essay can be a long essay like a 3000-word essay or a short essay depending on the assignment requirements. Always follow all the instructions when writing your public health essay.
Why is public health important essay?
Public health plays an important role in safeguarding and improving population health. Below is the importance of public health:
a) Prevention and control of diseases
Public health aims to stop the spread of illness, which lessens the total strain on healthcare systems. Public health experts put up endless efforts to stop the spread of infectious diseases within society through immunization campaigns, disease surveillance, and health education.
b) Reduction of health disparities
Public health initiatives aim to reduce health disparities by ensuring healthcare services can be accessed by all people regardless of their economic status or background. These initiatives also ensure healthcare services are accessible in marginalized areas.
c) Preparing and responding to emergency
Public health plays a critical role in both preparing and responding to emergencies, whether the emergency is a natural disaster, epidemic, or health crisis. A strong public health system guarantees efficient coordination and prompt action to lessen the impact of crises on public health.
d) Promotes environmental health
Public health promotes a healthy living environment by addressing factors that affect health and promoting hygienic living. It regulates hazardous materials, encourages sustainable behaviors, and keeps an eye on the quality of the air and water.
e) Health policy development
Public health promotes the development of health policies in the health sector that benefit the public health. These policies improve healthcare delivery, reduce the cost of healthcare services, and improve healthcare accessibility. Advocating for evidence-based policy ensures healthcare decisions follow the principles of public health.
f) Promotion of general health and wellbeing
Public health places a strong emphasis on disease prevention and promotion of health to encourage people to lead healthy lifestyles. It enables communities to make better health decisions by providing information which includes campaigns focusing on issues including mental health awareness, physical activity, nutrition, and quitting smoking.
Ethical issues in public health
Public health has various ethical issues. These ethical issues should be addressed to ensure guarantee that public health initiatives are fair, just, and considerate of people’s rights. Below are ethical issues in public health:
- Healthcare disparities
Healthcare disparities is a common issue in public health since most people cannot access healthcare services due to economic status or social background. Public health should reduce health disparities by ensuring there are affordable and accessible healthcare services to all regardless of their economic status or background.
- Allocation of resources
Unequal distribution of limited resources such as medications or vaccinations is an issue in public health. Public health should ensure the distribution of resources is directed by the values of fairness, openness, and the population’s general welfare. This ensures there is equal distribution of the limited resources.
- Community involvement
Public health sometimes fails to involve the community in decision-making which may affect culture. Public health should value community involvement, honor local customs, and steer clear of paternalistic methods when implementing public health initiatives.
- Informed consent
When participating in a public health initiative, sometimes adequate information about the initiative is not given to the participants. It is crucial to guarantee that people possess sufficient knowledge and comprehension to make well-informed choices regarding their involvement in public health initiatives.
- Stigmatization
Certain groups or people may get stigmatized as a result of public health programs focused on controlling contagious diseases. Achieving a balance between safeguarding public health and preventing stigmatization is essential.
- Confidentiality and Privacy
It is a constant struggle to strike a balance between the necessity of public health surveillance and data gathering and individual privacy rights. Finding the ideal balance is essential to upholding public trust and successfully managing health risks.
Examples of ethical issues in public health
Below are examples of ethical issues in public health:
a) Accessibility of healthcare services
It is a persistent ethical concern to guarantee fair access to healthcare services, especially in situations where resources are scarce. There may be concerns regarding justice and fairness when deciding who has priority access to medical treatment.
b) Quarantine and isolation protocols
Implementing isolation or quarantine protocols presents moral dilemmas about people’s rights and liberties. It might be difficult to strike a compromise between upholding individual liberty and preserving public health.
c) Policies of vaccination
Striking a balance between the public health necessity to create herd immunity by stopping disease outbreaks and the individual’s freedom to refuse vaccinations owing to personal views or medical circumstances. For example, should vaccination be mandatory for all, or should it be a personal choice?
Public health essay topics
When writing a public health essay, you should choose a topic you understand and can compose a good essay about. Below are various public health essay topics:
- The benefits of the public health sector
- Impacts of a pandemic on the public health
- Way in which public health promotes general well-being
- Strategies to reduce infectious diseases
- Effects of water pollution on humans
- Benefits of childhood vaccination
- The significance of global healthcare
- Control measures of childhood obesity
- Challenges faced by the public health sector
- Strategies to mitigate drug abuse and addiction
To sum up
Writing a public health essay requires you to choose a relevant topic, conduct research, and compose an essay with evidence-based information on the topic. Use this article as a guide when writing a public health essay. Is your public health essay stressing you? Stress no more. Use our essay writing services today and get a well-written essay.
