Public health and health education

The textbook brings up-to-date information and knowledge in the field of health protection, disease prevention, healthy lifestyle and public health of the Czech Republic (CR) and the European Union (EU). It introduces modern methods of health literacy education in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). It is intended for students of undergraduate programmes in non-medical medical fields at universities and higher vocational schools.

The publication explains basic concepts in the field of public health, public health issues at the EU and Czech level. It introduces the health and social determinants of population health, health systems within the EU, the role of the WHO in health promotion and its community projects.

It also focuses on the national health and social policy of the Czech Republic, its management, and the current system of financing medical and preventive care in the Czech Republic. It mentions the current strategic documents in force in the field of public health promotion of WHO, EU, Czech Republic and the legislation in force in relation to health services and conditions of their provision, in relation to public health protection and to medical and non-medical health professions. The textbook focuses on demography and the health status of the Czech population, statistical indicators, assessment and long-term trends and compares this status with the health status of the population of selected EU countries.

At the same time, the book focuses on the determinants and risk and protective factors of lifestyle and health-enhancing or health-damaging behaviour. The latest methods of health literacy education and the results of a study on the comparison of health literacy in selected EU countries, including the Czech Republic, are presented.

It takes into account the role of health professionals in increasing health literacy of the population and successful community health promotion projects implemented in the Czech Republic for a long time, which by increasing health literacy of target population groups contribute to strengthening responsibility for their own health of the population of our country.