LECTURE NOTES IN HEALTH 9

According to the World Health Organization, Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity, and the ability to lead a socially and economically productive life.”

Community is also defined as a sociological group in a large place sharing one environment. It therefore includes the individual and the
family. Members of a community have a sense of identity and belongingness. They share the same values and ceremonies and have an
emotional connection.

Community Health is defined as the art and science of maintaining, protecting and improving the health of all the members of the
community through organized and sustained community efforts. It is the status of health of a defined group of people and the actions
and conditions that promote, protect and preserve their health.

Environmental Health comprises those aspects of human health that are determined by physical, chemical, biological, social and
psychosocial factors in the surrounding environment. It is concerned with the analysis and control of the environmental factors that may
affect health. It aims to prevent disease and create environments that will support healthy individuals. A healthy environment promotes a
longer life span and a better quality of life.

According to the World Health Organization (2002), the characteristics of a healthy community include:
1. A clean and safe physical environment
2. An environment that meets everyone’s basic needs.
3. An environment that promotes social harmony and actively involves everyone.
4. An understanding of local health and environment issues
5. A community that participates in identifying local solutions to local problems
6. A community whose members have access to varied experiences, means of interaction and communication.
7. Accessible and appropriate health services and facilities
8. The promotion and celebration of historical and cultural heritage
9. A diverse and innovative economy
10.A sustainable use of available resources for all

Environmental Issues in the Philippines

Every community faces various environmental problems; these problems not only affect nature itself but also have a negative impact on
the health of the people and other living things. The following are the most common environmental health problems that pose a threat to
the health of individuals and communities.

1. Improper Waste Disposal is the disposal of waste in a way that has negative consequences for the environment. Examples
include littering, hazardous waste that is dumped into the ground and not recycling items that should be recycled.

2. Deforestation is the destruction of big areas of the forests in order to make the land available for other uses such as farms,
residential areas, and commercial establishments. Some of the most common methods of deforestations are burning trees and
clear-cutting.

3. Flash Flood is a sudden flood of great volume usually caused by a heavy rain.

4. Illegal Mining is defined as the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth from an ore body,
lode, vein, seam, or reef which forms the mineralized package of economic interest to the miner in the absence of land rights,
mining license, exploration or mineral transportation permit of any document that could legitimate the on-going operations.

5. Soil Erosion happens when soil and rock are moved from one place to another by wind, water and gravity. It is a process that
occurs naturally and affects all landforms. It can be a slow process that continuous relatively unnoticed, or can occur at an
alarming rate, causing serious loss of topsoil.

6. Coral Reef Degradation is the degradation (and potential mass death) of the ocean’s corals due to the impact of human
activities. Coral mining, pollution, overfishing, dynamite-fishing, coastal development, and over tourisms are serious threats to
these marine ecosystems.

7. Oil Spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into environment especially marine areas due to human activity, the
oil may come from the wastes of factories, oil tanker, ships and drilling oil wells. It is harmful to various species of animals,
including marine mammals, bird, fish and shellfish.

8. Global Warming is the increase of temperature of the earth’s atmosphere. It is caused by the constellation factors, such as the
rise in a level of a greenhouse gases reflective properties of the earth surface and the amount of solar energy reaching the
earth. Global warming has already initiated climate change in the Philippines causing longer period of drought and more storms
that bring more powerful winds and increased the amount of rain.
The following are the focus when assessing environmental health.
⮚ Decreasing epidemics or childhood morbidity
⮚ Improving the overall preventive healthcare measures
⮚ Health regulations that cover housing, transportation and water. Environmental health addresses all human health-related issues
which include:
1. Control of Diseases Disease control is one major concern of environmental health initiatives. The waste management system
is built or upgraded to prevent water pollutants and the spread of diseases.
 2. Management of Food - Food management is another area covered by environmental health. The regulation covers
examining from how seeds are prepared and harvested, to the kind of fertilizers and pesticides used. All the way through the processing,
packaging, and storage facilities of food products.it also ensures that all ingredients are safe for human consumption.
3. Quality of Water Making sure that adequate drinking water, or potable water, is available to a community is another key issue
with environmental health. Adequate irrigation for crops is also investigated to make sure that proper drainage system is in place. The
prevention and management of environmental health issues also involve individual responsibilities, social consciousness, and
environmental policies and laws. All these factors contribute to the promotion of environmental health within the community.

Individual Responsibilities
Some examples of the roles and responsibilities of individuals concerning environmental health are as follows:

● Reuse and recycle waste products

● Conserve water, energy, and other natural resources
● Observe proper waste disposal
● Reduce the use of harmful chemicals, contaminants, and toxic materials.
● Build compost to dispose plants and kitchen waste
● Avoid the use of plastic bags and bottles, Styrofoam cups, and other nonbiodegradable products.
● Walk or ride a bike when travelling at a close distance
● Use eco-friendly products
● Participate in community projects, especially those which promote the protection and preservation of the environment. Social
Consciousness Awareness of the different environmental issues equips the individuals in a society with enough knowledge and
information on how to solve each one.

Environmental Policies and Laws Environmental law or environmental and natural resources law is a collective term for
describing the networks of treaties, statues, regulations and common and customary laws addressing the effects of human activities to
the natural environment. Being fully informed about these policies and laws and conforming to them is both an individual and a social
responsibility.

Some examples of environmental policies and laws being observed in the Philippines are the following:

RA 8749: Clean Air Act of 1999 (addresses air pollution).

RA 9275: Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004 (addresses water pollution).

RA 9003: Philippine Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000 (addresses the proper disposal of common solid wastes).

RA 9792: Climate Change Act of 2009 (aims to instill knowledge of climate change and ways to mitigate its effects).

RA 9512: National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008 (states that there shall be an integration of environmental
education in both public and private schools in all levels, including informal education even at the barangays).

P.D. 1067: Water Code of the Philippines - adopts adequate measures to conserve and regulate the use of water in commercial,
industrial and residential areas. It also provides other policy guidelines on water quality and management of water resources.

P.D. 984 – The Pollution Control Law.

P.D. 825 – Prohibits the improper disposal of garbage.

P.D. 856 – Sanitation Code - places the responsibility on the local government units for the solid waste management in their area of
production.

Prepared by:

Mrs. Genevic P. Desaluna

G9-MAPEH Teacher