Epidemiological knowledge as a scientific value in assessment of health status of an individual and population

Cipora Elżbieta. Epidemiological knowledge as a scientific value in assessment of health status of an individual and population. Journal of Education, Health and Sport. 2017;7(8):1792-1807 eISNN 2391-8306. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1482421 http://ojs.ukw.edu.pl/index.php/johs/article/view/6292 https://pbn.nauka.gov.pl/sedno-webapp/works/886629 The journal has had 7 points in Ministry of Science and Higher Education parametric evaluation. Part b item 1223 (26/01/2017). 1223 Journal of Education, Health and Sport eissn 2391-8306 7 © The Authors 2017; This article is published with open access at Licensee Open Journal Systems of Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Poland Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial License which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author (s) and source are credited. This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non commercial license Share alike. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, non commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited. The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper. Received: 02.08.2017. Revised: 18.08.2017. Accepted: 31.08.2017. Epidemiological knowledge as a scientific value in assessment of health status of an individual and population Wiedza epidemiologiczna jako wartość naukowa w ocenie stanu zdrowia jednostki i populacji Elżbieta Cipora Medical Institute, Jan Grodek State Vocational Academy in Sanok, Sanok, Poland Abstract Introduction. The lack of an ultimately defined definition of health hinders the conducting of unified scientific studies within the wide scope of research problems based on each of the three domains of health. Objectives. Determination of advancement of the state of knowledge concerning the provision of a definition of health and discussing the importance of epidemiological studies in the assessment of the health status of an individual and the population. Presentation of the objectives of epidemiological studies pertaining to the quality and relevance of pro-health actions on behalf of the population. Methods. The method of analysis of scientific literature and relevant publications available was applied, as well as analysis of statistical data. Results. Differences in defining health and health status result mainly from the fact that researchers consider various elements of knowledge in almost each scientific domain, at different levels of its advancement. Theoretical considerations concerning the concept of health and states resulting from malfunctions of the body are indispensable for determination of the expressed and unexpressed health needs. The types of dysfunctions are the consequence of diseases, including those genetic, injuries and poisonings which, in some individuals, progress to a chronic state – short-term or permanent, defined as disability. Reliable assessment of particular health problems requires the continuation of epidemiological studies with the use of modern multi-dimensional biostatistical methods. Summary. Multiplicity of medical conditions, their types and consequences, as well as satisfaction of therapeutic, care, social, and rehabilitation needs of the ill and disabled require modern, systemic solutions. The primary place for these actions should be the environment of life. Recognition of needs and good quality of health services may be provided mainly by conducting long-term epidemiological population studies. In many countries worldwide, especially those that are developed, the health situation of societies is defined mainly due to the results of many-year, prospective epidemiological studies. Such studies are necessary in order to develop targeted prophylactic programmes and health promotion. Key words: epidemiology, health status, population studies, health need