In this unit the student will be able to know about the enviromental pollution and learn how to controll on enviromental hazards

1. Unit V : “The Environment and It’s
Impact on Community Health”
ZAHID ALI
NURSING INSTRUCTOR
GENERIC BSN YEAR 1 SEMESTERII
COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSING
ZION GHOTKI

2. Unit objectives:
• At the completion of this unit, students will
be able to learn the:
1. Environment:
- Definition of ‘environment’
- Component of environment
- Factors and its impact on community
health.

3. 1. Environment
• DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENT:-
The term environment comes from the
French word “environ” and means
everything that surround us.
OR
The sum of the total of the elements,
factors and conditions in the surroundings
which may have an impact on the
development, action or survival of an
organism or group of organisms.

4. ENVIRONMENT IS MADE UP OF:
• 1- Atmosphere:
Is a layer or a set of layers of gases
surrounding a planet. Apart from gases
there are water vapor, industrial gases,
dust and smoke particles etc in
suspended state.

5. ENVIRONMENT IS MADE UP OF:
• 2- Biosphere:
The term biosphere was
coined by geologist Eduard
Suess in 1875, which he
defined as: The place on
earth’s surface where life
dwells (to reside).
Is the global ecological
system integrating all living
beings and their
relationships.
Usually defined as the thin
outer layer of the earth
capable of supporting life.

6. ENVIRONMENT IS MADE UP OF:
• 3- Lithosphere:
The term was coined by JOSEPH
BARRELL (1914). Derived from Greek
word LITHOS which mean rocky/stone,
the solid, outer part of the Earth.
All of the rock on Earth from the mountain
to the sea floor is included in the
lithosphere.

7. ENVIRONMENT IS MADE UP OF:
• 4- Hydrosphere:
The hydrosphere is the combined mass
of water found on, under, and above the
surface of a planet, such as lakes and
seas, and sometimes including water
over the earth's surface, such as clouds.
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8. 1. Environment
• COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT:
The environment consists of various
segments. Some of the important
components/segments of environment
are as follows:
• PHYSICAL
• BIOLOGICAL
• SOCIAL

9. COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
• 1- Physical Environment:-
The part of the human environment that includes
purely physical factors (as soil, climate, water
supply) etc.
2- Biological Environment:-
The natural biological factors (such as wild
animals and plants or bacteria) that affect human
life.
3- Social Environment:-
The immediate physical and social setting in
which people live or in which something happens
or develops. It includes the culture that the
individual was educated or lives in, and the
people and institutions with whom they interact.

10. COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT
• COMPONENTS OF ENVIRONMENT:
1- AIR
2- WATER
3- SOIL

11. TYPES / COMPONENTS OF
ENVIRONMENT
• Nature is composed of BIOTIC and
ABIOTIC components.
All the biotic and abiotic components
interact with each other to create an ideal
‫نظام‬ ‫ماحولیاتی‬
. ecosystem
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12. Factors & its impact on community
health
• FACTORS AFFECTING COMMUNITY
HEALTH CAN BE GROUPED INTO:
Physical factors
Social/Cultural factors
Community organization
Individual behavior

13. Physical factors;
• Industrial development;
Communities that are industrially
developed are more likely to be affected
by numerous diseases due to the toxic
waste products from the industries that
are released into water bodies and the
atmosphere and due to congestion of
settlement leading to slum ‫آبادی‬ ‫کچی‬
development hence contagious diseases
compared to areas that are not
industrially developed.

14. Physical factors; Continued…
• Air pollution
• water contamination from industrial
discharge

15. Physical factors; Continued…
• Community size;
A densely populated or over populated
community can easily be attacked by
communicable diseases.
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16. Physical factors; Continued…
• Geographical location;
Some communities are more prone to
diseases due to The geographical location
For example: Some communities are
located in swampy ‫کیچڑ‬
,
‫دلدلی‬ areas ARE
MORE PRONE TO DISEASES especially
during heavy rains they are affected by
floods which can lead manipulation of
disease causing organisms if the water is
stagnant/motionless to spread of disease causing
organisms
For example: malaria , diarrhea disease.

17. Physical factors; Continued…
• Environment;
A clean environment is very vital to the
proper health of a community which
minimizes the occurrence and
transmission of diseases, unlike a dirty
environment which easily leads to
outbreak of diseases.
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18. Social/cultural factors
Traditions Beliefs;
Beliefs or traditions possessed/to have by
communities greatly affect the health of
it’s people for example FEMALE
GENITAL MUTILATION (FGM)
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19. Social/cultural factors
• Economy;
A community that is economically well off
has low chances of suffering from disease
breakouts because they have proper health
care and water drainage systems unlike/not
similer a poor community.
Government;
Since the government involves planning,
implementing and provision of community
services such as water supply, medical
supplies and other needs which can directly
affect the community health.

20. Community organization
• Ways in which communities organize their
resources such as taxes which can be
very helpful in control of diseases and
supply of sufficient and efficient medical
care even in times of crisis unlike
communities without proper accountability
of their taxes which can partly be
allocated to the health sector.

21. Community organization
• Educational factors;
Poor education or illiteracy affects the
health of a community when people
doesn’t have education on how they can
prevent themselves from diseases.
Example: health education on the use of
mosquito treated nets to prevent malaria,
health education on the environmental
hygiene so as to prevent diseases such
as cholera and trachoma.

22. Individual behavior
• Community health is greatly influenced by
individuals, their personal health, habits etc.
For instance proper disposal of waste products
from and individuals compound, clearing all
stagnant water in the compound to prevent
harboring of mosquitoes, active smokers to
quit smoking to avoid passive smokers thus
preventing lung cancer, abstinence ‫پرہیز‬from
sexual activities or use protection to prevent
the spread of HIV/AIDs and STDs etc. Thus
proper individual healthy living can greatly
promote a healthy community.

23. References:
• Community Health Nursing
B. T. Basavanthappa
First Edition 1998
Encyclopedia of Public Health A-Z (2 Volume
Set) (2008)
International Encyclopedia of Public Health -
1st Edition
Health-Assessment-Section 1st EDITION