Biology and Health

V. Key Issues: Population Health >> B. Public Health >> Determinants of Health >> Biology and Health

Topic Outline

1 Topic Outline
2 Age and Health
3 Sex and Health
4 Race and Health
5 Genetics and Health

Topic Outline

a. Age and Health
b. Sex and Health
c. Race and Health
d. Genetics and Health

Age and Health

Currently there is no diagnostic test for biological aging. However, “aging-rate tests may someday be standard in annual physicals, and tracking the results over time would offer unprecedented insights on health risks.”

CDC. Healthy Aging
CDC. Healthy Aging Research Network. Prevention Research Centers – CDC-HAN
CDC. Mental Health and Aging. The State of Mental Health and Aging in America reports, with a focus on depression
CDC. The State of Mental Health and Aging in America provides current data on six key indicators related to the mental health of adults aged 50 years or older from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Additional information is provided on the topic of depression, an important and emerging public health issue. Selected evidence-based programs that communities can use to address this condition in older adults and links to external organizations that focus on late-life depression are provided.
CDC. States and Communities. Healthy aging activities in state health departments and the SPARC program
CDC. Health Disparities. Addressing health disparities in an aging society
CDC. Caregiving. Activities and resources for public health and aging services professionals
CDC. Advance Care Planning and Chronic Disease Management. Advance Care Planning resources and e-learning
CDC. Emergency Preparedness and Older Adults. Resources for states, communities, and individuals
CDC. Resources, Publications, and Press Room. Reports, podcasts, critical issue briefs, and journal articles
CDC. Data & Statistics. Reports and interactive websites featuring key data on older adult health
Council of State Governments, Knowledge Center. Aging and Disabilities.

Sex and Health

CDC. Men’s Health
CDC. Lesbian Health
CDC. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Health
CDC. Women’s Bleeding Disorders
CDC. Women’s Health
CDC. Women’s Safety and Health Issues at Work

Race and Health

Center for American Progress. Fact Sheet: Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity
Race, Ethnicity and Health, Second Edition is a new and critical selection of hallmark articles that address health disparities in America. It effectively documents the need for equal treatment and equal health status for minorities. Intended as a resource for faculty and students in public health as well as the social sciences, it will be also be valuable to public health administrators and frontline staff who serve diverse racial and ethnic populations. The book brings together the best peer reviewed research literature from the leading scholars and faculty in this growing field, providing a historical and political context for the study of health, race, and ethnicity, with key findings on disparities in access, use, and quality. This volume also examines the role of health care providers in health disparities and discusses the issue of matching patients and doctors by race.