School of Population and Public Health, Vancouver, BC

Both public health and population health value the well being of a community equally. Each examines health trends and causes, and suggests approaches to promoting health. Where they differ is in the way that each addresses and studies the health of a population. Population health focuses on the health outcomes of the entire population, or a sub-population, looking at “societal structures, attitudes and behaviours which influence health”[*], and seeking ways to improve health and reduce health inequities between population groups. Building on traditions of public health and health promotion, the population health approach looks at a broad range of social determinants of health (such as social, economic and physical environments, personal health practices, individual capacity and coping skills, human biology, early childhood development, culture, gender and health services), and addresses those determinants to improve health.