The “new” public health

Good health results from intersecting systems involving individuals and populations, and their beliefs and values. So while health status has to be measured objectively, there are perspectives from other disciplines such as anthropology, psychology and sociology that can be brought together with the clinical disciplines, to understand the many predicaments in health. These range from physical illness and disablement and the effects of ageing, to the massive burdens of substance use, mental illness and suicide risk, and the evolving threats from the environment — all of which can be better understood if the data and information are up-to-date.