Which branch of public health identifies, evaluates, and controls environmental factors that affect health?

• A. Environmental Health
• B. Epidemiology
• C. Occupational Health
• D. Global Health

Answer: (A)

Environmental health focuses on how the surroundings, including air, water, soil, housing, and everyday chemicals or biological agents, influence health. It identifies environmental hazards, evaluates how people are exposed, and implements controls to reduce or prevent harm. This branch uses methods to assess risks from environmental factors and puts in place interventions like cleaner air standards, safer water supplies, and safer housing conditions to protect public health.

Epidemiology, by contrast, studies how diseases and health events occur in populations, often looking for links between exposures and outcomes. Occupational health centers on hazards encountered in the workplace and worker safety. Global health addresses health issues that cross borders and affect populations worldwide.