
Interdisciplinary, forward-looking and one of a kind in Hesse
Founded in January 2017 by Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the PHZF is the only academic institution in the German federal state of Hesse dedicated to research and education in the field of public health. Its focus is on the health of populations and sections of these populations, as influenced in particular by social, political and economic factors.
Public health refers to both the academic discipline and to practices aimed at preventing diseases, prolonging human life and promoting physical and mental health while taking into account the fair distribution and efficient use of available resources. The primary goal of public health measures is to safeguard the health of the general population and specifically endangered sections of the population.
The discipline of public health is, by definition, an interdisciplinary field, drawing on medical and nursing expertise as well as on an understanding of therapy and nutrition sciences, health promotion, health economics and the sociology of health. A specialised field within public health, public health nutrition focuses on population-based preventive and health-promoting approaches as solutions to nutrition-related issues.