We are a registered Scottish charity of healthcare professionals adopting a public-health approach to violence reduction because we believe prevention is better than cure.

MAV e-Learning

Free learning resources for school pupils, teachers, parents & medics! We are always refreshing our interactive e-Learning.

What ‘Public Health’ means

Let’s first start by thinking about what Public Health is

Public health was defined in 1988 by Acheson from the World Health Organisation as

“The art and science of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts of society”

(World Health Organisation, 1988)

Public Health works to improve the health and wellbeing of a community and involves all the things you see in this image. It also takes into account all the various factors that might impact on health and wellbeing such as clean water, good housing, poverty and many more.

Public Health involves a wide range of people from different organisations and communities who work together to improve the health of a community or society in general. Public Health aims to provide the maximum benefit to the largest number of people in relation to the issue it is tackling

Unlike traditional medicine such as visiting your Doctor, Public Health medicine is not an activity confined to one group or class of disease, or even to healthcare alone. It is about society as a whole.

There is a good article from the University of Coventry on what public health involves here.

Medics Against Violence

MAV is a company limited by guarantee in Scotland SC370211. We are a registered charity SC041153.

Registered office: James Miller House, 98 West George St, Glasgow G2 1PJ.

We receive funding from the Scottish Government.