6 Public Health Issues to Know in 2025 + Jobs Tackling Them

Public health professionals strive to improve the overall health and well-being of the public. Whether they’re preventing diseases or addressing pre-existing conditions, they seek to provide the highest quality of care to the largest number of people. 

But what are the issues that you should know about if you want to enter the field? 

Explore six important public health issues and find a list of common professions working to remedy them, as well as find suggested online courses to help you explore this important career further. 

6 current public health issues in India 

Plenty of important public health issues are worth addressing and finding solutions for. Explore six prevalent public health issues in India to know about, especially if you’re considering a career in the field. 

Cardiovascular disease 

Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in India. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), ischaemic heart disease is the leading cause of death in India and accounts for 111 deaths per 100,000 people in the country [1]. The second and third leading causes of death are also cardiovascular diseases: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and stroke [1]. Indians tend to experience increased risk due to environmental and biological factors, but heart disease is also among the leading causes of death across the world.

HIV

Despite significant medical and health advances in recent years, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a persistent public health concern in both India and the world. 

HIV is a virus that attacks an individual’s white blood cells, leading to a weakened immune system. If left untreated, HIV can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), which can have a more severe impact on an individual’s immune system, susceptibility to contracting illness, and life expectancy. According to UNAIDS, 2.5 million people in India of all ages live with HIV/AIDS [2].

While today HIV or AIDS are conditions that can be managed with appropriate treatments, their spread continues to be a concern for public health professionals.  

Obesity 

Physical health has a significant impact on the overall health outcomes of both individuals and the general public. Obesity rates in India are concerning, with 40 per cent of women and 12 per cent of men found to have abdominal obesity [3]. While what constitutes a healthy weight can vary considerably from one person to another, excess weight can open the door to a wide range of health conditions. Obesity, for example, has been tied to such potentially life-threatening conditions as stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain kinds of cancer. 

Key factors in weight gain are nutrition and physical fitness, which can help individuals maintain healthy weights that decrease their likelihood of developing a life-threatening condition. 

Substance abuse: Prescription drugs and alcohol

Substance abuse, particularly through the misuse of prescription drugs and excessive alcohol consumption, is a prevalent public health problem in India. 

Protecting Indian citizens from drug and alcohol problems is an important policy initiative for the government. According to India’s National Center for Drug Abuse Prevention, the following statistics reflect drug and alcohol use in the country [4]:

• Alcohol: 14.6 per cent of people ages 10 to 75 currently use alcohol, with 5.2 per cent of them dependent on it

• Cannabis: 2.8 per cent of Indians are users while 0.66 per cent suffer from cannabis problems

• Sedatives: 1.08 per cent of individuals are users of non-medical sedatives

• Inhalants: 1.7 per cent of children and 0.58 per cent of adults use inhalants, with 18 lakh children requiring intervention for inhalant use

Cancer

Cancer is an increasingly common disease that causes harmful cells to multiply uncontrollably. Unfortunately, while various treatments exist for many types of cancer, there is currently no known cure. 

The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer reported 1,413,316 new cancer cases in India in 2022, with the risk of contracting cancer before age 75 at 10.6 per cent. More than 5 million prevalent cancer cases existed from 2017 to 2022 [5]. 

Mental health and suicide

Mental health is a critical aspect of public health. In addition to having a profound impact on the emotional and psychological health of individuals, mental health can also impact physical health. 

Though mental health disorders can be difficult to see from the outside, the reality is that a large percentage of the population deal with mental health problems every day. 

Mental health is a key issue in India. Though India has the largest population in the world with 1.2 billion residents, it accounts for a disproportionate amount of deaths by suicide. While India represents 18 per cent of the worldwide population, it accounts for 28 per cent of deaths by suicide globally [6]. 

Public health jobs to consider 

Public health is a big field tackling a host of big health care challenges. Thankfully, there’s a large number of skilled public health professionals focused on resolving these problems. Whether you enjoy working with people or researching in a lab, public health has something for you. 

Some common public health careers you might consider pursuing include: 

• Epidemiologist

• Virologist 

• Biostatistician 

• Public health educator

• Public health analyst

• Social and community services manager 

• Public health policy maker 

• Public health consultant

Prepare for a public health career with Coursera

Public health professionals are integral to solving the important health problems that plague our communities every day. Work toward a future career in public health by enrolling in a cost-effective online course, specialisation, or degree on Coursera today. 

Imperial College London’s Foundations of Public Health Specialization introduces you to the principles that underpin public health and how to apply appropriate health interventions in order to improve public health programs. 

Johns Hopkins’ Epidemiology in Public Health Practice Specialization, meanwhile, provides you with the core epidemiologic toolset to measure the health of populations, assess interventions, collect and analyse data, and investigate outbreaks and epidemics.