Inputs are sometimes referred to as capacities; what term is used to describe resources necessary to carry out core functions of PBH?

• A. Outputs
• B. Inputs
• C. Outcomes
• D. Impacts

Answer: (B)

In public health practice, the resources you need to put programs into action are called inputs. These include funding, staff, equipment, facilities, data systems, and partnerships—the capacities you rely on to carry out core functions such as assessment, policy development, and assurance. Without these inputs, activities can’t occur, and you won’t produce outputs. Outputs are the direct products of what you do, outcomes are the changes in health determinants or health status that follow, and impacts are the long-term effects on population health. So the term describing the resources necessary to carry out core functions is inputs.