Public Health is the science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, and research for disease and injury prevention, while public health policies are guidelines that support the efforts of those in public health. Public health professionals analyze the effect on health of genetics, personal choice, and the environment in order to develop programs that protect the health of your family and community.  Overall, public health policies are concerned with protecting the health of entire populations. These populations can be as small as a local neighborhood, or as big as an entire country.

Source: whatispublichealth.org