Measuring Health Status
Define Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of disease in groups or populations based on patterns of prevalence, incidence, distribution, and correlation.
List the THREE social justice principles.
Equity, Diversity and Supportive Environments
Define Cardiovascular disease.
CVD refers to damage to or disease of, the heart, arteries, veins and/or smaller blood vessels.
Compare institutional and non institutional facilities and services.
Institutional health services provide beds and facilities for overnight care e.g. hospitals and nursing homes.
Non institutional health services are no-stay, patients receive treatment and then leave e.g. dental, optometrist, physio
What is the Ottawa Charter?
A frame work for health promotion
What are the FOUR measures of epidemiology? What do each mean?
Life expectancy - the length of time a person can expect to live based on year they were born.
Mortality - refers to the number of deaths in a given population from a particular cause and/or over a period of time.
Infant mortality - refers to the number of infant deaths in the first year of life, per 1000 live births.
Morbidity - accounts for the incidence or level of illness or sickness in a given population.
What are the priority health issues?
SCPPP
Social Justice Principles
Cost to the individual and community
Priority population groups
Prevalence of condition
Potential for prevention and early intervention
Name THREE groups at risk of CVD
Smokers, overweight or obese individuals, men over 60, family history, blue collar workers
provides cover for private hospital stays and ancillary expenses e.g. dental, physiotherapy and chiropractic services and aids/appliances (such as glasses), reducing wait times and allowing choice of doctor and hospital.
Close the Gap
National Road Safetyv Campaign
National Binge Drinking Strategy
National Tobacco Strategy
What is the leading cause of mortality for Woman and Men?
Women - Dementia and Alzheimers
Men - Coronary Heart Disease
Describe why it is important for governments to prioritise particular health issues?
Identifying priority health issues enables governments and health authorities to address major health issues, reducing their burden by recognising the potential for prevention and early intervention, considering the cost to the individual and the community.
Type 1 individuals produce little to no insulin managed by injecting an artificial supply of insulin. Symptoms of Type I diabetes include unusual thirst, excessive passing of urine, weight loss, and weakness and fatigue.
Type 2 Individuals produce insufficient insulin to manage glucose intake, usually related to lifestyle factors, managed by controlling excess weight by healthy eating, regular exercise and, where required, medication and/or insulin injections.
Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of emerging treatments and technologies.
Advantages - less invasive procedures, reducing recovery times and chance of infection, improving health outcomes and enhancing quality of life through increasing life expectancy and reducing disability.
Disadvantages - More expensive, not available to low SES.
What are the FIVE action areas of the Ottawa Charter?
Developing Personal Skill
Creating Supportive Environments
Strengthening Community Action
Reorienting Health Services
Building Healthy Public Policy
What are THREE limitations of epidemiology?
Epidemiology fails to
- Identify quality of life
- Assess the impact of disease
- Display significant variations in the health status
- Account for social, economic and cultural factors influencing health
- Explain why health inequities exist
Explain why cancer continues to be identified as a priority health issue in Australia.
Cancer has high potential for prevention and early intervention e.g. Slip, slop, slap, seek, slide for sun, genetic testing for breast, mammograms, pap smear, prostate check, skin check.
Cancers incidence is increasing suggesting better detection and survival rate is improving.
Cost of treatment, absenteeism etc is high when prevention costs are low.
Provide TWO risk factors for breast, skin and lung cancer.
Breast - High fat diet, genetics, family history, age, early onset menstruation
Lung - Smoking, exposure to carcinogens at work, family history, air pollution
Skin - Tanning, outdoor employment, fair skin
What are complementary and alternate health therapies. Provide and example of each.
Complementary medicine combines conventional treatments with practices not supported with scientific evidence for example, combining physio with acupuncture to recover from injury.
Alternative health care replaces conventional treatments, being used instead of evidence-based practices for example, using a herbal treatment instead of chemotherapy for cancer treatment.
Define building healthy public policy, provide specific examples for ONE initative.
Building health public policy focuses on implementing laws and fines deterring individuals from participating in negative behaviours for example, issuing fines and demerit points for negative driving behaviours and the implementation of RBTs to reduce drink driving.
Identify TWO trends in morbidity over the past 10 years for Australians.
- Decreased rates of coronary heart disease, stroke, lung, bowel and breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Decreased premature deaths from coronary heart disease, stroke, lung, bowel and breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.
- Increased rates of dementia
- Increased rates of suicide & self-inflicted injuries, back pain & problems, COPD, type 2 diabetes, asthma and osteoarthritis.
How are the social justice principles applied when identifying priority health issues?
When identifying priority areas preventative actions and facilities, education, and funding should be accessible to all aiming to decrease inequity, promote inclusivity of diverse groups and establish supportive environments to improve health status. This may require a needs based approach when identifying health areas and intervention strategies.
Sociocultural
Males are less likely to seek treatment, ignore signs and symptoms and engage in more risk factors.
Individuals with a family history of CVD
Exposure to negative family eating, drinking smoking habits
Environmental
Geographic location can limit access to facilities and services
Individuals in rural and remote or ATSI communities are more likely to engage in risk factors
Commonwealth Government - national policies and funding allocation
State and territory governments - hospital services, mental health programs, dental health services, home and community care, child, adolescent and family health services and women’s health programs.
Local government - environmental control and a range of personal, preventative and home care services
Private sector - range of services, such as private hospitals, dentists and alternative health services
Community groups - established to address problems specific to an area
Why is it beneficial to work in partnership to promote health using the Ottawa Charter?
Partnerships enable multifaceted approach to health promotion through targeting specific needs of individuals and communities and empowering them to action through involvement in decision making process and delegating tasks and responsibilities to different sectors and sharing resources and expertise.