Topic 2 - Measurements and indicators of health status of Australia’s youth

Question 1

Burden of disease

Answer 1

a measure of the impact of diseases and injuries; specifically it measures the gap between current health
status and an ideal situation where everyone lives to an old age free of disease and disability. Burden of disease is measured in
a unit called the DALY.

Question 2

Chronic conditions

Answer 2

any disease or condition that lasts a long time (usually longer than six months). It usually can’t be cured
and therefore requires ongoing treatment and management. Examples include arthritis and asthma

Question 3

Core activities

Answer 3

relate to three main areas of life: self-care, mobility and communication

Question 4

Core activity limitation

Answer 4

when an individual has difficulty, or requires assistance, with any of the three core activities

Question 5

Disability adjusted life years (DALY)

Answer 5

a measure of burden of disease. One DALY is equal to one year of healthy life lost due
to illness and/or death. DALY are calculated as the sum of the years of life lost due to premature death and the years lived with
disability for people living with the health condition or its consequences.

Question 6

Health indicators

Answer 6

standard statistics that are used to measure and compare health status (for example, life expectancy,
mortality rates, morbidity rates)

Question 7

Health status

Answer 7

an individual’s or a population’s overall health (and wellbeing), taking into account various aspects such as life expectancy, amount of disability and levels of disease risk factors

Question 8

Hospital separations

Answer 8

episodes of hospital care that start with admission and end at transfer, discharge or death

Question 9

Incidence

Answer 9

refers to the number (or rate) of new cases of a disease/condition in a population during a given period

Question 10

Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K10)

Answer 10

a scale of psychological distress based on the answers to ten questions about
negative emotional and mental states in the four weeks prior to the interview. This system classifies psychological distress as
low, moderate, high and very high.

Question 11

Life expectancy

Answer 11

the number of years of life, on average, remaining to an individual at a particular age if death rates do not
change. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth.

Question 12

Morbidity

Answer 12

ill health in an individual and levels of ill health within a population (often expressed through incidence, prevalence)

Question 13

Mortality

Answer 13

the number of deaths in a population in a given period

Question 14

Prevalence

Answer 14

the number or proportion of cases of a particular disease or condition present in a population at a given time

Question 15

Psychological distress

Answer 15

relates to unpleasant feelings and emotions that affect an individual’s level of functioning

Question 16

Years lost due to disability (YLD)

Answer 16

a measure of how many healthy years of life are lost due to disease, injury or disability

Question 17

Years of Life Lost (YLL)

Answer 17

a measure of how many years of expected life are lost due to premature death.