Healthcare

Question 1

What is the WHO definition of health

Answer 1

a state of complete physical, mental and social well- being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

Question 2

What is the major limitation of the WHO definition of health

Answer 2

“complete” would mean that most of us would be classed as unhealthy most of the time

Question 3

How have disease patterns changed since 1948?

Answer 3

1948 acute diseases presented the main burden of illness and chronic diseases led to early death
Public health measures such as improved nutrition, hygiene, and sanitation and more powerful healthcare interventions has created a shift in the number of people living, and ageing with chronic conditions

Question 4

What is the effect of the increase in the number of people living with long-term health conditions (according to Huber)?

Answer 4

It minimises the role of the human capacity to cope autonomously with life’s ever changing physical, emotional, and social challenges and to function with fulfilment and a feeling of wellbeing with a chronic disease or disability

Question 5

What are health disparities?

Answer 5

Differences in the incidence and prevalence of health conditions and health status between groups

Question 6

What groups are most affected by health disparities?

Answer 6

Groups marginalized because of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, disability status, geographic location

Question 7

When are health disparities referred to as health inequalities?

Answer 7

When they are the result of the systematic and unjust distribution of these critical conditions

Question 8

Define health equality (Brennan Et al 2008 pp8)

Answer 8

When everyone has the opportunity to “attain their full health potential” and no one is “disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of their social position or other sociallydeterminedcircumstance.”

Question 9

What behavioural and social issues impact health?

Answer 9

Smoking, diet, nutrition and alcohol (which together account for many CHD and cancer deaths), poor diet leading to obesity (reducing life expectancy) or alternatively malnutrition, lack of physical exercise, sexual behaviour (for example, leading to infection or teenage pregnancy), and problems resulting from drug taking.

Question 10

What are the protective factors listed in Labronte’s Community development approach to health promotion?

Answer 10

• Safe physical environments
• Supportive economic and social conditions
• Regular supply of nutritious food and Water
• Restricted access to tobacco and drugs
• Healthy public policy and organisational Practice
• Provision for meaningful, paid Employment
• Provision of affordable housing

Question 11

What psychosocial factors are protective to health?

Answer 11

• Participation in civic activities and social engagement
• Strong social networks
• Feeling of trust
• Feeling of power and control over life decisions
• Supportive family structure
• Positive self-esteem

Question 12

What effective health services are protective to health?

Answer 12

• Provision of preventative services
• Access to culturally appropriate health services
• Community participation in the planning and delivery of health services

Question 13

What lifestyles are protective to health?

Answer 13

• Decreased use of tobacco and drugs
• Regular physical activity
• Balanced nutritional intake
• Positive mental health
• Safe sexual activity

Question 14

What conditions are a risk to health?

Answer 14

• Poverty
• Low social status
• Dangerous work
• Polluted environment
• Natural resource depletion
• Discrimination (age, sex, race, disability)
• Steep power hierarchy (wealth, status, authority) within a community and workplace

Question 15

What psychosocial factors are a risk to health?

Answer 15

• Poverty
• Low social status
• Dangerous work
• Polluted environment
• Natural resource depletion
• Discrimination (age, sex, race, disability)
• Steep power hierarchy (wealth, status, authority) within a community and workplace

Question 16

What behavioural factors are a risk to health?

Answer 16

• Smoking
• Poor nutritional intake
• Physical inactivity
• Substance abuse
• Poor hygiene
• Being overweight
• Unsafe sexual activity

Question 17

What physiological factors are a risk to health?

Answer 17

• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Release of stress hormone
• Altered levels of biochemical markers
• Genetic factors

Question 18

How does being overweight lead to ill-health?

Answer 18

heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, indigestion and some cancers. Adult and child obesity levels are becoming an increasing issue for the health service, as greater numbers of people put on extra weight, through poor diet or insufficient exercise

Question 19

How does binge drinking lead to ill-health?

Answer 19

especially through cirrhosis of the liver, and through alcohol related violence resulting in emergency admission to hospital

Question 20

How does smoking lead to ill-health?

Answer 20

major cause of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), although it can, in addition, be a cause of, or contribute to, many other cancers and conditions, such as asthma or high blood pressure.

Question 21

How do drugs lead to ill-health?

Answer 21

in particular addiction, can have a devastating effect on personal health and circumstances, as well as impacting on family, friends and communities.

Question 22

What are the possible types of solutions?

Answer 22

• Policy making (at local/national/international level)
• New Initiatives
• Prevention
• Awareness Campaigns

Question 23

What does the institute of medicine have to say about change?

Answer 23

“ It is unreasonable to expect that people will change their behaviour easily when so many forces in the social, cultural, and physical environment conspire against such change.”

Question 24

Define; Morbidity

Answer 24

term used to describe how often a disease occurs in a specific area or is a term used to describe a focus on death. An example of morbidity is the number of people who have cancer.

Question 25

Define; Mortality

Answer 25

the state or condition of being subject to death

Question 26

Define; Incidence

Answer 26

the occurrence, rate, or frequency of a disease, crime, or other undesirable thing

Question 27

Define; Prevalence

Answer 27

is a statistical concept referring to the number of cases of a disease that are present in a particular population at a given time, whereas incidence refers to the number of new cases that develop in a given period of time.

Question 28

Being overweight puts people at risk for:

Answer 28

major health risk for diabetes (Must et al., 1999)
increased risk for hypertension, coronary heart disease, and some forms of cancer. They also run the risk of developing gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnoea, respiratory problems and a variety of musculoskeletal problems

Question 29

Give examples of initiatives to obesity

Answer 29

• Increasing physical activity and physical education in schools and after-school programs
• Improving parks, sidewalks, and other opportunities for physical exercise, including walking trails and bicycle lanes
• Supporting healthy food and physical activity policies in the workplace
• Promoting “smart growth” strategies
• Encouraging healthy eating and physical activity

Question 30

Give examples of policy changes to curb obesity

Answer 30

Develop and implement a local or nationwide media campaign that supports local policy change and shifts the current norm to healthy food and active living

Develop new funding streams to support the creation of healthier environments. Given the enormous popularity of sugar-sweetened beverages, even a small increase in the fee/ tax on them has the potential to generate significant funds that could be used to create healthier communities.

Designing community environments to include safe walking routes to school and places to play and making healthier choices available in cafeterias), pricing (e.g., selling locally grown, in-season fruits and vegetables at lower prices)