A.1. Health Concepts Flashcards
Outline the main concepts of physiology, anatomy, pathology, and the different levels of biological organisation.
What are the challenges in defining and measuring health and ill health?
They encompass a wide range of experiences and events, and their interpretation may be relative to social norms and context.
How do Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people view health?
Health includes social, emotional, and cultural wellbeing of the whole community, not just physical wellbeing.
What does the World Health Organization (WHO) define health as?
A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.
Since what year has the WHO definition of health remained unchanged?
1948.
What perspective does the social model of health take?
Health and illness are generated in a societal context.
What does the social model of health focus on?
Addressing broader determinants of health, inter-sectoral collaboration, reducing social inequities, empowering communities, and removing barriers to healthcare access.
Fill in the blank: The health of community land plays a vital role in determining the health of the _______.
[people themselves].
True or False: The WHO definition of health emphasizes merely the absence of disease.
False.
What is a key aspect of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspective on health?
A whole-of-life view that includes the cyclical concept of life-death-life.
What are some examples of broader determinants of health mentioned?
- Social environment
- Economic environment
What does the social model of health aim to reduce?
Social inequities.
What role does inter-sectoral collaboration play in the social model of health?
It involves working with a wide range of partners to improve health outcomes.
What does a strictly biomedical view of health focus on?
The presence or absence of disease
It assumes that disease occurs because of physical abnormalities in the body.
What is the assumption behind the biomedical model regarding disease treatment?
Understanding causal processes of a disease leads to appropriate treatments
Remove the symptoms, and the patient ceases to suffer; remove the cause, and the patient recovers.
How prevalent is the strictly biomedical model in Australia today compared to 20-25 years ago?
Far less prevalent
Indicates a shift in health perspectives over time.
What does the ecological model of health consider?
The reciprocal relationship between health-related behaviours and environments
Behaviour does not occur in a vacuum.
What are the components of the environment in the ecological model?
Micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono subsystems
Emphasises relationships and dependencies among these subsystems.
What is a key aspect of Eastern medicine’s approach to health?
A more holistic approach
Emphasises interconnectedness among people, their health, and the universe.
What concepts are fundamental to Ayurvedic medicine?
Universal interconnectedness, body’s constitution, and life forces
Ayurvedic physicians prescribe individualized treatments based on these concepts.
What does Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) emphasize about the body?
The body is an integrated whole
Includes mind, emotions, spirit, and physical body structures powered by a life force.
How does TCM view the relationship between people and nature?
People are connected to nature, and changes in nature affect the body
Highlights the interdependence between individuals and their environment.
What is the microsystem in the ecological model?
The subsystem closest to the person concerned
Example: immediate family.
What does the mesosystem refer to?
The interaction between immediate systems
Example: family and workplace.
What is the exosystem in the ecological model?
Social systems that may influence the person without direct interaction
Example: neighbourhood or employment context.