CH1 UNDERSTANDING HEALTH OUTCOMES Flashcards
(40 cards)
health
-is a multidimensional concept that is commonly measured by the absence of physical pain, physical disability or a condition likely to cause death
-the most universally used definition developed by WHO states that: ‘health is a state of complete physically, social & mental wellbeing, & not merely the absence of disease or infirmity
wellbeing
wellbeing is a complex combination of all dimensions of health, characterised by an equilibrium in which the individual feels happy, healthy, capable & engaged
illness
-is a state of feeling unwell & can occur due to specific conditions that prevent the body from functioning normally & also individuals’ experiences with disease
-symptoms can usually be described by a person in a subjective way
disease
the physical & mental symptoms of illness
dynamic nature of concepts of health, wellbeing & illness
-health is an ever-changing entity that’s affected by dynamic interactions with the environment
-when something is dynamic, it is changing or moving continually in response to its environment & experiences
subjective nature of concepts of health, wellbeing & illness
-when something is subjective, it is said to be influenced by or based on personal opinions, feelings & experiences
-therefore, h&w means diff things to diff people based on their past experiences & current circumstances
personalised vs environmental factors of h&w
PERSONALISED:
-personal interpretation of the meaning of health
-past level of h&w
-how much you value your health
-how important health is to you
-influence of beliefs of family & friends in relation to h&w
ENVIRONMENTAL:
-media can influence h&w through media campaigns, however it could also be misleading & negatively shape your views (body image) demonstrating the subjective nature of how individuals view their h&w
physical h&w
-refers to the efficient functioning of the body & its systems, & includes the physical capacity to perform tasks & physical fitness
-indicators: having strong immune system, regular physical activity, maintaining ideal body weight, consuming balanced diet, having well functioning body systems, having adequate level of energy, appropriate rest/sleep, absence of illness/disease/injury
social h&w
-refers to the ability to form meaningful & satisfying relationships with others & to manage or adapt appropriately to diff social situations
-indicators: being/having supportive family member, accepting responsibility for one’s actions, having empathy for others, having strong community skills, being respectful of others in a range of situations or social groups, maintaining network of supportive friends
-a high level of social h&w involves positive interactions, social support & sense of community
mental h&w
-refers to the current state of wellbeing relating to the mind or brain & its ability to think & process info
-indicators: low levels of stress & anxiety, positive self-esteem, using logic to positively form opinions & make decisions, sense of optimism & positive thoughts, sense of confidence
emotional h&w
-refers to the ability to manage & express feelings in a positive way, & to display resilience in everyday life
-indicators: feeling emotionally secure, feeling relaxed in everyday life, expressing emotions in a positive way, positively managing emotions
spiritual h&w
-is not material in nature, but relates to ideas, beliefs, values & ethics that arise in the minds & conscience of human beings
-indicators: living accordingly to ideas/beliefs/values/ethics, having a sense of hope/peace/meaning/value, having a purpose in life, feeling a sense of belonging or connection, reflecting on one’s place in the world, identifying with a belief or faith system on practicing religion
optimal h&w
-a balance & interaction between all dimensions needs to occur in order to maintain optimal level of h&w
-optimal h&w involves the best possible state of an individual’s h&w for their age
interrelationship between dimensions of h&w
-no single dimension of h&w works independently; each dimension is an active state & influences the other
-eg. of interrelationship between physical & social h&w:
having positive physical h&w, such as being free from illness, can encourage individuals to participate in sport clubs, promoting positive h&w because being in a club involves interacting & communicating with others. having positive social h&w, such as communicating effectively with others, can contribute to individuals being more likely to participate in & join sport clubs, promoting physical h&w because playing sport improved fitness
the importance of h&w individually
-individuals are healthy enough to participate fully in life & society, allowing them to contribute to the creation of strong social bonds, engagement with supportive communities & maintenance of healthy relationships & commitment to responsible lifestyle
-they can gain an education, work to provide for themselves & their family, spend time in leisure activities & feel a strong sense of self-worth & purpose in life
-OPTIMAL HEALTH BENEFITS AN INDIVIDUAL BY: increasing LE, increasing self-esteem & positive self-image by helping them to feel good about themselves, enabling the development of meaningful engagement with the wider community, increasing the ability of an individual to maintain independent living in older age, increased ability to run a household, increased energy, more time to attention school/work, more time to spend time with family/friends, reduced health care costs
the importance of h&w nationally
-a healthy population has benefits to a country, including economically & productively
-ill-health carried with it a number of associated costs to individual & communities
-when health is viewed nationally, our health status is combined regardless of individual levels of health
-OPTIMAL HEALTH BENEFITS NATIONALLY INCLUDE: healthy population helps to build productive workforce for aus which increases national income, if groups not contributing to workforce & therefore the funding of healthcare system are in optimal health then it reduces burden on healthcare system, less reliance on social security, reduced levels of stress in community, higher average incomes, reduced absenteeism from workplace
the importance of h&w globally
-as the world becomes globalised, an increase in international travel, trade & commerce, it is necessary to think of health in a global context
-through optimal health is being experienced by more people worldwide, there are still global health issues that can spread from one country to another & influence trade & travel
-OPTIMAL HEALTH BENEFITS GLOBALLY INCLUDE: decrease in emergence or re-emergence of an infectious disease or other health threat somewhere in the world which can cross borders, increased access to human rights, increased global security/freedom, increased global economic development, decrease in vulnerability of older people to non-communicable chronic diseases & the risk factors associated with them
health status
-refers to the health of an individual or population, taking into account various factors such as LE, amount of disability & levels of disease risk factors
-the level of health of an individual, group or population can be assessed subjectively or by objectively
indicators of health status
-self-assessed health status
-incidence
-prevalence
-burden of disease: disability-adjusted life year (DALY)
-morbidity
-mortality: maternal mortality, infant mortality, U5MR
-health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)
-life expectancy
self-assessed health status
-provides an overall measure of a population’s health based on a person’s own perceptions of their health
-self-assessed health status measurement is dependent on an individual’s awareness of all components of their health & provides a broad measure, but may or may not be in line with a health professional’s assessment
life expectancy
is an indication of how long a person can expect to live; is the number of years of life remaining to a person at a particular age if death rates do not change
health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)
-is a measure of BOD, based on LE at birth, but including an adjustment for time spent in poor health
-is the number of years in full health that a person can expect to live based on current rates of ill-health & mortality
mortality
refers to the number of deaths caused by a particular disease, illness or other environmental factor
infant mortality rate
-is the number of deaths among children aged under one year in a given period
-it is based on the probability of a child born in a specific year of period dying before reaching the age of one year
