Health Priorities in Australia

Question 1

Define Health

Answer 1

Complete physical, mental and social well-being free from illness and disease

Question 2

Define Epidemiology

Answer 2

Study of patterns/trends of illness and disease in a population

Question 3

Define Mortality Rates

Answer 3

Death rates in a population at any given time

Question 4

Define Morbidity Rates

Answer 4

Disease/illness rates within a population

Question 5

Define Infant Mortality Rates

Answer 5

Number of infant deaths in the 1st year per 1000 live births

Question 6

What is the role of Epidemiology

Answer 6

• identify disease risk factors
• determine extent of disease/illness in community
• identify groups affected
• draw conclusions/determine if problem exists
• recommend interventions/reduce risks
• evaluate prevention strategies
• suggestions for public policy
• identify suspected causes of ill health

Question 7

Who uses Epidemiology

Answer 7

• Nsw Health
• Hospitals
• Doctors
• NSW Department for Education
• Pharmacy
• Dep Health and Ageing
• Local Gov
• Health Promoters
• Organisations
• Anyone

Question 8

Define Social Justice

Answer 8

Aim decrease/remove inequity from population by encourage and supporting enviro for all and promote diversity

Question 9

Social Justice Principles

Hint: PPCP

Answer 9

• Priority Population groups (PPG)
• Prevalence of condition (POC)
• Cost to individuals/community (CIC)
• Potential for prevention and early intervention(PPEI)

Question 10

What is Priority Population Groups (PPG)

Answer 10

Identifying groups at risk or are more generally affected by illness/death
e.g. Indigenous Aus, SocioDisadv, Aus born overc’s, elderly, peep w/ disabilities.

Question 11

What is Prevalence of Condition (POC)

Answer 11

Number of cases in disease in pop at specific time, helps identify priority areas e.g. CVD

Question 12

What is Costs to individuals and Community (CIC)

Answer 12

• Direct cost: hos and med xpnses, pharmaceuticals, money spent on rsrch, prevention prgs and edu
• Indirect cost: not related to health syst e.g. lost productivity, burdn carers/family, lost quantity/quality of life (emotional)

Question 13

Groups experiencing health inequities

Answer 13

Abbo and Torres/SocioEcoDis

Question 14

Determinants of health

Hint: SSE

Answer 14

• Sociocultural
• Socioeconomic
• Environmental

Question 15

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders

Answer 15

• Reduced quality of life
• 2.5% of the total Australian population
• Younger than the total Australian population, with 57% under the age of 25

Question 16

Life expectancy for Aboriginals

Answer 16

Males Females
Indigenous Australians
67 73

Non-Indigenous Australians
79 83

Question 17

Nature and extent of Aboriginal Problem

Answer 17

• Poor dental health
• Poor mental, social and emotional wellbeing
o Twice as likely to report high or very high levels of psychological stress
• Higher infant mortality rate – decreasing
• High blood pressure (1.5 times)
• Diabetes (3 times)
• Renal (kidney) disease (30 times)
• Cervical cancer (2 times)
• Cancer of the lung mouth and throat
• Injury and poisoning hospitalization (men: 1.8 times; females: 2.4)
• Bronchitis (2 times) and asthma (1.5 times)
• Syphilis (61 times)
• AIDS and HIV (60 times)
• Hospitalised due to infectious and parasitic disease (2 times)

Question 18

Aboriginal Health Determinants

Answer 18

Sociocultural
• Lower life expectancy
• Language barrier: leads to lack of understanding and their education and literacy levels
• Aboriginal culture: hobbies and activities they take part in are known to be possibly risky behaviours
eg. smoking

Socioeconomic
• Poor education: will not learn how to read and write, which is a critical part of life
• Low levels of completed education (year 12): affect the capacity of people to use health information
• High unemployment rate: less money is being earned by them to spend on their health and buy everyday goods and services
• Poor income: reduces the accessibility of healthcare and medicines; fewer opportunities
• Poor infant diet: associated with poverty and chronic diseases later in life
• Poor diet: due to low income, it may affect their food choices.
Eg. takeaway is cheaper; no education on how to make a healthy meal
• Smoking and high-risk behaviour: low income, means less money and more money would be spent on smokes, which means it will leave less money for necessities. No education=unknown of the dangers of smoking.
Environmental
• Location: limited access to healthcare
• 25% live in rural or remote areas, therefore less access to healthcare facilities and infrastructure
• Poor transport: need to catch public transport (eg. bus, train), which may limit their distance and access to services
• Overcrowded and run-down housing is associated with poverty and contributes to the spread of communicable disease.

Question 19

Role of Individuals in helping Aboriginals/Torres

Answer 19

• Empowerment of individuals by increase knowledge through education
• ATSIS elders work with community

Question 20

Role of Communities in helping Aboriginals/Torres

Answer 20

• Local support group meetings (in community hall)
• Scholarships for education to private schools
• Opportunity to learn about the culture and cultural skills

Question 21

Role of Governments in helping Aboriginals/Torres

Answer 21

Australian government health for life program to enhance primary health care

• 2008, Rudd government apology speech ‘Closing the Gap strategy’
• The Australian Government National 2009 preventable health task force Australia- the healthiest country by 2010

Question 22

Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Nature and Extent

Answer 22

• Have a higher infant mortality rate
• Less educated than higher socioeconomic groups
• Reduced life expectancy
• More likely to die from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and lung cancer
• Higher levels of blood pressure
• More likely to smoke
• More often generally sick, and tend to avoid health/medical help or vaccinations