improvements to Australia's health status - Unit 3 AOS 2 Flashcards
improvements to Australia’s health status - life expectancy
- Australia’s life expectancy has increased over time from 1900
- This is mostly due to decreased mortality rates including infant and under 5 mortality rates
improvements to Australia’s health status - mortality rates
- Corresponding to increased life expectancy, Australia’s mortality rates have decreased since 1900 to the present day
- They have not consistently decreased but have increased for certain periods of time while maintaining a steady decrease over time.
- This is mostly due to a decrease in infectious diseases over time.
public health
- Refers to the ways in which governments monitor, regulate and promote health status and prevent disease.
- Changes in Australia’s health status since 1900 have occurred mainly due to
changes in approaches to public health and developments in science and
technologies.
old public health
- An approach that was developed at the beginning of the twentieth century which involved improving safety and changing the physical environment to prevent the spread of infectious, parasitic and respiratory diseases.
- At the beginning of the twentieth century, living conditions were very poor, resulting in an increase in spread of diseases
- A need emerged to reform the physical environment and develop technology to prevent the spread of disease.
old public health policies
- Government-funded water and sewage systems and better sanitation – this improved quality of drinking water, thus decreasing rates of diseases such as diarrhea and typhoid.
- Quarantine laws - strict quarantine laws were implemented including travel laws to minimise the spread of diseases between communities and between countries.
- Better quality housing – improved housing quality such as ventilation, reducing mould and preveinting respiratory diseases. Attempts were made to make better use of land, reducing overcrowding, thus preventing the spread of infectious diseases.
- Improved food and nutrition – improvements in safety and standards of foods reduces the risk of diseases from bacteria, toxins and viruses.
- Improved working conditions – improves safely in the workplace reduced the risk of injuries
- More hygienic birthing practices – improved hygiene practices from midwifes reduced infant and under 5mortality rates.
- Discovery of vaccines - The discovery of vaccines allowed for the mass vaccinations for a range of diseases, reducing or eliminating many diseases.
The biomedical approach to health
- an approach to health which focusses on the biological aspects of disease or illness.
- it works to diagnose, treat and cure diseases once they have developed, using medical technology.
- It emerged during the period of old public health and helped with the discovery of many medical technologies.
- Xray’s, antibiotics, stethoscope, surgeries and procedures
evaluation of the biomedical approach
advantages
- Illnesses and conditions can be effectively treated and symptoms can be managed.
- It improves quality of life and health adjusted life expectancy as many conditions can be manages and pain and suffering reduced.
- Improved life expectancy as many past causes of death can now be treated and cured.
- It can lead to the development of new medical technologies. Research and development for the treatment of a particular disease or illness can result in new medical or technology being discovered.
disadvantages of the biomedical approach
- This approach can be costly as it relies on people with specialist knowledge. The use of medication and the cost pf equipment can be very expensive. Not all individuals can afford these medical technologies and procedures.
- It does not always promote good health and wellbeing as it encourages quick fix solutions. It focusses on the condition itself and not the causes of it.
- The biomedical model of heath cannot be used to treat all diseases. For example, some diseases, such as cancer may not be able to be treated and cured one they develop and spread.
- The biomedical model of heath can cause a waste of healthcare resources. This is because the treatment of many diseases such as obesity and CVD could have bene prevented through health promoting behaviors.
new public health
- An approach that expands on the traditional knowledge of behaviours and lifestyle changes to promote health and wellbeing to one which involves preventing diseases through promotion of sociocultural and political environments
- Focuses on preventing diseases form happening in the first place
- it can still use medical technology however it is used to detect illnesses and diseases as early as possible as a preventative measure.
the social model of health
- The social model of health is an approach to health that aims to address the broader determinants of health including social, cultural, environmental and economic factors in order to prevent illness/disease from occurring in the first place.
- It is based on the understanding that that health is linked to a range of social and environmental factors, and that these must be addressed for health gains to occur.
principles of the social model of health
- Acts to enable access to healthcare – ensures everyone within a community can access healthcare without facing barriers such as SES, gender, language or location.
- Acts to reduce social inequalities – ensures all social groups have the same access to resources that improve their H+W. It attempts to address the social cultural factors that lead to variations in health status.
- Involves intersectoral collaboration – public and private sectors of the economy work together to achieve health related goals. Government and non-government organisations need to collaborate.
- Address the broader determinants (factors) of health – broader factors of health such as gender, location and SES need to be addressed for positive health outcomes to be adressed
- Empowers individual and communities – inspiring individuals and communities to recognise their role in promoting their own H+W
evaluation of the social model of health
advantages
- It focusses on vulnerable population groups through the principle of acting to reduce social inequalities
- It Is less expensive than the biomedical model of health. Although health promotion campaigns can be expensive, it it is less compared to expensive medications and technologies.
- It promotes good H+W by focusing on the broader determinants of health and assisting in preventing diseases. It also helps to prevent diseases form occurring in the first place, therefore reducing the likelihood of needing medications and expensive procedures.
- It focusses on education which can be passed down from generation to generation, therefore, promoting sustainable H+W.
disadvantages on the social model of health
- It relies on people to implement behaviour changes to prevent diseases and illnesses. Not all medical conditions can be treated such as genetic conditions.
- It requires individuals to be cooperative. The health promotion messages may be ignored.
- It does not account for people who are already sick. Once sick, the biomedical model of health is required.
the Ottawa charter for health promotion
an approach to health developed by the World Health Organization that aims to reduce inequalities in health. It reflects the social model of health and provides five action areas that can be used as a basis for improving health status, and is centred around three strategies for health promotion which includes enabling, mediating and advocating.
Ottawa charter strategies for health promotion
the Ottawa charter is based on 3 strategies for health promotion that make up effective health promotion campaigns.
- Advocate – showing active support and initiative for health promotion, lobbying governments to gain support necessary to improve H+W
- Enable – refers to reducing differences in health status, using health promotion to enable all groups of people to achieve optimal H+W
- Mediate – refers to ensuring that conflict between individuals, businesses or other groups can be resolved to produce positive health outcomes.
