UNIT 3 AOS2 Flashcards
(118 cards)
Public Health
The ways governments monitor, regulate and promote health status and prevent disease.
Old Public Health
Government actions that focused on changing the physical environment to prevent the spread of disease, such as providing safe water and sanitation.
Leading cause of disease in the 1900s.
Infectious diseases.
How has health status changed?
- Decreased mortality and morbidity rates.
- Increased life expectancy.
- Decrease U5MR.
Due to: - Vaccinations.
- Improved hygiene.
- Education/Health literacy.
- Better living conditions.
Biomedical model
Focuses on the physical or biological aspects of disease and illness. It is a medical model practised by doctors and health professionals and is associated with the DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT and CURE of disease.
‘band-aid’ or ‘quick-fix’ approach
Improvements in medical technology due to the biomedical model assist Health outcomes.
- Discovery of vaccines; significant improvements in health status –> new vaccines can be produced.
- Discovery of antibiotics; reduction in death rates + infectious diseases.
- Penicillin; reduces mortality and morbidity rates.
Advantages of the Biomedical approach
- Funding brings improvements in technology.
- Enables many illnesses and conditions to be treated effectively.
- Extends life expectancy.
- Improves quality of life.
Disadvantages of the Biomedical approach
- Affordability.
- Not every condition can be treated.
- Doesn’t always promote good health and well-being.
- Relies on professional health workers and technology, therefore is costly.
‘new public health’
Expands focus on individual behaviour change to one that considers the ways in which physical, socio-cultural and political environments impact health.
Also referred to as the Social model of health.
Social model of health
Improvements in health can only be achieved by directing efforts towards addressing the physical, socio-cultural and political environments of health that impacts on individual and population groups.
Health promotion
Enable people to increase control over and improve health, to make a positive change.
Principles of the social model of health
- Addresses broader determinants of health.
- Acts to reduce social inequalities.
- Empowers individuals and communities.
- Enable access to healthcare.
- Involves intersectoral collaboration.
Addresses broader determinants of health.
Behavioural factors are an important part of improving H+W. Often it is influenced by broader determinants (eg, gender), becoming the focus of health promotion.
Acts to reduce social inequalities.
Individual and population groups are influenced by sociocultural and environmental factors.
Empowers individuals and communities.
- Participate in decision-making about their health.
- More likely to participate in healthy behaviours if they feel like they have a sense of control/power.
- Health knowledge and skills; more likely to make a positive change,
Enable access to healthcare.
- Access to healthcare contributes to health status.
- Sociocultural and environmental factors impact access to healthcare
eg. cultural barriers, education
Involves intersectoral collaboration.
Government and non-government organisations have an influence on sociocultural and environmental factors that influence health.
–> groups from many sectors working together to achieve a common goal.
Social model of health advantages
- Focuses on vulnerable population groups.
- Education can be passed from generation to generation.
- Responsibility for health and wellbeing is shared.
The social model of health disadvantages
- Not every condition can be prevented.
- It does not promote the development of technology and medical knowledge.
- Not address H+W concerns of individuals.
- Health promotion may be ignored.
Ottawa charter for health promotion
A set of guidelines to help organizations and key stakeholders incorporate health promotion ideas into their strategies, policies and campaigns.
Aims to reduce social inequalities in health. It reflects the social model of health and provides 5 action areas that can be used as a basis for improving health status, centred around 3 strageies for health promotion.
Strategies for Health Promotion Ottawa
- Advocate.
- Enable.
- Mediate.
Advocate
Action that gains support from governments/societies to make changes necessary to improve factors that influence health for everyone.
- media campaigns.
- public speaking.
- lobbying governments.
Enable
Reduce differences in health status between population groups by ensuring equal opportunities and resources available for individuals to take control + achieve optimal H+W
Mediate
Changing to funding, legislation and policies, the physical + sociocultural environment, causing conflict between groups.
Helps these groups resolve conflict and produce outcomes that promote H+W.