Week 11: Health status and inequalities

Question 1

What is the world health organisations definition of health?

Answer 1

Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being. It involves more than just the absence of disease or infirm

Question 2

How can we assess individual health status?

Answer 2

Subjective health
Daily physical symptoms
Chronic health conditions - ‘in the past 12 months has a dr diagnosed you with any chronic conditions?’

Are all self-report based

Question 3

What forms of cancer screening is there?

Answer 3

Breast cancer
Cervical cancer
Bowel cancer

Question 4

What procedures are used for breast cancer screening?

Answer 4

There are free, 2 yearly screening mammograms for women aged 40 and over

Question 5

What procedures are used for cervical cancer screening?

Answer 5

National Cervical Screening Program, pap smear for women aged 20-69

Question 6

What procedures are used for bowel cancer screening?

Answer 6

2-yearly screening to all Australians aged 50-74

Question 7

Are there any gender differences in seeing a medical professional?

Answer 7

Men tend to not be willing to see a medical professional - women are more willing

Question 8

What is a limitation to these government-based screening procedures?

Answer 8

Although they are given opportunities, not everyone uses them.

Question 9

What does ‘health doesn’t happen in a bubble’ mean?

Answer 9

There are things outside of our control - eg. living in a poor country and experiencing famine - it is not relevant to ask if they consume a balanced diet

Question 10

Explain the flint water crisis in michigan?

Answer 10

There was a change in their local pipe system in order to safe money, however caused high levels of lead to contaminate the water. The government assured them that this was safe.
50% of people are still too scared to use unfiltered water after 5 years - remnants of this will be around for years

Question 11

What does the Flint water crisis tell us about intergenerational affects?

Answer 11

Children may have drunk this water, doesn’t leave the body - may cause distrust in government

Question 12

What health impact does this flint water crisis have?

Answer 12

Lead is toxic and stays in the body

Question 13

What is the diabetes belt?

Answer 13

Refers to geographical location in united states - individuals who live in this belt are more likely to have type 2 diabetes than people who live in other parts of the untied states.
- However a limitation to this is that diabetes may be under-reported in poorer states (might not be able to afford medical attention and diagnosis)

Question 14

Disadvantaged location and breast feeding babies?

Answer 14

People in disadvantaged regions are less likely to breastfeed their babies

Question 15

Are there any infant gender differences in breast feeding rates?

Answer 15

Female babies are less likely to be breastfed

Question 16

Does disadvantage have anything to do with likeliness to smoke?

Answer 16

If you’re poorer, you are more likely to be a regular smoker

And the gaps between groups seems to be widening as well

Question 17

Are there any gender-based differences in smoking rates? why?

Answer 17

Yes. There is an identifiable reduction in female smokers - may be because campaigns work better for females

Question 18

What trends are seen in geographical location and obesity?

Answer 18

There is an overall increase in obesity regardless of location, however, poorer people are more likely to be obese

Question 19

As people get older, what do we see?

Answer 19

A stabilisation or improvement in subjective well being

Question 20

There is an increase in subjective wellbeing with age in richer countries - is this the same for poorer countries?

Answer 20

No - unfortunately in poorer countries, subjective wellbeing seems to decline with age

Question 21

What does inequality do?

Answer 21

Weakens the social fabric, damages health and increases crime rates

Question 22

What are the differences between the direct and indirect influences we have on our health?

Answer 22

Direct - how we take care of our body (eg. smoke, drink, eat well)
Indirect - influences that are not directly under our control (eg. gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, wealth)

Question 23

Explain chronic condition onset in different classes

Answer 23

For poor and working class - chronic conditions are typically greater at an earlier age

Question 24

What causes early onset of conditions in the poor or working class?

Answer 24

Poor nutrition, housing and healthcare access

Question 25

How can education stop the early onset of conditions of poor or working class individuals?

Answer 25

When better education, more likely to eat better and have better health care as well as being less likely to smoke

Question 26

Tobacco taxes have been implemented to discourage smoking - this doesn’t work as it was planned to. Explain

Answer 26

Government claims it will encourage people to quit due to being unable to afford it anymore. Instead, it adds to the hardship that they and their children experience.

3 out of 4 people on income support are spending a seventh of their income on cigarettes

Question 27

What are higher levels of discrimination associated with?

Answer 27

A broad range of diseases - black people are likely to die prematurely, discrimination in medical care, as well as residential segregation impacting on access to healthcare

Question 28

Which racial group have the highest mortality rate?

Answer 28

African Americans - young african americans are 2x more likely to die

Also 20x more likely to have high blood pressure and 7x more likely to be victims of homicide

Question 29

What are the health problems among differing races and ethnicities related to?

Answer 29

Poverty
Low levels of education
Cultural differences
Less likely to have health insurance

Question 30

What percentage of Australians population were born overseas?

Answer 30

29.7% - a diverse, multicultual range of people living in Aus

Question 31

What is the definition for socioeconomic status?

Answer 31

A person’s position “in a system of social stratification that differentially allocates the major resources enabling people to achieve health and other desired goals

Question 32

Explain how education is at the start of the socioeconomic positioning process

Answer 32

Education leads to employment or occupational possibilities, which determines income - determining wealth

Question 33

What is income really?

Answer 33

It is related to a person’s ability to generate wealth (assets etc)

Question 34

What are the affects of acculturation?

Answer 34

Less acculturation makes one more likely yo have physical and mental health problems

Question 35

Why are minorities commonly diagnoses at later stages of conditions?

Answer 35

May be due to less access to high-quality health care and health insurance

Question 36

Explain cumulative disadvantages

Answer 36

Living in unfavourable conditions (poverty, polluted areas) early in life has very likely consequences for health in later life

Disadvantages accrue overtime leading to increasingly poorer health - early investment in health pays off

Question 37

What are the effects of stress?

Answer 37

More stress makes someone more likely to get ill

Question 38

What are some causes of stress for older adults?

Answer 38

Death of spouse/close family member
Moving to assisted living
Finance
Retirement (if not wealthy to begin with, retirement may cause a lot of stress)

This is potentially why the health gap widens over a persons life time

Question 39

How many Australian’s have a disability?

Answer 39

1 in 5 - yet isn’t a priority in the health system

Question 40

What basic essentials do those with a disability struggle to obtain?

Answer 40

Somewhere to live
Work
Health care

Question 41

What are the 4 main types of disability?

Answer 41

Physical
Sensory
Psychological
Intellectual

Question 42

Disability is complex - what is something that people can be disabled by that isn’t thought of?

Answer 42

Society can disable people

Question 43

Those with disabilities have a high level os psychological distress - how much?

Answer 43

25% - compared to 5% in the general population

Question 44

What interferes with adequate health care access for those with disabilities?

Answer 44

Lack of transport, poor communication and discrimination

Question 45

What percentage of homeless people are disabled and why might this be the case?

Answer 45

64% - commonly fall out of home ownership due to the costs of disability

Question 46

What percentage of women with intellectual disabilities have been sexually abused?

Answer 46

90%

Question 47

How much more likely are those with disabilities to experience violence?

Answer 47

1.5x more likely

Question 48

What is something that disabled parent experience?

Answer 48

Discrimination in the child protection system - much higher risk of having children removed even if there is no evidence of inadequate parenting

Question 49

Income and disability?

Answer 49

Generally have lower incomes with 45% living on or near the poverty line even if they have the same levels of education - because of discrimination and lack of social connection