CH1 UNDERSTANDING HEALTH OUTCOMES Flashcards
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
under 5 mortality rate (U5MR)
-U5MR is the number of deaths of children under 5 years of age per 1000 live births
-it is widely used as an indicator of a population’s health status because it is associated with a population’s access to education, level of economic development & availability of healthcare services
maternal mortality
-is the number of deaths of women due to pregnancy, childbirth or during the 6 weeks after the end of pregnancy
-high numbers of maternal deaths in some areas of the world reflect the inequalities in income & access to healthcare services
morbidity
-refers to the ill-health in an individual & the levels of ill-health in a population or group
-is the occurrence of disease, illness, disbaility & injury in a population
burden of disease
-is a measure of the impact of diseases & injuries
-it measures the gap between current health status & an ideal situation where everyone lives to an old age free of disease & disability
-it is measured in a unit called the DALY
disabiltiy adjusted life year (DALY)
-DALY is a measure of BOD; one DALY equals one year of healthy life lost due to premature death & time lived with illness or injury
-DALYs are measured through the use of 2 key factors:
YEARS OF LIFE LIFE (YLL): the fatal BOD of a population, defined as the years of life lost due to death
YEARS OF LIFE LOST DUE TO DISABILITY (YLD): the non-fatal component of the disease burden; a measurement of the healthy years lost due to disease or injury
incidence
-is the number or rate of new cases of a particular condition during a specific time
-calculated by dividing number of new cases of disease occurring at specific time in population by the number of persons exposed to risk of developing disease during that specific time
prevalence
-the number or proportion of cases of a particular disease or condition present in a population at a given time
-calculated by dividing number of cases present in a population at specific time by the number of persons at risk of having the disease at specific time
8 prerequisites for health
-peace
-shelter
-education
-food
-income
-stable ecosystem
-sustainable resources
-social justice & equity
prerequisite: peace
-peace is the absence of war or conflict & also means access to education, health & essential services, developing sustainability & protecting the planet’s biodiversity
-violence is a major source of disease, causing: death & injury, breakdown of & reduced access to health systems, increase incidence of communicable diseases, reduced water & sanitation & disease prevention, malnutrition
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES:
-reduces stress, promoting mental h&w
-reduces risk of injuries, promoting physical h&w & reducing mortaity rates
prerequisite: shelter
-adequate shelter means having a roof over one’s head, & involves adequate privacy & space, physical accessibility, adequate security, adequate lighting, heating & ventilation, adequate basic infrastructure, adequate & assessible location with regard to work & basic facilities, which should all be available at an affordable cost
-homelessness places individuals at risk of long-term poverty, unemployment, social exclusion & chronic ill-health, including greater risk of infectious diseases & mental health illnesses
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES:
-provides a sense of belonging for people which can help to promote spiritual h&w
-provides people with feelings of security & safety & can reduce stress which promotes emotional & mental h&w
prerequisites: education
-education is strongly linked to h&w, as well as to health factors such as health behaviours, use of health-related info & preventative healthcare services, investment in human relationships & personal, family & community wellbeing
-education also has a strong association with employment opportunities, level of literacy skills & level of income
-people with low levels of education have higher risk of suffering poor health outcomes throughout their lives, & of dying younger
-education increases an individual’s level of health literacy, & when individuals have low level of health literacy, they are more likely to frequently use healthcare services, have higher healthcare costs & experience higher rates of hospitalisation
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES
-education increases understanding of concepts such as nutrition, which can promote physical h&w
-education often leads to higher income, which can improve living standards & promote physical h&w
prerequisite: food
-if a child does not have access to adequate nutrition from food in the first 1000 days of life, they are at risk of mental impairment, poor health & low productivity & death
-people must be able to obtain a safe, culturally acceptable, nutritionally adequate diet through a sustainable food system in order to attain & maintain an appropriate level of h&w
-nutritious food can reduce impact of chronic & infectious diseases, reduce premature mortality & increase LE
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES:
-provides energy for body functions, promoting physical h&w
-forms part of social celebrations, helping to build relationships, promoting social h&w
prerequisite: income
-people with low income are at greater risk of poor health, have higher rates of illness, disability & death, & live shorter lives than those with high income
-income is related to health outcomes in 2 ways: gross national product (GNP) or total value of goods & services of a country in a given period of time , income of individuals
-the income of both the country & individual influences ability of communities to assess other conditions that are essential for optimal health, such as clean water & good sanitation, adequate nutrition & education
-income also enables individuals to access further income-producing resources such as employment & work opportunities that enable them to continue to work in full health
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES:
-being able to pay the bills helps people feel more secure & relaxed, promoting emotional h&w
-earning a living & providing for family provides a sense of purpose, promoting spiritual h&w
prerequisite: stable ecosystem
-stability indicates that all living things are having their needs for food, air, water, shelter & reproduction met without causing detrimental effects to the natural environment
-when the ecosystem is stable or balanced, the resources used are able to rebalance or regenerate at the rate of use, ensuring stability
-overuse will result in an inability to regenerate at the rate of use, reducing availability of what is needed
-a stable ecosystem also provides us with the natural resources needed for housing & clothing
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES:
-helps to provide water & food, which can increase feelings of optimism & promote mental h&w
-provides spaces for leisure (such as bush walking), promoting physical h&w
-planetary changes have the potential to exert powerful effects on human health & the outcomes for humans is widespread effects on respiratory health & impacts of unsafe water, increasing premature mortality & reducing LE
prerequisite: sustainable resources
-sustainable resources enable natural systems to function, remain diverse & produce what is required for the ecology to remain in balance
-when previous or current generations engage in practices that damage the environment, this seriously affects their own chances of surviving in optimal health
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES:
-access to sustainable water supply reduces risk of waterborne illness, reducing mortality rates
-access to sustainable energy, food & water reduces feelings of stress & promotes mental h&w
prerequisite: social justice & equity
-social justice is when all people are treated fairly & experience equal rights in society
-social justice results in everyone having access to needed resources such as food, clean water, shelter, education, employment & healthcare
-discrimination has direct & indirect negative consequences for h&w of people & communities, including depression, weight problems & diabetes
-equity is when people within a community are required to receive fair treatment at all times, providing individuals/groups with what they need for h&w
LINKS TO IMPROVED HEALTH OUTCOMES:
SOCIAL JUSTICE:
-people who experience social justice are more likely to be optimistic about their future, promoting mental h&w
-social justice helps people to have a better sense of hope in life, increasing spiritual h&w
EQUITY:
-creates feelings of belonging & connection to community as people feel accepted & valued, improving spiritual h&w
-in a society where everyone is treated equally, the most vulnerable groups have equal access to resources needed for optimal h&w, including access to healthcare
