Changes in Australia's health overtime Flashcards
Infectious diseases
Caused by micro-organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, that can be spread from one person to another.
Infectious diseases - Examples
- COVID-19
- STIs
- Tuberculosis
- Cholera
Lifestyle diseases
Caused by poor decisions people make within their life, such as a poor diet.
Lifestyle diseases - Examples
- Type 2 diabetes
- Cardiovascular disease
Parasitic diseases
Illness caused by a parasite or organism living in a person’s body.
Public health
The ways in which 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.
Old Public Health - Policies
- Sewerage systems and improved water and sanitation
- Quarantine laws
- Improved working conditions
- Mass immunisation programs
Old public health - Improved water and sanitation
- what is it
- how did it improve Australia’s health status
Clean water and removed garbage and waste from streets.
Reduction in deaths from infectious diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera.
Old public health - Quarantine laws
- what is it
- how did it improve Australia’s health status
Strict quarantine laws due to outbreak of bubonic plague.
Reduced spread of infectious diseases, lowering death rates of bubonic plague.
Old public health - Improved working conditions
- what is it
- how did it improve Australia’s health status
Introduction of minimum wage and banned the employment of children aged 13 and below.
Reduced poverty-related illnesses and workplace injuries.
Old public health - mass immunisation programs
- how did it improve Australia’s health status
Reduced morbidity and mortality rates for infectious diseases such as TB, smallpox and polio.
Biomedical approach to health
Focuses on the physical or biological aspects of disease and illness. It is a medical model practiced by doctors and health professionals and is associated with diagnosis, treatment and curing.
Biomedical approach to health - Features
- focuses on individuals who are ill
- relies on technology to diagnose, treat and cure
- relies on services provided by doctors and hospitals
Advantages of the biomedical approach to health
- explanation
Funding improves technology and research
- Introduced x-rays, antibiotics and anaesthetics, increasing knowledge about illnesses.
Extends life expectancy
- Many causes of death in the past can now be treated and cured, increasing life expectancy.
Disadvantages of the biomedical approach to health
- explanation
Affordability
- Not everyone can afford the resources and medical technology required for treatment.
Not every condition can be treated
- Some can be managed, but not treated.
New public health/Social model of health
An approach to health that recognises that improvements in health and wellbeing can only be achieved by directing effort towards addressing the physical, sociocultural and political environments of health that have an impact on individuals and population groups.
Social model of health - principles
- Acts to enable access to healthcare
- Empowers individuals and communities
- Addresses the broader determinants of health
- Involves intersectoral collaboration
- Acts to reduce social inequities
Social model of health - Acts to enable access to healthcare
- explanation
Healthcare should be readily available to everyone, taking into consideration culture, gender and ethnicity.
Social model of health - Empowers individuals and communities
- explanation
Building individual’s health knowledge and skills, enabling them to make positive changes to their h+w.
Social model of health - Addresses the broader determinants of health
- what are the broader determinants
- explanation
Broader determinants:
- gender, culture, race, socioeconomic status, geographical location & physical environment.
The broader determinants are shown to have a strong relationship with health status and h+w.
Social model of health - involves intersectoral collaboration
- definition
- explanation
Intersectoral collaboration - having groups from many sectors, such as government, health, public and private sector, working together to achieve a common goal.
Sociocultural and physical environment factors can be more effectively addressed if all groups work together.
Social model of health - Acts to reduce social inequities
- Social inequities examples
Examples - gender, culture, race, SES
These factors must be taken into consideration in order to improve h+w and health status.
Advantages of the social model of health
- explanations
It focuses on vulnerable population groups
- It focuses on promoting equity, so many disadvantaged population groups are the target of health promotion programs
It assists in preventing diseases from developing
- As it addresses the broader determinants of health, it can prevent conditions from developing in the first place.
Disadvantages of the social model of health
Not every condition can be prevented
- Many genetic conditions can be very difficult to prevent.
It does not promote development of technology
- As it focuses on the broader determinants of health, it does not promote medical advancements.
Ottawa Charter for health promotion
Developed by the WHO, aiming to reduce inequalities in health. It reflects the social model of health, containing five action areas centred around the 3 strategies for health promoting: Advocate, Enable and Mediate.
Ottawa Charter - 3 strategies for health promotion
Advocate - actions designed to gain support from governments and societies that are necessary to improve h+w for all. (campaigns, public speaking)
- Enable - focuses on achieving equity in h+w by ensuring equal opportunities and resources such as education and employment are available to all.
- Mediate - Changes to policies may cause conflict between individuals, groups, businesses and political parties. Mediating relates to helping these groups to resolve such conflict and produce outcomes to promote h+w.
Ottawa charter - action areas
- Build healthy public policy
- Create supportive environments
- Strengthen community action
- Develop personal skills
- Reorient health services
Ottawa charter - action area - Build healthy public policy
- examples
Decisions made by government & organisations regarding laws and policies that make it difficult for people to undertake unhealthy behaviours.
- Compulsory wearing of seatbelts
- Banning smoking in public
- Implementing tax on alcohol
Ottawa charter - action area - Create supportive environments
Aims to promote a healthy environment for all members of the community.
- Ensuring a smoke free environment
- Providing shaded outdoor areas
Ottawa charter - action area - strengthen community action
The community working together to achieve a common goal.
Promotion of immunisations
- media, doctors, schools and parents working together to achieve higher rates.
Ottawa charter - action area - Develop personal skills
Implementations enabling individual to gain health-related skills.
- Quit smoking campaigns to educate people about harmful effects
Ottawa charter - action area - reorient health services
Changing the health system in order to address the broader determinants of health, rather than just disease.
- Doctors focus discussion on healthy eating to prevent type 2 diabetes
- Doctors recommending physical activity to prevent CVD.
