CHAPTER 2

Question 1

Burden of disease

Answer 1

Burden of disease a measure of the impact of diseases and injuries; specifically it measures the gap between
current health status and an ideal situation where everyone lives to an old age free of disease and disability.
Burden of disease is measured in a unit called the DALY. (VCAA)

Question 2

Chronic conditions

Answer 2

Chronic conditions any disease or condition that lasts a long time (usually longer than six months). It usually
can’t be cured and therefore requires ongoing treatment and management. Examples include arthritis and
asthma

Question 3

Core activities

Answer 3

Core activities relate to three main areas of life: self-care, mobility and communication

Question 4

Core activity limitation

Answer 4

Core activity limitation when an individual has difficulty, or requires assistance, with any of the three core
activities

Question 5

Disability adjusted life years (DALY)

Answer 5

Disability adjusted life years (DALY) a measure of burden of disease. One DALY is equal to one year of healthy
life lost due to illness and/or death. DALY are calculated as the sum of the years of life lost due to premature
death and the years lived with disability for people living with the health condition or its consequences.

Question 6

Health indicators

Answer 6

Health indicators standard statistics that are used to measure and compare health status (e.g. life expectancy,
mortality rates, morbidity rates)

Question 7

Health status

Answer 7

Health status an individual’s or a population’s overall health (and wellbeing), taking into account various aspects
such as life expectancy, amount of disability and levels of disease risk factors (AIHW, 2008)

Question 8

Australia’s youth

Answer 8

Australia’s youth generally experience excellent health status.

Question 9

Assess health status?

Answer 9

Self-assessed health status, life expectancy, mortality, morbidity (including incidence and prevalence of
health conditions), burden of disease, rates of hospitalisation, core activity limitation and psychological
distress are all used to assess health status.

Question 10

Self-assessed health status is based on

Answer 10

Self-assessed health status is based on an individual’s own perception of their health and wellbeing.
Most youth in Australia assess their health status as excellent or very good.

Question 11

Life expectancy

Answer 11

Life expectancy is an indication of how long a person can expect to live; it is the number of years of life
remaining to a person at a particular age if death rates do not change

Question 12

For a male born in 2017

Answer 12

For a male born in 2017, the life expectancy was 80.5 years and for a female it was 84.6 years.

Question 13

Life expectancy and death rates are continually improving for Australia’s youth.

Answer 13

Life expectancy and death rates are continually improving for Australia’s youth.

Question 14

Mortality

Answer 14

Mortality refers to death, particularly at a population level. The mortality rates for Australia’s youth are
among the lowest when compared to other lifespan stages.

Question 15

YLL

Answer 15

YLL relates to the fatal burden of disease

Question 16

The leading cause of death and YLL among youth

Answer 16

The leading cause of death and YLL among youth is injury and poisoning, and males are more likely to
experience mortality during the youth stage than females.

Question 17

Morbidity

Answer 17

Morbidity relates to ill health in an individual and levels of ill health within a population.

Question 18

Morbidity can be measured

Answer 18

• Morbidity can be measured using YLD, incidence and prevalence.

Question 19

YLD

Answer 19

YLD relates to the non-fatal burden of disease.

Question 20

Years lost due to disability (YLD

Answer 20

Years lost due to disability (YLD) a measure of how many healthy years of life are lost due to disease, injury or
disability

Question 21

Psychological distress

Answer 21

Psychological distress relates to unpleasant feelings and emotions that affect an individual’s level of functioning

Question 22

Prevalence

Answer 22

Prevalence the number or proportion of cases of a particular disease or condition present in a population at a
given time

Question 23

Incidence

Answer 23

Incidence refers to the number (or rate) of new cases of a disease/condition in a population during a given period

Question 24

DALY are used to measure

Answer 24

DALY are used to measure burden of disease and are calculated by adding YLL and YLD

Question 25

Mental and substance use disorders

Answer 25

Mental and substance use disorders contribute most to the overall burden of disease for youth.

Question 26

Hospitalisation rates of youth

Answer 26

Hospitalisation rates of youth provide an indication of levels of ill health that require medical treatment.

Question 27

The leading causes for hospitalisations in youth

Answer 27

The leading causes for hospitalisations in youth are injury and poisoning, diseases of the digestive
system and diseases of the respiratory systems

Question 28

A core activity limitation exist

Answer 28

A core activity limitation exists when an individual sometimes or always requires assistance in one or
more of three areas of life: self-care, mobility and communication

Question 29

• Over 4 per cent

Answer 29

Over 4 per cent of youth experience a core activity limitation.

Question 30

• Psychological distress

Answer 30

Psychological distress relates to unpleasant feelings and emotions that have an impact on an
individual’s level of functioning.

Question 31

• Females and older youth

Answer 31

• Females and older youth are more likely to experience psychological distress.