Definitions Flashcards
Define Aid
To help or provide support or relief in the form of money and/or materials; the aid may be given to an organisation, a community or a specific country
Define Asthma
A narrowing of the airways causing wheezing, breathlessness and chest tightness
What is AusAid?
The Australian government agency that is responsible for managing Australia’s overseas aid program
Define bilateral aid
Aid that is provided by the government of one country to the government of another country. For example, Australia providing aid to PNG
What is the biomedical model of health?
An approach to health that focuses on the diagnosis of disease, and intervention using a range of technologies. Focuses on diagnosis and intervention
Define burden of disease
The impact of a particular disease or condition in relation to the amount of healthy life lost due to premature death, illness and/or disability
Define cancer
A large range of diseases in which some of the body’s cells become defective, begin to multiply out of control, and can invade and damage the area around them; these cells can also spread to other parts of the body to cause further damage
Define Cardiovascular Disease
Also known as circulatory disease, this is any disease of the circulatory system (cardio) or blood vessels (vascular), including heart attack, angina, stroke and peripheral vascular disease
Define Dementia
A term used to describe the symptoms of a group of illnesses that cause a progressive decline in functioning
What are determinants of health?
Factors that can increase the changes of ill health (risk factors) or good health (protective factors) in an individual or population
What are the dimensions of health?
Physical
Social
Mental
Define direct costs
Payment expenses such as medicines, surgery or rehabilitation to an individual suffering from a medical condition
Define Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY)
Years of healthy life lost through premature death or living with disability due to illness or injury
Define disease
A physical or mental disturbance involving symptoms, such as pain or feeling unwell, dysfunction or tissue damage, especially if these symptoms and signs form a recognisable clinical pattern
What are enzymes?
A specialist type of protein that assists in chemical reactions in the body; enzymes act as biological catalysts performing very specific functions, such as food digestion and muscle contractions
Define extreme poverty
This is considered the most severe case of poverty, where people usually cannot meet basic food, clothing, shelter, health care and sanitation needs; according to the World Bank, extreme poverty is when people live on less that $1.25 per day
Define Food Security
The state in which all persons can obtain nutritionally adequate, culturally appropriate, safe food regularly through local non-emergency sources
Define Globalisation
The increasing interconnectedness of countries and people throughout the world into a ‘global village’ through the greater movement of people, goods, capital and ideas due to increased economic integration, trade and investment, and communication technologies, thus creating an internationalisation of markets for goods and services and an increased interdependency of national markets
What is the Glycaemix index?
Relates to the ranking of carbohydrate foods according to the effect these foods have on blood glucose levels
Health Adjusted Life Expectancy (HALE)
A measure of burden of disease based on life expectancy at birth, but including an adjustment for time spent in poor health; it is the number of years in full health that a person can expect to live, based on current rates of ill health and mortality
Define health status
An individual’s or population’s overall level of health, taking into account various aspects such as life expectancy, amount of disability and levels of disease risk factors
Define Human Development
A process of enlarging people’s choices and enhancing human capabilities and freedoms, enabling them to live a long and healthy life, have access to knowledge and a decent standard of living, and participate in the life of their community and decisions affecting their lives
What is the Human Development Index?
A summary composite index, the HDI is a single statistic that measures a country’s average achievement in three basic areas of human development:
Health
Knowledge
Decent Standard of Living
Define incidence
The number of new cases of an illness or event occurring during a given period
Define indirect costs
These include loss of income or productivity
Define infant mortality rate
The risk of an infant dying between birth and one year of age in a given year; usually given per 1000 live births
Define intangible costs
Costs that are hard to identify and to measure; these may include such things as pain and suffering
Define life expectancy
An indication of how long a person can expect to live; life expectance is the number of years of life remaining to a person at a particular age if death rates do not change
Define macronutrients
Those nutrients that the body requires in large quantities i.e. Carbohydrates, proteins
Define Malnutrition
A broad term that essentially means ‘bad nourishment’; it is concerned with insufficient as well as too much food, the wrong types of food and the body’s response to a wide range of infections that result in malabsorption of nutrients or the inability to use nutrients properly to maintain health
What is the maternal mortality ratio
The number of women dying of pregnancy-related causes; usually given per 100,000 live births
Define the mental dimension of health
A state of wellbeing in which individuals realise their own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and are able to make a contribution to their community; a person’s state of mind, including their emotions, feelings and thought processes.
Define micronutrients
The nutrients needed in relatively small amounts by the body
What are the Millennium Development Goals
A set of eight goals related to reducing poverty, hunger and disease, improving educational opportunities and enhancing survival outcomes for mothers and children
Define morbidity
Ill health in an individual or levels of ill health in a population or group
Define mortality
Death
Define Sustainable Human Development
A process of striving to achieve their full potential, lead more productive lives, expand their choices and meet their needs without compromising the opportunities for future generations to meet their needs.
Define Multilateral aid
This aid is given by the government of a particular country to an international organisation
E.g. the World Bank, the UN and WHO, will allocate how the aid money will be distributed; often this will be done via a non-government organisation
What are the National Health Priority Areas?
Government-identified focus areas that contribute to the significant burden of illness, injury and disease
Define Optimal health
The best possible health to which someone can realistically aspire, in some or all of the three dimensions: physical, social and mental health
What is the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion?
A document focusing on health promotion that was produced by the World Health Organisation and launched at the first global health promotion conference in Ottawa, Canada in 1986
