Epidemiology And Health Promotion Flashcards
What is epidemiology?
• The study and analysis of the distribution and patterns of disease in populations and why they occur.
Incidence
the number of occurrence of new cases of disease, injury, or other medical conditions over a specified time period
Prevalence
occurrence of death
Mortality
occurrence of death
mortality rate
The frequency of death in a population over a specified time period
Morbidity
the state of having a disease or a medical condition
incidence
• Incidence refers to the occurrence of new cases of disease or injury in a population over a specified period of time. This is the number of new cases that develop over the time period – week, month, year day etc or the relevant time period of study.
• So the number of new covid cases in Somerset West (our area at the College) Between 26 March 2022 and 1 April 2022, 1,695 people had a confirmed positive test result.
• However, more people may have had the disease but not got a test so there is probably a higher rate than this in reality
prevalence
• Prevalence is the proportion of a population with a disease or a particular condition at a specific point in time
• Because this is a proportion of the total population you would need to know the total population to measure prevalence to work out the proportion with the disease.
• It can be expressed in various ways - %, a fraction or per 100,000 of the population.
• This differs from incidence as its new cases and existing cases at that time
mortality
• Mortality is a measure of death caused by particular diseases in a population.
• It can also be expressed as a fraction, percentage or as a proportion – i.e. per 100,000 of the population.
• Just under 227,000 people died in the UK with Covid-19 listed as one of the causes on their death certificate. between March 2020 and May 2023
morbidity
• Morbidity is the state of having a disease or medical condition
• A person can have several morbidities simultaneously which we call co- morbidity.
• Morbidity is linked to age, socio-economic status, lifestyle factors and other factors –these are called the ‘wider determinants of health’.
• Morbidity data does not always follow into mortality data as it included less serious health conditions and more serious ones.
• Different morbidities effect people in different ways – ADL and arthritis
example
Health Surveillance in the UK
• The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, formerly Public Health England) aims to detect possible outbreaks of disease and epidemics as rapidly as possible. Since 1968 clinical suspicion of a notifiable infection is all that’s required.
• ‘Notification of infectious diseases’ is the term used to refer to the
statutory duties for reporting notifiable diseases in the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984 and the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010.
• These are diseases that have a significant risk to human health because
they are deadly/high infectious/difficult or impossible to treat
So what is ‘health promotion’ WHO
• Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behaviour towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions.
• I have bolded some key areas here that help us explore the subject
• increasing control
• improving health
• changing individual behaviours
• social and environmental interventions
• It is long term – impacts may not be seen for many years
How do we communicate health promotion to the public
• Thinking about the different messages you have had in your life about health – how you have received these messages?
• Face to face, radio TV adverts, adverts on social media, leaflets, online information
Health promotion policies in the UK
• Restricted access to alcohol, tobacco by age
• Sugar tax to make being unhealthy harder
• School meal standards/Free School Meals scheme
• Mandatory PE sessions in schools
• Additives to water and bread like fluoride and vitamin K
• Seatbelts in cars (1980s)
• Food safety regulations to prevent pathogens in the food chain
Education Programmes you may be been exposed to
• Using the internet safety
• Benefits of exercise
• Dental Hygiene
• Antismoking and antidrug work in schools
• Antibullying week
• Daily mile, Wake and shake and exercise based activities
• Sex and relationship Education (SRE and PHSE)
• Theatre in education – plays and performances around sensitive topics
Health promotion examples for specific diseases
• Sometimes the government (through the NHS) decides that specific diseases require interventions through health education and promotion campaigns based on epidemiological studies.
• Anti-smoking – Stoptober
• Anti-obesity – change4life
• Mental health – every mind matters
• Vaccinations – flu and covid-19
• FAST – recognising a stroke
