Health Priorities: How are priority issues for australias health identified? Flashcards
what health problems does australia experience?
- cardiovascular health
- cancer control
- mental health
- diabetes
- asthma
- arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions
- dementia
what is epidemiology
the study of diseases in populations
what can epidemiology be used for
- to gain insight into the health status of a population
- identify patters of health and disease
- analyse how health services and facilities are being used
who uses epidemiology
policy developers
researchers
government and health departments
health organisations
manufacturers of health products
health services eg. doctors
in what way does epidemiology consider patterns of disease
- prevalence
- incidence
- distribution
- apparent causes
what is prevalence
number of cases of diease in a population at a specific time
what is incidence
number of new cases of diseases occurring in a population
what is incidence
number of new cases of diseases occurring in a population
what is distribution
the extent of a disease
what are apparent causes
determinants and indicatorsq
what can epidemiology tell us
obtains a picture of the health status of a population,
to identify patterns of health and disease
analyse how health services are being used
who uses these measures
government
doctors
researchers
manufactures
health organisations eg. NSW cancer council
do they measure everything about health status
can determine- circumstances surrounding a person a persons admission and discharge
cant determine- the number of people not seeking medical attention for help with their health issue
what are limitations of epidemiology
- can be bias
- doesnt study quality of life
- doesnt tell us about variations amongst sub populations eg. atsi
- effect on mental health
- why health inequities persist
- doesnt account for health determinants; social, economic, environmental and cultural factors
what is mortality
umber of deaths in a group or from a disease over a specific time period (usually a year).
what is infant mortality
number of infant deaths in first year of life, per 1000 live births. Considered most important health measure of a nation.
what is morbidity
incidence or level of disease, illness or injury in a given population. It gives a broader view of the nations health.
what is life expectancy
the average number of years a person is expected to live based on current death rates. life expectancy of birth is a common indicator of heath status and can be used to show improvements in the nations health.
how much has life expectancy increased between 1990 and 2020
5 years in females
what is the biggest killer in men
coronary heart disease, second is dementia
what is the biggest and second biggest killer in women
dementia, then coronary heart disease
are deaths per 100 000 population increasing or decreasing
decreasing
are the mortality rates of cardiovascular diseases declining or increasing
declining
why are overall mortality rates experiencing such a large decline
increases in technology eg. immunisations
widespread info on health activities that are detrimental to health eg. smoking, improvement in roads
improvements in disease detection
are overall infant mortality rates increasing or decreasing
slow steady decline
are indigenous infant mortality rates increasing or decreasing
is steeply decreasing
is life expectancy increasing or decreasing
increasing
what is the current life expectancy for women
85
what is the current life expectancy for males
81
why are women less likely to have cardiovascualar disease
they have less fat surrounding their organs
why do ATSI have a lower life expectancy than non-aboriginal people
they tend to come from lower SES backgrounds, meaning they have less access to healthcare, lower education meaning they have less health literacy
what is morbidity
illness, disease or poor health
what are indicators of morbidity
hospital use- a
visits to the doctor and medicare statistics
health reports
disability
prevalence
incidence
what are the major causes of chronic conditions in australia
tobacco use
obesity
dietary issues
high blood pressure
alcohol use
why is life expectancy increasing
improvements in technology
access to food and water
improved lifestyle and exercise
improved hygiene
what is life expectancy for non-ATSI and ATSi males
non- 81.2
ATSI- 71.6
what is life expectancy for non-ATSI and ATSi females
non- 85.3
ATSI- 75.6
what is australias life expecatancy global ranking
5
is morbidity increasing or decreasing
increasing
what is the main cause of mortality- and is it decreasing or increasing
cardio heart disease and its decreasing
what are the 3 social justice principles
equity. eg. focusing on ATSI
diversity eg. medicare- available to everyone
supportive environments eg. flying docs
why are the social justice principles vital in identifying priority health issues
if the priority issue reflects social justice principles there will be an improvement of overall health status
what are priority population groups
indigenous/atsi
low socieconomic status
rural/remote poeple
why does knowing priority population groups help identify priotity health issues
by identifying at risk population groups, goverment health care expenditure and health promotion can be directed towards these groups
what is prevalence of condition
how common a condition is within the community
why does knowing prevalence of condition help identify priority health issues
highly prevalent conditions are a priority health issues as they place a large health and economic burden on the community. reducing prevalence reduces this burden
eg. CHD- coronary heart disease
how would you do early intervention/what is it
technology/self examination
what is prevention/how do you do it
behaviours/lifestyles to prevent eg. not smoking, healthy eating
why does potential for prevention and early intervention help identify health issue
changing the behavioural, social and environmental determinants greatly decreases burden on society as it reduces chances of it and dectecting it early eg. breast cancedr
what is the cost to individual
cost of treatment, lost working hours, emotional and mental cost, loss of life
what is the cost to community
australia spent $202.5 billion on health
why is knowing cost to individual and community vital in identifying priority health issues
to prevent them from losing employment status and consequently place a financial strain on families q
what role do the principles of social justice play
equity, diversity and supportive environments
aim to eliminate inequity in health by promoting diversity and environment that accomodate all needs
why is it important to prioritise health issues
important in determining targeted health care and promotion to reduce health inequities/ these groups include
what is equity
resourced allocated in accordance with the needs of individuals and populations with the desired goal of equality of outcomes
eg. ATSI are more likely to suffer from disease, therefore the ‘close the gap’ campaign provides additional resourcs
what id diversity
diversity comprises of the differences among individuals and groups
eg. health info on breast cancer comes in a variety of languages on pamphlets and notice boards
what are supportive environments
environments where people live, work and play that protect people from threats to health and that increase their ability to make health-promoting choices
eg. RFDS create a supportive environment in rural areas
what are priority population groups
ATSI, SE disadvantaged people, people in remote/rural ares, overseas born people and PWD
what are the 5 most common diseases causing burden on societ
cancer, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular diseases, mental health conditions and substance abuse disorders
why are people less healthy the further away from the city they are located
lack of resources, distance to medical centres, and a lower socioeconomic status
what is prevalance of a condition
how common a condition is within the society
how does prevalence of a condition contribute to identifying priority health issues + example
conditions with higher prevalence are chosen as they place larger health and economic burden on the community- targeting them reduces the burden
eg. cardiovascular disease is a priority issue due to high prevalence (leading cause of death)
how does potential for prevention and early intervention contribute to identifying priority health issues + example
lifestyle behaviours can prevent many diseases eg. smoking + lung cancer, exercising and balanced diet + cardiovascular disease
why is prevention and early intervention difficult to achieve for many australians
social and envrionmental factors eg. access to mammograms for people from isolated areas, media pressure to drink
what are indirect and direct costs to the individual
direct: measured through financial means eg. cost of treatment, cost of lost working hours/replacement labour
indirect: includes financial, physical, social, emotional and mental costs as well eg. depression
what are indirect and direct costs to the community
Direct: in 2019-20, australia spent 202.5 billion on health, which was a 1.7% growth from the prev. year.
this was below average of the past 5 years, which is a 2.7% increase
indirect: loss of workplace productivity, travel costs of patients, cost of caring for an ill person at home
what is the overall trend for costs to individual and community
steady increase in direct health costs
