Health Priorities in Australia Flashcards
What is Epidemiology?
The study of health patterns and causes of health and disease in populations and the application of this study to improve health.
What are Measures of Epidemiology?
- Infant Mortality Rate
- Morbidity
- Mortality
- Life Expectancy
What is the Infant Mortality Rate?
The number of deaths among children aged under 1 year in a given period per 1000 live births
What is Morbidity?
The incidence of illness, diease of injury in a population
What is Mortality?
The number of deaths in a given population from a certain cause over a period of time
What is Life Expectancy?
An indication of how long a person can expect to live
What is the Life Expectancy for Females and Males in Australia?
Female: 85 years
Male: 81 years
What are Social Justice Principles?
Measures that aim at decreasing or elimanating inequality
What are the Social Justice Principles?
- Equity
- Diversity
- Supportive Environments
What is Prevalence?
The number of cases in a population at a given time
What is the difference between Prevalence and Incidence?
Incidence is the number of new cases diagonsed in a specific time period, while prevalence refers to the number of people alive who had been with a disease.
What conditions have high Prevalence in Australia?
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Cancers
- Dementia and Alzhemier’s Disease
What are Mortality statistics for Indigenous Australians?
- 2x more likely to die of cancer
- 3x higher infant mortality rates
- 3x greater injury rates than the rest of Australia
- 5x more likely to die of a heart attack
- 8.6 years lower life expectancy
- 8.8x more likely to die of diabetes
What are Morbidity statistics for Indigenous Australians?
- Higher levels of mental health problems
- Oral care and health is lower than non-ATSI
- 1.5x more likely to suffer from one stressor
- 1.6x likely to develop Asthma
- 50% of ATSI smoke regulary
What sociocultural determinants affect Indigenous Australians?
- Preference for cultural medicine over Western
- 1 in 9 speak Indigenous languages in the home
- Years of dicrimination leads to mistrust of the government
- Higher rates of domestic violence, abuse and smoking
What socioeconomic determinants affect Indigenous Australians?
- 2.5x more likely to be in the lowest income bracket
- Poorer levels of education
- Higher unemployment
- Lowered health literacy
What environmental determinants affect Indigenous Australians?
- More likely to live in rural/remote locations
- Inadequate housing with greater overcrowding and reduced access to electricity, water, internet, hygiene and technology
- Reduced acess to health services such as GP and dentists
What is Health Status
The overall wellness in a population
What are the 5 ways to identify health priority issues?
- Social Justice Principles
- Priority Population Groups
- Prevalence of Condition
- Potential for prevention and ealry intervention
- Costs to the individual and community
What is the Role of Individuals in adressing the health inequities faced by the Indigenous population?
Individuals can:
* Take control of their own health e.g make informed health decisions and engaging with their community
* Create supportive environments for others
This will reduce risk behaviours and increase protective behaviours
What is the Role of Communities in adressing the health inequities faced by the Indigenous population?
Communties can:
* Implement governmental programs e.g Close the Gap
* Advocate to the government for specfic health issues
* Develop local iniatives to get others involved
What is the Role of Governments in adressing the health inequities faced by the Indigenous population?
Governments can:
* Develop policies and funding iniatives e.g Close the Gap campaign and Indigenous Chronic Disease Package (805)
* Provide for more doctors and medical support in Indigenous communities
What sociocultural determinants affect low SES individuals?
- 2.3x more likey to smoke
- 1.7 times more likely to report having 4 or more risk factors which would influence children brought up in these homes e.g. healthy eating
What socioeconomic determinants affect low SES individuals?
- Less education leads to less informed choices and less knowledge of services available to them
- Less choice in type of employment leading to higher rates of hazardous work
What environmental determinants affect low SES individuals?
- Higher rates of homelessness. A lack of shelter will affect all aspects of health
- Homeslessness limits acess to health services e.g Centrelink which requires an adress
What is the Role of Individuals in adressing health inequities faced by low SES individuals?
Individuals can:
* Stay in school or regularly attend university. This will allow them to make informed educted choices and increases chances of not being a part of the low SES community
What is the Role of Communities in adressing health inequities faced by low SES individuals?
Communities can:
* Provide relevant healthcare and support services e.g. PCYC
What is the Role of the Goverment in adressing health inequities faced by low SES individuals?
Goverments can:
* Support community programs
* Provide free or reduced cost healthcare e.g. Medicare
Why is it important to identify priority groups?
- Reduces waste of resources such as time and money
- Observe areas that need further improvement
- Observe what has worked well
What are limitations of Epidemiology?
- Does not include all dimensions of health
- Doesn’t provide information about quality of life
- Doesn’t take health determinants into account
- Doesn’t provide variations between population sub-groups
