Indicators of Health Flashcards
What is health status
An individual’s or a population’s overall health, taking into account various aspects such as life expectancy, amount of disability and levels of disease risk factors.’
Why do we measure health status
It allows judgements to be made about the health of individuals, groups or populations.
Definition: LIFE EXPECTANCY
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.’
Definition: SELF-ASSESSED HEALTH STATUS
An individual’s “perception” (own opinion) of their level of health. It is measured on a scale of Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.
Definition: INFANT MORTALITY RATE
The rate of deaths of infants between birth and their first birthday, usually expressed per 1000 live births
Definition: MORTALITY
Mortality refers to the death rate in the population.
The data calculates the number of deaths, their causes, the average age of deaths.
Definition: UNDER 5 MORTALITY RATE
The number of deaths of children under five years of age per 1000 live births.
Definition: MATERNAL MORTALITY
Death of a mother during pregnancy, childbirth or within six weeks of delivery.
why do we need mortality data
It is useful for:
understanding death in the overall population at a point in time
monitoring trends in death, specific causes of death and life expectancy over time
investigating differences between particular population groups such as people living in areas of different remoteness and socioeconomic status, people born in different countries, and between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians
Definition: MORBIDITY
Refers to ill health in an individual and the levels of ill health in a population or group
Definition: PREVALENCE
The number or proportion of cases of a particular disease or condition present in a population at a given time
What is Socioeconomic Status (SES)
Refers to a person’s position in society relative to other people based on the factors of income, occupation and education.
Definition: INCIDENCE
The number of new cases of a particular disease or condition in a community or population within a given time.
Definition: TRENDS (in graphs or data)
A general movement or pattern over time.
different between low ses and high ses
People with a lower socioeconomic status usually have less access to financial, educational, social, and health resources than those with a higher socioeconomic status.
Difference between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous health
Indigenous populations have poorer health outcomes compared to their non-Indigenous counterparts. The experience of colonisation, and the long-term effects of being colonised, has caused inequalities in Indigenous health status, including physical, social, emotional, and mental health and wellbeing
