Lecture 14 Flashcards
What is epidemiology
“ The study of the occurrence and distribution of health-related events, states or processes in specified populations…”
What is population health
“ the health outcomes of a group of individuals including the distribution of such outcomes within the group”
Two important patterns of health distribution in New Zealand
• Ethnicity
• Socioeconomic status
A ssessing socioeconomic status
(SES)
Occupation
• Non-workers?
• Classification of jobs?
• People changing occupations?
Income
• Gross or net income?
• Individual or household?
Deprivation
• NZiDep (individual); NZDep (area based)
Education
• Highest qualification?
• Easy to remember?
• Relatively stable?
Living standards measures
• Economic Living Standard Index (ELSI)
• Survey, range of aspects
What is NZDep?
How many people in an area
Deciles?
• Area based measure of deprivation
• Areas of ~100-200 people
• Deciles: one is an area with least deprived score, ten is an area with the most deprived score
New Zealand deprivation index
• Considers a range of aspects
• Can be used for everyone
• Can be determined from address
10% of the population in each decile
Yes
Absolute poverty
“ Income level below which a minimum nutritionally adequate
diet plus essential non-food requirements is not affordable. The amount of income a person, family, or group needs to
purchase an absolute amount of the basic necessities of life”
Relative poverty
“The amount of income a person, family, or group needs to purchase a relative amount of basic necessities of life; these basic necessities are identified relative to each society and economy”
New Zealand deprivation index (NZDep)
• Neighbourhood measure not an individual measure
• Incorporates a range of aspects but not everything
• Not a label
• Measures relative socioeconomic deprivation
• Complexity behind the measure
(Social gradient in health)
Social gradient
What does low SES mean ?
What are Social determinants of health
“ The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life.”
