Lecture 15: Patterns of disease over time

Question 1

What does Demographic Transition explain?

Answer 1

• Changes in population death and birth rates over time
• Growth and change in populations over time
  Decrease birth rate, decrease death rate, increase overall population

Question 2

What does Epidemiological Transition explain?

Answer 2

• Changes in population disease patterns over time for:
• Communicable disease
• Non-communicable diseases
  Changed over time from a dominance of communicable disease to a dominance of non-communicable disease

Question 3

Can you explain what a DALY measures?

Answer 3

A DALY is an intergrated measure of health lost.

It is the sum of years of life lost (YLLs) and years lived with disability adjusted for severity (YLDs).

One DALY represents the loss of one year of life lived in full health

Question 4

Can you explain years lived with disability (YLDs)?

Answer 4

This is a measure of non-fatal health loss. It takes into account the number of people in the health state of interest (prevalence or incidence times duration) and the severity of that health state (disability weight).

Question 5

Can you explain years of life lost (YLLs)?

Answer 5

This is a measure of fatal health loss. It takes into account the number of deaths and the age at death.

Question 6

What is the compression of morbidity?

Answer 6

• Morbidity occurs later in life
  -> Slow the progression from chronic disease to disability
  -> Will create an increase in milder chronic disease but a decrease in the period of time a person experiences severe disability
  -> Maintain function and improve wellbeing

“Healthy older persons are a resource for their families, communities and the economy.”