Life course approach to health Flashcards
Life-course approach to health
A life-course approach emphasizes a temporal or social perspective looking back across an individual’s life experiences or across Generations for clues to current patterns of health and disease whilst recognizing that both past and present experiences are shaped by the wider social Economic and cultural context
What is life-course approach to health?
A life-course approach is being used to study the physical and social hazards during gestation childhood adolescence young adult midlife that affect chronic disease risk and health outcomes and later life
it aims to identify the underlying biological behavioral and psychosocial processes that operate across the lifespan
External factors - social determinants
Physical environment social political context family income water and sanitation access to Quality Healthcare parental education Peer behavior Access to Quality food Family and community practices
Main risks of pregnancy
- Unsafe abortion, malnutrition and anaemia congenital abnormalities and infections
Neonatal period
This is the first 28 days of Life called the neonatal period is very critical and is also during this time that the child is at the highest risk of death approximately 7 million infants who die die during this time of neonatal. improving newborn survival will dramatically reduce infant mortality worldwide
The main risks of the neonatal period
Low birth weight asphyxia hypothermia infection failure to initiate early breastfeeding and full breastfeeding
Early childhood
Each year more than 10 million children in low- and middle-income countries die before they reach their 5th birthday
7 out of 10 of these deaths due to just 5 preventable conditions pneumonia and diarrhoea malaria measles and malnutrition and often to a combination of these conditions
lack of clean water and sanitation as well as environmental related diseases such as malaria and dengue fever
The main risks of early childhood
are poor nutrition, growth and development
frequent illnesses and injury abuse and neglect
School age
Globally, most deaths among older children are due to diseases that can be prevented as well but can also be treated easily.
Vaccines protect a child against diseases. other diseases such as diarrhea hepatitis A can be prevented by good hygiene and sanitary practices.
childhood cancers are a major concern in developed countries
the most common type of cancer found in children is acute leukemia
helminth diseases caused by intestinal worms found in soils and vegetables
Adolescence age
One in five people in the world is an adolescent defined by the WHO as a person between 10 to 19 years of AGE.
There are relatively few deaths among Adolescents due to illnesses many adolescence die prematurely due to other causes like Accidents and risky behaviour
Main risks of adolescence
Poor nutrition, injury chronic conditions, drug abuse, unwanted pregnancy, mental disorders and violence
Young adults 20 to 40
Health and physical fitness during young adults are excellent.
People in their 20s and 30s perform extremely high levels on test of Endurance and stamina the closer they get to 40 the more physical limitations they begin to notice
the physical problems that they begin to notice are arthritis asthma diabetes depression and other mental problems hypertension high blood pressure multiple sclerosis and ulcers
Other conditions like atherosclerosis, cirrhosis of the liver or heart lung problems kidney problems and a variety of other diseases
may not exhibit symptoms at this stage but may already be causing internal damage
2 additional categories of health concerns during young Adulthood are disabilities and sexually transmitted diseases.
Middle Aged 46 to 65 - physical development
There is what we call inter-individual variability which means no two people age in the same way or at the same rate
and there is what we call physiological ageing which involves the changes in the body’s integumentary system, senses and reaction time and lung capacity. (decrease or decline)
Changes in metabolism changes in muscle mass strength bone density aerobic capacity blood sugar tolerance ability to regulate body temperature may be moderated or reversed through exercise and diet
Leading causes of death in middle aged people
They are cancer heart disease and accidents
screening for prostate cancer, breast cancer and cancer of the colon and rectum is necessary during middle age.
Definition of menopause
It is the cessation of menstruation
It is a normal process occurring between the ages of 46 and 50
Lasts for about 2 years
It can begin anytime between 35 and 60
