Module 1

Question 1

What is the definition of health?

Answer 1

WHO “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity”

Question 2

What are the 5 dimensions of health?

Answer 2

Physical, Mental, Emotional, Social, Spiritual

Question 3

What is relative and dynamic of health? Examples?

Answer 3

Both can be measure on a continuum and can change at any time.

Relative - refers to a person’s health status in comparison to others.
E.g. It could be said that an elite athletic is healthier compared to an average person.

Dynamic - constant fluctations in an individual’s lifetime and that affect our heath.
E.g. A person may have been health yesterday, but is not the next.

Question 4

What is the definition of morbidity and mortality?

Answer 4

Morbidity - is the incidence of level of sickness in a given population.
Mortality - number of death in a given population from particular cause and/or over period of time.

Question 5

What are perceptions of health influenced by?

Answer 5

• Personal Interpretation of health
• Beliefs
• Environment
• Health Behaviours and Lifestyle
• Past level of health
• Messages conveyed by family, peers and the media.

Question 6

What does perceptions of health as a social construct imply?

Answer 6

• What consitutes to good health are largely influenced by the social, economical and cultural condition of society.
• Individual’s context impacts upon their health status.
• Notes many of health determinants are either out of individual’s control or made difficult to change because of their context.
• ‘Concept of health is not solely an individual’s responsibility, and that some may fall on society as a whole.’

Question 7

What does the positive health status of young people include?

Answer 7

• Improvement in life expectancy rates and a decline in mortality rates (1980-2004), largely as a result in a reduction in deaths caused by injury, suicide and transport accidents.
• Reductions in morbidity from chronic diseases such as asthma, communicable disease and suicide.
• Death rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in 2002-2004 be nearly 4 times higher than non-indigenous Australians, but have improved.

Question 8

What are risk and protective behaviours?

Answer 8

Risk Behaviours - behaviours that contribute to the development of health problems of poorer levels of health.
Protective Behaviours - behaviours likely to enhance a person’s level of health.

Question 9

What are risk and protective behaviours relating to road injuries and obesity?

Answer 9

Road Injuries
- Risk: Drinking and driving, speeding, giving in to peer pressure, fatigue, texting.
- Protective: Being assertive, not drinking and driving, following road rules/laws.

Obesity
- Risk: Overeating, poor food choices, low levels of physical activity.
- Protective: Looking for ways to develop positive self-esteem, deconstruct stereotypical images of a ‘perfect body’, balanced diet, good support network.

Question 10

What are the 4 determinants of health?

Answer 10

Individual
Socio-cultural
Socio-economic
Environmental

Question 11

What do Individual factors include?

Answer 11

Knowledge and skills, attitudes and genetics

Question 12

What do socio-cultural factors include?

Answer 12

Family, peers, media, religion, culture.

Question 13

What do socio-economic factors include?

Answer 13

Education, employment, income.

Question 14

What do environmental factors include?

Answer 14

Geographical location, access to health services and access to technology.

Question 15

What are modifiable and non-modifiable health determinants? What are some examples?

Answer 15

Modifiable - determinants can be changed or control so they have a different level of influence on our health. Control increased when we can; acquire infromation, make choices, manage situations.
E.g. knowledge and skills, peers, culture, attitudes, culture, income etc.

Non-modifiable - cannot be changed.
E.g. genetics, media, family.
Largely non-modifiable include geographic location, access to healthcare/technology.

Question 16

What does health as a social construct recognise?

Answer 16

Recognises the interrelationship of determinants - development of chronic diseases is increased when a combination of risk factors is present. e.g. tabacco smoker has a greater risks of developing heart disease than a non-smoker, but also suffers from high blood pressure, risk can multuply.

Challenges the notion that health is soley an individuals responsiblity - addressing social, economic and environmental factors that contribute to poor health. e.g. someone who is in poor condition who does not have access to health services, is not solely their responsibility but partly society.

Question 17

What is health promotion?

Answer 17

Health promotion aims to achieve better health for everyone. It is the process of preventing ill health and advancing the health of individuals and the community by planned intervention.

WHO defines health promotion as ‘process of enabling people to increase control over their health and improve their health.’

Question 18

What levels are responsible for health promotion?

Answer 18

Individuals, community groups/schools, non-governments organisations, government, internation organisations.

Question 19

What are ways in which individuals can improve their level of health?

Answer 19

Provide with accurate and relevant health information that is easily accessible and understood.
Encouraged to work with a wide range of health proffessionals.
The opportunity to develop personal skills that will aid.

Question 20

How does the health status improve through schools and communities?

Answer 20

Accurately identify the priorities and values of the commmunity.
Initiate and support community activities and services that give residents more control over their decisions, living conditions and behaviours.
Provide access to knowledge, resources and skills that will promote sustainable changes in environment and behaviours.
Work proactively to encourage and promote community action.

Question 21

What are the responsibilities of non-government organisations (NGOs)?

Answer 21

Collecting information and data through research projects and surveys.
Advising governments and health authorities with independent findings.
Provide consumers and members with information, services and support.
Initiating and supporting community actions to raise awareness and promote involvement by the public and other organisations.

Question 22

What are the main responsibilties of the Australian government?

Answer 22

Formulating national health policies based on data, trends and evidence.
Responding to international bodies and information.
Designing and implementing health promotion initiatives, strategies and campaigns at national level.
Working cooperatively with state governments to integrate policies.

Question 23

What are the state governments responsibility in health promotion? What are examples of health promotion strategies at this level of government?

Answer 23

Delivery of primary health services through hospitals and clinics.
Implementation of health promotion campaigns and initiatives.

Examples of health promotion strategies at state level include tabacco, alcohol, lifestyle and obesity campaigns. These campaigns can be seen in primary health services taking a preventative approach or through schools and local governments.

Question 24

What are the responsibilities regarding public health in local councils and governments?

Answer 24

Inspection programs of local facilities to ensure safety.
Injury prevention and safety promotion including road safety and crime prevention.
Urban planning facilitates physical activity, healthy food, ensure access, affordable.
Cancer protection

Question 25

What are the responsibilties of international organisation such as WHO and United Nations?

Answer 25

Providing leadership on health issues causing significant worldwide concern.
Working collaboratively with governments (NGOs and other agencies to implement health strategies.
Setting internation health standards.
Provide frameworks for countries to follow and develop health promotion strategies.
e.g. Ottawa Charter.

Question 26

What are the forms of health promotion approaches and strategies? What do they means and examples for each?

Answer 26

Lifestyle/behavioural approaches - based on belief that giving people knowledge and skills regarding healthy lifestyles will improve their health.
e.g. quit smoking programs, health education.

Preventative medical approaches - treating and preventing disease at a biological level.
e.g. childhood immunisation, cancer screening.

Public health apparoaches - More integrated approach. Behavioural, economic, environmental, political and social interventions generated from both within and outside the health sector itself.
e.g. health-promoting schools and workplaces.

Question 27

What does the Ottawa Charter provide? What are the five action areas? (Dead Cats Smell Really Bad)

Answer 27

Provides a framework for the implementation of health promotion throughout the world.
- Developing personal skills
- Creating supportive environments
- Strengthening community actions.
- Reorienting health services.
- Building healthy public policy.

Question 28

What does it mean by developing personal skills? What are examples of this action area in health promotion?

Answer 28

Through providing information, education for health and enhancing life skills increases the options available to people to exercise more control over their health.
Skills developed in skills, workplaces, community settings and home through actions by professional and voluntary organisations, the media and health services.

e.g. Road safety:
Don’t rush road safety campaign - encourages individuals to make good decisions based on consequences.
120 hoyrs of driving - developing driving skills.

   Tobacco Use    Quit Helpline - enables people to have the willpower to quit/encourage them.    National tabacco campaign - gives information, reasons to quit, stregies, steps, coping and planning skills etc.

Question 29

What does it mean by creating supportive environments? What are some examples of this action area in health promotion?

Answer 29

Concerned with social and physical environments. We need to take care of, protect and support each other, our community and our natural and built environments from health threats.

e.g. Road Safety
Making laws and creating awareness of drink driving/walking, it creates safer roads (40km school zones, stop revive survive, pedestrian crossings)

  Tobacco Use    Non-smoking areas    Smoke-free environment act e.g. offices, pubs, cars with small children. Create supportive environments as they decrease the chances of passive smoking.

Question 30

What does it mean by strenghthening communication action? What does it involve?

Answer 30

Giving communities the power to identify their own health priorities and then take action, in partnership with other agencies, to address them.
e.g. Closing the gap campaign aims to close the health and life expectancy gap between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians within a generation.

Question 31

What does it mean by reorienting health services? What is an example of this action area?

Answer 31

Focus and delivery of health services moving away from an emphasis on traditional aspects of health; diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation. To foxus on the well being of the whole person.
- Doctors working with child-care centres to promote immunisation programs.
- Pharmacists working with community health centres to engage in improved preventative strategies and schools implementing health promotion initiatives.

Question 32

What does is mean by building healthy public policy? What is an example of this action area?

Answer 32

Ensure decisions made at all levels of government and organisations that work towards health imporvement. Includes legislations, policies, taxation and organisational change in areas such as housing, education, transport welfare.
e.g.
-Legislation to restrict the advertising of cigarettes.
-Smoke-free workplaces and public buildings.
-Compulsory swimming pool fencing.

Question 33

In what areas has health promotion based on the Ottawa Charter contributed to positive health outcomes?

Answer 33

Reduction in tobacco use
Reduction in road injuries

Question 34

What are the principles of social justice?

Answer 34

Equity
Diversity
Supporting Environments

Question 35

What does equity mean according to the principles of social justice? What are some examples?

Answer 35

Allocation of resources according to the needs of individuals and populations, the goal is to achieve equality of outcomes.
E.g.
Medicare - reduces medical bills, allowing individuals to ge the treatment they need, ensure all Australians regardless of socioeconomic status, religion, gender or race have access to basic medical care.
RFDS - provides medical transport for rural and remote areas which allows them to have access to medical facilities.

Question 36

What it mean by diversity according to the prinicples of social justice? What are some examples?

Answer 36

The difference between individuals and groups of people. It helps eliminate prejudice and discrimination. Health promotion initiatives are more liekyl to be sucessful when they accept diversity as an asset in the community.
e.g.
-Translators/interpreters
-Multi-language resources (pamphlets in different languages)
-Health proffessional from cultural and diverse backgrounds. A health proffesionals from cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds bring the right knowldgem experience attitudes needed to address the health issues of people from similarly diverse backgrounds.
-Braille and sign language

Question 37

What does it mean by supportive environments according to the principles of social justice? What are some examples?

Answer 37

To ensure all community members have equal opportunities to achieve good health. Supportive environments require that physical,social and political condition which influences the decisions people make about their health.
e.g.
-Social networks and community services
-Natural environment - Water and air quality
-Built environment - Public transport, buildings and neighbourhoods.