Public health: lifestyle and health Flashcards
definition of lifestyle
concept which has come to refer to peoples styles of living in turn are shaped by their patterns of consumption
choice decisions made by individuals about their consumption of goods services and culture
what is a healthy lifestyle
healthy diet
healthy physical activity level
healthy body weight
non smoking
moderate alcohol intake
smoking Lifestyle and the relationship to health
increased risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease
alcohol Lifestyle and the relationship to health
increased risk of cancer, obesity and cardiovascular disease
illegal drugs Lifestyle and the relationship to health
risk of blood borne viruses (HBV,HCV,HIV)
mental health issues
sedentary lifestyles Lifestyle and the relationship to health
obesity
cardiovascular disease
cancer
poor diet Lifestyle and the relationship to health
obesity
cancer
cardiovascular disease
unsafe sex Lifestyle and the relationship to health
sexually transmitted diseases
unwanted pregnancies
stress Lifestyle and the relationship to health
high blood pressure
heart disease
obesity
diabetes
modifiable behavioural risk factors
tobacco use
physical inactivity
unhealthy diet
harmful use of alcohol
all increase risk of NCDs
tobacco use deaths
7.2 million every year
including effects of second hand smoke
excess salt/sodium intake deaths
4.1 million
deaths due to physical inactivity
1.6 million
4 major categories of non-communicable diseases
cardiovascular diseases
diabetes
chronic respiratory disease
cancer
deaths NCD’s
kill 41 million annually
74% global deaths
cardiovascular NCD deaths
Cardiovascular diseases account for most NCD deaths, or 17.9 million people annually, followed by cancers (9.3 million), chronic respiratory diseases (4.1 million), and diabetes (2.0 million including kidney disease deaths caused by diabetes).
how many deaths does CVD cause
1 in 4
obesity
Body fat distribution is an important determinant of increased diabetes risk
Precise mechanism between obesity and Type 2 diabetes remains unclear.
Not all people who are obese develop Type 2 diabetes, and not all people with Type 2 diabetes are obese.
A large waist circumference is also a preventable risk factor, which often coincides with obesity.
Men with an increased waist circumference are 5x more likely and women 3 x more likely to have Type 2 diabetes than those without a raised waist circumference.
overweight BMI
greater than or equal to 25
obesity BMI
greater than or equal to 30
percentage of adults in England overweight and obese
The majority ofadults in England are now overweight or obese.
In 2019, 64 per cent of adults in England were overweight, with 28 per cent being obese and 3 per cent morbidly obese.
prevalence of overweight and obesity by population characteristics
childhood obesity
According to the World Health Organisation, it is estimated that 41 million children under the age of 5 years were living with overweight or obesity in 2016.
prevalence of overweight and obesity in children
The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents aged 5-19 has risen dramatically from just 4% in 1975 to just over 18% in 2016
obesity and deprivation
Last year there were more than 1 million hospital admissions linked to obesity in England, an increase of 17 per cent compared to 2018/19.Rates of obesity related hospital admissions in the most deprived parts of the country are 2.4 times higher than in the least deprived areas.
Rising rates of obesity translate to increasing costs for the NHS. In 2014/15 the NHS spent £6.1 billion on treating obesity-related ill health. This is forecast to rise to £9.7 billion per year by 2050.
adherence to low risk lifestyle related factors, make a difference?
Study using US data from over 120,000 individuals found:
Adherence to 5 low-risk lifestyle-related factors (never smoking, a healthy weight, regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and moderate alcohol consumption) could prolong life expectancy at age 50 years by 14yrs for females and 12.2 yrs for male US adults compared with individuals who adopted zero low-risk lifestyle factors (Li et al, 2018).
lifestyle approach
Such approaches seek to educate the individual so that they change their lifestyle or a particular behaviour to help improve their health. This may be to stop partaking in a risk behaviour or to start enjoying some protective behaviours. Either way, the aim is to change the person’s lifestyle or behaviour.
health responsibility
emphasis on self control
moderation in behaviour
provision of information to inform people of risks to health associated with certain lifestyles and behaviours
important to recognise individuals potential for control over their lifestyles, behaviours and health is limited by social and economic circumstances
determinants of health
social determinants of health
what drives lifestyle choices
unhealthy are often used because they’re effective in managing stress
social norms, availability, price, legality
almost 50% of all tobacco is now smoked by people with mental illness
obesity and mental illness
more prevalent among people with mental illness
alcohol and drug misuse are commonly associated with mental illness
mental health problems and adverse experiences in childhood predict the adoption of unhealthy lifestyles in adolescence
health inequalities and lifestyles
Poverty and poor health are linked
People in poorest areas have higher levels of ill health, lower healthy life expectancy
People in poorest areas have lowest self-reported health
Often people in the poorest groups are seen to make the worst health ‘choices’.
choices VS constraints
are people able to make the right choices in relation to their health or are there restraining factors?
“food poverty”
an affordable healthy diet is essential to health
26.9% of households would need to spend more than a quarter of their disposable income after housing costs to meet the Eatwell Guide costs, and more than half of these households contain at least one child.
For households with children in the bottom two deciles, earning less than £15,860, 42% of after-housing disposable income would have to be spent to meet the Eatwell Guide costs.
are lifestyle factors a matter or choice?
The root causes of health and social inequalities are seen as the essential pre-requisites for improving health, suggesting the degree of choice we have is relative to circumstances. (NHS Education for Scotland 2011)
Lifestyles are not solely attributable to personal choices or failure in personal responsibility. Private choices are shaped by our environments. (BMA 2012)
health inequalities as a result of lifestyles
Social distribution of ill health is linked with differences in risk behaviours.
Behaviour cannot be separated from the social context In which it takes place
Choice between ‘health evils’-stress vs unhealthy behaviour
lifestyle approach, is it ethical
Lifestyle approach-with an emphasis on individual “choices”
Victim Blaming
Stigma
Health behaviour has to be seen within its social context (Naidoo & Wills 2000).
Ineffective
interventions to make better lifestyle choices
changing the environment, promoting healthy macro policies, strengthening communities, improving living and working conditions, strengthening individuals
