UNIT 3 AOS 2

Question 1

What is public health?

Answer 1

It is the ways in which governments monitor, regulate and promote health status and prevent disease.

Question 2

What is old public health?

Answer 2

It is the government actions that focused on changing the physical environment to prevent the spread of disease. Actions included providing safe water, sanitation and sewage disposal.

Question 3

List 3 policies or practices associated with old public health?

Answer 3

• Improved water and sanitation
• More hygienic birthing practices
• Mass immunisation programs

Question 4

Define health promotion

Answer 4

It is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and improve, their health

Question 5

What is the biomedical approach? List 2 features in your response.

Answer 5

The biomedical approach to health focuses on the physical or biological aspects disease and illness and also adopts a ‘quick fix approach’. This model ‘relies on services provided by doctors, specialists and hospitals’.

Question 6

List 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of the biomedical approach.

Answer 6

ADVANTAGES:
- it extends life expectancy
- it improves quality of life and health adjusted life expectancy
DISADVANTAGES:
- not every condition can be treated
- it relies on professional health workers and technology and is therefore costly

Question 7

What is the social model of health?

Answer 7

It is an approach that recognises improvements in health and wellbeing can only be achieved by directing effort towards addressing the physical, sociocultural and political environments of health that have an impact on individuals and population groups.

Question 8

List 3 principles of the social model of health.

Answer 8

• empowers individuals and communities
• involves intersectoral collaboration
• acts to enable access to healthcare

Question 9

List 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of the social model of health.

Answer 9

ADVANTAGES:
- It is less expensive than the biomedical approach
- Education can be passes on from generation to generation
- It promotes food health and wellbeing and assists in preventing diseases
DISADVANTAGES:
- Not every illness or condition can be prevented
- Health promotion messages can be ignored as it relies on public cooperation

Question 10

What is the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion?

Answer 10

It is an approach to health developed by the World Health Organization that aims to reduce inequalities in health. It reflects the social model of health and provides five action areas that can be used as a basis for improving health status, all of which are centred around three strategies for health promotion which are enabling, mediating and advocacy.

Question 11

List two action areas of the Ottawa Charter

Answer 11

• Create supportive environments
• Develop personal skills

Question 12

What is Medicare and list two advantages and two disadvantages?

Answer 12

Medicare is Australia’s universal health insurance scheme. Medicare allows all Australians to access health services with little to no out of pocket cost.

ADVANTAGES:
- It is free for all Australian citizens
- The Medicare Safety Net provides extra financial contributions for medical services once an individual’s or family’s co-payments reach a certain level
DISADVANTAGES:
- No choice of doctor for in-hospital treatments
- Usually lengthy waiting lists for many treatments

Question 13

How is Medicare funded?

Answer 13

Medicare levy - This is an additional 2 percent tax placed on the taxable income of most taxpayers.

Medicare surcharge levy - This is an extra tax placed on taxpayers with an income over $90,000 a year. Those earing $90,000-$140,000 pay an extra 1% and those earning more than $140,00 pay an extra 1.5%

Question 14

What is the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme?

Answer 14

It is a key component of the federal government’s contribution to Australia’s health system. The PBS subsidises thousands of medicines and the patient only would have to pay a small co-payment, which makes the medication more affordable for those who need it.

Question 15

What is the National Disability Insurance Scheme?

Answer 15

The NDIS is a national insurance scheme that provides services and support for people with permanent, significant disabilities, and their families and carers. The NDIS works to assist individuals with disabilities to live an ordinary life.

Question 16

What is Private health insurance?

Answer 16

Private health insurance is type of insurance under which members pay a premium in return for payment towards health-related costs not covered by Medicare. It is an optional form of health insurance that can be purchased in addition to Medicare.

Question 17

What are some private health insurance incentives?

Answer 17

• Private health insurance rebate: Those who have private health insurance are able to receive a rebate of up to 30% of their premiums depending on their income.
• Lifetime Health Cover: People who take up private insurance after the age of 31 pay an extra 2% on their premiums for every year they are over the age of 30.
• Medicare levy surcharge

Question 18

List 2 advantages and 2 disadvantages of private health insurance?

Answer 18

ADVANTAGES:
- patients have a choice of doctor while in a public or private hospital
- Shorter or no waiting list for elective surgeries and other treatments
DISADVANTAGES:
- the premiums that have to be paid can be quite costly
- policies can be complex to understand and could create confusion for the average person

Question 19

How does Medicare reflect S.A.F.E

Answer 19

SUSTAINABILITY - By determining which services will be subsidised through Medicare can preserve funds for the most necessary services, yielding the greatest gains in health outcomes for current and future generations.
ACCESS - Medicare reflects access as every Australian can access the benefits of Medicare no matter their socioeconomic status.
FUNDING - Medicare funds part or all the fees associated with health services, including doctor and specialist consultations along with free x-rays and fee-free treatment at public hospitals.
EQUITY - The Medicare Safety Net. People who require frequent services covered by Medicare, such as doctor’s visits and tests, receive additional financial support.

Question 20

How does the PBS reflect S.A.F.E

Answer 20

SUSTAINABILTIY - Continually reviewing the medicines available through the PBS means that those that will have the greatest benefits are prioritised, which assists in keeping the scheme sustainable and achieving the needs of the present without compromising it for future generations.
ACCESS - All Australians are entitled to access subsidised medicines through the PBS.
FUNDING - Essential medicines are subsidised through the PBS, providing treatment for many conditions, promoting health outcomes.
EQUITY - The concessional co-payment amount provides greater assistance to those who are unemployed or on low incomes.

Question 21

How does the NDIS reflect S.A.F.E

Answer 21

SUSTAINABILITY - Each participant in the NDIS receives an individualised plan, which means that only necessary funds are spent on each person. As a result more people from current and future generations can access the NDIS and experience improved health outcomes.
ACCESS - The NDIS reflects access as anyone with a disability can apply for funding through the NDIS regardless of the severity of the illness.
FUNDING - The NDIS can provide funding for a range of resources that promote health status including assistive technology such as wheelchairs and bed rails.
EQUITY - The individualised plan developed as a part of the NDIS ensures that those with more significant needs receive more assistance.

Question 22

How does private health insurance reflect S.A.F.E

Answer 22

SUSTAINABILITY - Incentives such as the private health insurance rebate can assist in maximising the funding grained through the private system. This means more people are treated through the private system, which reduces the strain on the public system, improving health outcomes for present and future generations.
ACCESS - The federal government’s private health insurance rebate increases access for those on lower incomes.
FUNDING - Private health insurance reflects funding as members pay a premium in return for payment towards health-related costs not covered by Medicare.
EQUITY - Those who are lower incomes receive more financial assistance through the private health insurance rebate.

Question 23

Why is smoking targeted?

Answer 23

Smoking is the leading preventable risk factor in Australia and contributes significantly to the overall burden of disease and kills more than 20,000 people and costs Australia billions of dollars in social and economic costs each year.

Question 24

What are the first 3 ADGs

Answer 24

1 - To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and choose amounts of nutritious food and drinks to meet your energy needs.
2 - Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups ever day and drink plenty of water.
3 - Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol.

Question 25

List and describe 2 works of nutrition Australia

Answer 25

• Publication of recipes: Nutrition Australia publishes nutritionally dense meals on their website and in cook books that are reviewed by Nutrition Australia. Furthermore, these recipes are made for all people regardless of their cooking abilities and knowledge making it easier for them to consume nutritionally dense meals.
• Nutrition seminars and workshops: Nutrition Australia dietitians and nutritionists conduct a range of seminars to provide education to workplaces and members of the public wanting to improve their diet.

Question 26

What is the healthy eating pyramid?

Answer 26

The Healthy Eating Pyramid is a visual guide to the types and proportion of foods that individuals eat everyday for good health and wellbeing. It is based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines and contains the five core food groups, plus healthy fats, according to how much they contribute to a balance diet.

Question 27

What are the Australian Dietary Guidelines?

Answer 27

The Australian Dietary Guidelines were designed to address an increase in diet-related conditions and diseases. They are aimed at people in the general healthy population, including those with common diet-related risk factors such as being overweight, but not for those with serious medical conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, who require specialised dietary advice

Question 28

What is the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating?

Answer 28

The Australian Guide to Health Eating is a food selection tool incorporates into the Australian Dietary Guidelines. It is to be used by consumers to assist them in planning, selecting and consuming adequate proportions of food from the five food groups.