Health Priorities in Australia

• Trends for the survival rates for Cancer:

  Both males and females are increasing
• What contributes to the poor health of Indigenous people?

  Social factors: e.g. dispossession, dislocation and discrimination.

  Disadvantages: e.g. education, housing, income, employment.

  Physical environmental factors.
• What is cardiovascular disease?

  All the diseases and conditions of the heart and blood vessels.
• Risk factors of Cardiovascular disease

  Non-modifiable: Age, Heredity, Gender

  Modifiable: Smoking, High BP, high blood fats, overweight and obesity, lack of physical exercise.
• Protective Factors for Cardiovascular disease

  Maintain healthy BP and Blood Cholesterol, Healthy lifestyle choices (not smoking, food, physically activity, weight).
• Trends/ Statistic of Cancer

  - Second most common cause of death

  - Increase in cancer incidence
• What are the groups at risk of cancer?

  Smokers, socio-economically disadvantaged, high-fat, low-fibre diet, family history, fair skin, sun exposure, women who have never given birth.
• What is causing the ageing population to grow?

  - Better technology

  - Living longer
• What is community care?

  A program to assist the elderly to manage daily activities within their home.
• What is the private sector?

  private hospitals, specialist doctors, private GPs, physiotherapy, dentistry, pharmacy, chiropractic, radiology and many other services.
• What is Medicare?

  Allows simple and equitable access to all Australian citizens. Is designed to protect people from costs of sickness. Provides free or subsidised medical care, free public hospital treatments. Based on Universality, equity and simplicity.
• 5 Action areas of the Ottawa Charter

  1. Developing personal skills

  2. Creating Supportive Environments

  3. Strengthening community action

  4. Reorienting health services

  5. Building healthy public policy
• Health status

  Pattern of the general health of a population over time
• Prevalence

  The number of existing cases of diseases occurring in a population.
• Incidence

  The number of new cases of disease occurring in a population.
• Observations/statistics gathered via epidemiology help:

  Describe/compare the patterns of the health of groups, communities & populations

  Identify health needs/allocate health-care resources

  Evaluate health behaviours/strategies to control/prevent disease
• Epidemiology uses statistics on:

  Births, deaths, disease prevalance & incidence, hospital use
• Mortality

  Refers to the number of deaths in a given pop. from a particular cause and/over a period of time
• Morbidity


  The incidence/level of illness, disease or injury in a given population
• Life expectancy


  The length of time a person can expect to live referring to the average no. of years of life based on current death rates
• Infant mortality


  Refers to the no. of infant deaths in the first year of life per. 1000 live births
• Improvements in life expectancy can be attributed to:

  Lower infant mortality, education of risk factors e.g. P.E classes, declining death rates from CVD e.g. physical activity promotion, declining overall death rates from cancer e.g. breast screening, falls in death rates from traffic accidents e.g. drink driving campaigns
• Current trends in life expectancy

  Major factor increasing life expectancy= reduction in infant mortality rate
• Main causes of mortality in males (2014):

  1. Coronary heart disease, 2. lung cancer, 3. Cerebrovascular disease (includes stroke)
• Main causes of mortality in females (2014):

  1. Coronary heart disease, 2. cerebrovascular disease (includes stroke), 3. dementia/ alzheimer disease
• Trends in mortality

  Death rates (Aus) have fallen due to treatment/managment of infectious disease + improvements in sanitation/living conditions, understanding of infectious disease, development/use of antibiotics + vaccines
• Trends in CVD:

  Decrease in death rate due to advances in treatment e.g. early detection
• Trends in cancer:


  Most common: lung cancer in males, breast cancer in females, increased incidence over 20 yrs, mortality rates fallen for both M/F, prevention/treatment strategies e.g. pap smears, breast screening, prostate examinations
• Priority population groups

  Subgroups of people who have signficantly different health statuses e.g. Indigenous communities, low-socioeconomic status, rural areas
• Prevalence of condition

  Can indicate the potential for change in a health area, high prevalance of disease= economic burden on the health system--e.g. CVD is the leading cause of preventable death in Aus
• Potential for prevention/early intervention


  Majority of disease/illness results from poor lifestyle behaviours--socio-economic status, access to info/health services, employment stat=determinants of health inequities
• Costs to the individual

  Individual: loss of productivity/quality of life, emotional stress, financial loss-->the cost of treatment, medication, rehab
• Costs to the community

  Illness, disease, premature death=economic burden on community
• Groups experiencing health inequities

  Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islanders, socioeconomically disadvantaged
• CVD:

  General term covering all disease of the heart/circulatory system: damage to, or disease of, the heart, arteries, veins &/or smaller blood vessels, major health/economic burden in Aus, males are more likely die from CVD
• Coronary heart disease

  Poor blood supply to the muscular walls of the heart by its own blood supply vessels; the coronary arteries
• Stroke

  The interruption of the supply of blood to the brain
• Peripheral vascular disease

  Diseases of the arteries, arterioles & the capillaries that affect the limbs, usually reducing blood supply to the legs
• Extent of CVD in Aus

  Leading cause of death

  Decline in prevalence due to: reduction in the levels of risk factors e.g. reduced smoking, diet modifications..improved medical care/treatment-->reduced mortality/improved quality of life

  Leading cause of disability.
• Cancer


  A large group of diseases that are characterised by the uncontrolled growth/spread of abnormal cells. --mutation originating from a single cell that is damaged/influenced by a foreign agent