Pdh Core 1 Notes

Pdh Core 1 Notes

  • Submitted By: yeahled
  • Date Submitted: 08/17/2011 4:01 PM
  • Category: Science
  • Words: 3870
  • Page: 16
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pdhHSC Core 1: Health Priorities in Australia
How are priority areas for Australia’s health identified?
Measuring Health Status
Measures of epidemiology
MORTALITY- death rates within a population
INFANT MORTALITY- the number of deaths in the first year of a child’s life within a population
MORBIDITY- sickness rates within a population
LIFE EXPECTANCY- the number of years a person has or is expected to live
ROLE of epidemiology
Epidemiology focuses’ largely on the gathering and interpretation of statistics.
* Epidemiological findings are used to determine the health priorities for a population group.
* Determine which aspects of health need to be focused on for health promotion and disease prevention.
Epidemiology can give us information on:
Prevalence- the number of cases of disease that exist in a population at a point in time. (Existing cases)
Incidence- The number of new cases of diseases occurring in a population at a point in time. (New cases)
Extent-severity of problem
Determinants- Underlying or associated factors that influence the likelihood of a disease or illness.

The health status of Australians
CURRENT TRENDS
Life expectancy for both males and females has increased (Males 79 yrs, Females 84 yrs). This is due to improved technology, health promotion
The leading cause of death in Australia currently is CVD accounting for 36% of all deaths in Australia.
The major causes of death/illness are: CVD (declining slowly, but still the major contributor to all deaths), Cancer (Incidence is increasing, lung cancer is the major killer in men, breast is the major killer in women), Injuries (deaths declining by almost half over the past 20 yrs).

GROUPS EXPERIENCING HEALTH INEQUITIES – MADE WORS
ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS – lower life expectancy rates at birth (Males- 59yrs, Females- 65 yrs), higher mortality rates at all ages compared to those of non-indigenous culture, infant mortality rates 3 times higher than the...

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