UNIT 3 AOS2 HHD

PUBLIC HEALTH

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

‘OLD’ PUBLIC HEALTH

government actions that focused on changing the physical environment to prevent the spread of disease, such as providing safe water, sanitation and sewage disposal, improved nutrition, improved housing conditions and better work conditions.

HEALTH PROMOTION

the process of enabling people to increase control over and improve their health.

BIOMEDICAL APPROACH TO HEALTH

focuses on the physical or biological aspects of disease and illness; a medical model practised by doctors and health professionals and is associated with the diagnosis, treatment and cure of disease.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE BIOMEDICAL MODEL OF HEALTH

ADVANTAGES

• Enables many illnesses and conditions to be effectively treated.

• It extends life expectancy.

• It improves quality of life and health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE).

DISADVANTAGES

• It doesn’t always promote good health and wellbeing (quick-fix approach, not necessarily lifestyle changes).

• Not always affordable.

• Not every condition can be treated.

SOCIAL MODEL OF HEALTH

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.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE SOCIAL MODEL OF HEALTH

ADVANTAGES

• Promotes good health and wellbeing and assists in preventing diseases.

• It takes a more holistic approach to health and wellbeing

• It is less expensive than the biomedical approach.

DISADVANTAGES

• Not every illness or condition can be prevented.

• Health promotion messages may be ignored

• Doesn’t promote the development of technology and medical knowledge.

OTTAWA CHARTER FOR HEALTH PROMOTION

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 outcomes.

OTTAWA CHARTER FOR HEALTH PROMOTION STRATEGIES

• ADVOCATE

• ENABLE

• MEDIATE

ACTION AREAS OF OTTAWA CHARTER (BAD CATS SMELL DEAD RATS)

• BUILD HEALTHY PUBLIC POLICY

• CREATE SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS

• STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY ACTION

• DEVELOP PERSONAL SKILLS

• REORIENT HEALTH SERVICES

BUILD HEALTHY PUBLIC POLICY

relates directly to the decisions made by government and organisations regarding laws and policies that make it more difficult for people to undertake unhealthy behaviours and seek to make healthier choices the easier choices.

CREATE SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENTS

recognises the impact that the broader determinants have on health and wellbeing and health status. Aims to promote a healthy physical and sociocultural environment for all members of the community. A supportive environment is one that promotes health and wellbeing by being safe, stimulating, satisfying and enjoyable.

STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY ACTION

focuses on building links between individuals and the community, and centres around the community working together to achieve a common goal. Giving the community a sense of ownership of a health and wellbeing strategy and working together increases the likelihood that it will be effective.

DEVELOP PERSONAL SKILLS

education is the main aspect; refers to gaining health-related knowledge and skills (i.e. health literacy) that allow people to make informed decisions that may indirectly affect health and wellbeing (such as talking to people to resolve conflict rather than using violence, OR teaching the people the skills they need to cook a healthy meal instead of leaving them to their own devices).

This education can occur in many places including school, work, family influence, and government/non-government organisations.

REORIENT HEALTH SERVICES

refers to changing the health system so that it promoted health and wellbeing rather than just focusing on diagnosing and treating illness, as is the case with the biomedical model. Addressing all factors that influence health and wellbeing, not just disease.

This requires a shift towards health promotion, which includes doctors taking on the role of educator.

5 CATEGORIES OF DISEASE

• INFECTIOUS AND PARASITIC DISEASES

• CANCERS

• CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES

• RESPIRATORY DISEASES

• INJURY AND POISONING

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Social justice relates to fairness within society.

HAPE (social justice)

HUMAN RIGHTS; Human rights relate to the freedoms and conditions that every person is entitled to, regardless of factors such as race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age and sex. Governments must work to ensure that all people have their human rights protected, respected and promoted.

ACCESS; All people must have adequate access to the resources and opportunities they need to thrive, including food, safe water, shelter, education, employment, income and health care, and to participate in the decisions that affect their lives, such as if and when they get married or have children, or the sorts of jobs they do.

PARTICIPATION; Everyone in society has the opportunity to participate in their community and have their voice represented.

EQUITY; Disadvantaged individuals and groups need to have their specific challenges addressed, so they can achieve the same level of health and wellbeing as others in the population. In this sense, equity relates to providing more support for those who need it.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR EVALUATING HEALTHY EATING INITIATIVES

• ease of understanding

• access

• inclusiveness

• relevance

• effectiveness

• sustainability (can the impacts of this program able to continue into the future?)

AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINES (ADGs)

The Australian Dietary Guidelines are a set of guidelines developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). They are a set of five general guidelines that can be used to guide consumers and industry figures in developing healthy eating habits.

AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINE ONE

To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be physically active and choose amounts of nutritious food and drinks to meet your energy needs.

AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINE TWO

Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the following five groups every day and drink plenty of water.

AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINE THREE

Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars and alcohol.

AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINE FOUR

Encourage, support and promote breastfeeding.

AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINE FIVE

Care for your food; prepare and store it safely.

STRENGTHS OF AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINES

• guideline is available in an accessible format for those with low vision

• guidelines are available for free download online

• provides advice for individuals with difference needs, like lifespan

LIMITATIONS OF AUSTRALIAN DIETARY GUIDELINES

• based on requirements of the average person, may not be appropriate for all

• only available in English, not easy for non-English people to understand and interpret

• guidelines are written and may be hard to understand and follow for people who have low literacy levels.

THE AUSTRALIAN GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating is a visual representation of Australian Dietary Guidelines 2 and 3, and is intended to be used by consumers to guide their food intake. The guide shows the proportion of foods that should be consumed from each of the five food groups, but does not include serving numbers or sizes.

STRENGTHS OF THE AUSTRALIAN GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING

• translated to more than 10 different languages

• provides a visual representation of Australian Guidelines 2 and 3

• range of foods are included

LIMITATIONS OF THE AUSTRALIAN GUIDE TO HEALTHY EATING

• doesn’t provide specific advice for those with dietary conditions or needs

• doesn’t make provisions for composite foods like pizza and casserole

• doesn’t clarify serving sizes