ATAR Health Studies - UNIT 1

Define social gradient.

Society is segregated into classes or levels based on wealth. This determinant suggests that health status of people is linked to their position on the ladder.

Define stress.

When people live in stressful circumstances for long periods of times it can affect their health.

Define early life.

The health of a mother during pregnancy, complications during birth or health of a child in their early years also affects that persons health as an adult.

Define social exclusion.

Social exclusion is characterised by a person being excluded from society. This can be due to a number of reasons. For example, homelessness.

Define work.

Working is good for a person's health. It benefits them psychologically, financially and socially. The safety in the workplace can also affect a person.

Define unemployment.

Working has psychological, financial and social benefits. People who are unemployed tend to be lower on the social gradient.

Define social support.

People that have a group of close supportive friends will have a better health status and live longer than those that are socially isolated or less supportive relationships. Humans need to have a social network to feel valued, loved and cared for.

Define addiction.

People turn to alcohol and drugs to escape from their unhappy lives, this can possibly be because of other social determinants. The alcohol and drugs however could worsen the circumstances and bring along some new problems with it.

Define food.

A healthy nutritious diet is essential for growth, development and wellbeing.

Define transport.

Choice of transport can act as a source of exercise such as walking, cycling or running. These modes are also better for the environment as they have no emissions.

Define culture.

The cultural group a person belongs to has an impact on their behaviours, health and it also influences their decisions about things like food choices.

Define natural environment.

The natural environment includes all the organisms, elements and landscapes found on earth such as air, water, climate, vegetation, animals, micro-organisms, soil and rocks.

Give examples of natural environment.

Extreme weather, food and water quality and vector agents.

Define built environment.

The built environment refers to aspects of our surroundings that were created or modified by people such as buildings, roads, communication networks, homes, schools and workplaces, recreation areas, transport systems and vehicles.

Give examples of built environment.

Indoor air quality, walkability, transport.

Define education.

Those with more education have less chronic health problems and longer life expectancies. This is because less education can result in unemployment which then in turn effects all of your other determinants of health.

Define employment.

Employment allows access to income and social status, both of which are good for health outcomes.

Define income.

Low income earners generally have a lower health status than those that are high income earners. Money itself doesn't lead to good health and sometimes to much money can lead to poorer health, income impacts a person's position in society.

Define family.

Young people from wealthy families can pursue higher education and chase higher aspirations than those from lower income families.

Define housing.

Poor housing conditions can lead to infection, disease or other illness.

Define neighbourhood.

People who live in poorer neighbourhoods have higher death rates, worse birth outcomes, more illness and a poorer health status overall than those in higher income neighbourhoods.

Define access to services.

Health services can prevent ill health from occurring, can reduce burden of disease in a community.

Define migration/refugee status.

A process of moving either across an international border or within your state. There is a strong association between population movements and the spread of disease.

Define food security.

Stability of available food within a population.

Define birth weight.

Low birth weight is more detrimental then a high birth weight in the longer term. Low birth weight is usually caused by premature birth or less ideal pregnancy conditions. Maternal smoking is also linked to low birth weight.

Define body weight.

Increasing prevalence of obesity has attracted the growing attention of the public as a health concern. Excess body fat increases the risk of developing a range of health problems.

Define health promotion.

Is the process of helping (or enabling) people to increase control over, and to improve, their health.

What is the purpose and elements of the Ottawa Charter?

The Ottawa charter sets out three ways in which effective health promotion should be established and conducted, these are enable, mediate and advocate.

Define enable.

To make possible by empowering or helping, to give strength to or aid with the ability to complete a task.

Define mediate.

Act between people to help solve problems or disputes, intervene as negotiator or objectivity to bring about resolution or agreement.

Define advocate.

To recommend or plead for a cause. To push an agenda or try to influence an outcome.

What is the framework for health promotion?

The framework for health promotion can be used as a guide to plan health promotion efforts. health promoters work from left to right of the framework.

Focus → strategies → impact → outcomes.

Define focus.

Health promoters select who the effort will be targeted toward (individual, groups, populations).

Define strategies.

After the focus is determined the strategies can be selected. Comprehensive intervention efforts use a range of strategies so as not to narrow the effort.

Two types of strategies (individual and socio-cultural) Combination of two types of strategies have shown to be more effective.

Individual strategies.

The first two strategies (educational, motivational) address the individual and focus on intra- and inter-personal factors.

Socio-cultural and wider environmental sphere strategies.

The other four (organisational, economic, regulatory, technological) are aimed at the socio-cultural and wider environmental sphere. They aim to change how and where people live.

Define impact.

Strategies can lead to changes in the behaviour of people (behavioural adaptations) and some will change the social and or physical environment in which people live (environmental adaptations).

Define outcomes.

Outcomes are then assessed to determine effectiveness of the intervention. The key outcome is better health which then should lead to improved quality of life.

What are the action areas of the ottawa charter?

• Build healthy public policy.

• Create supportive environments.

• Strengthen community action.

• Develop personal skills.

• Reorient health services.

Build healthy public policy.

Helps citizens lead healthy lives by legislating healthy behaviours or banning unhealthy ones. Includes legislation, taxation and organisational change.

Create supportive environments.

Basis for a socioecological approach to health. In order to promote health people need to take care of each other, their communities and their natural environments.

Strengthen community action.

Communities need to strengthen public participation in health issues and set the direction of health action.

Develop personal skills.

People need to be committed to develop skills necessary to lead fulfilling, independent lives where they can make healthy choices.

Reorient health services.

Health care facilities and services need to change their attitude and organisation so they refocus on the total needs of the individual and recognise the patient as a whole person.

Definition of health literacy.

The ability of individuals to assess and understand health information and to use this information to make informed and wise decisions about health.

Skills required for health literacy.

• Accessing, reading and comprehending health information.

• Engaging in self-care and disease management.

Accessing.

Being able to obtain or retrieve the information you need. Includes selecting the most appropriate information (validity and reliability).

Reading.

Once you have accessed health information you now need to be able to read it. Not all health information is available in all languages.

Comprehending.

Means to grasp and understand the content being read.

Self-care.

Look after yourself or personal health maintenance. Includes activities that prevent or treat disease.

Disease management.

Approach to healthcare that teaches patients how to manage a chronic disease.

What are the factors influencing the use of health products and services?

• Media.

• Transport.

• Cost.

• Consumer confidence.

Media.

Consumers can be swayed to choose one brand over another due to advertising or if it was used by a favourite celebrity.

Transport.

Health facilities with easy transport mechanisms such as close to a bus route or free parking will be more likely to attract consumers.

Cost.

The expense of a product may determine selection of a particular brand.

Consumer confidence.

Consumers have increased confidence in brands that are true to their promises. Consumers are more likely to buy from a trusted brand.

What are beliefs?

Beliefs are a person’s sense of right and wrong.

What are attitudes?

Attitudes refers to the feelings individuals attach to objects, people or situations.

What are values?

Values are general principles by which one lives their life.

Relationship between beliefs, values and attitudes.

Beliefs are translated into attitudes by our values.

How are beliefs self generated?

Experience: Beliefs can be developed due to experience that they have had.

Reflection: Involves the internal processing of a concept to work out what they believe.

How are beliefs externally generated?

Experts: Seeking information from highly-qualified people is a common way to generate beliefs.

Authority: Leadership positions can bring people power, individuals will believe what they say even if they are not an expert.

How are values acquired?

When we are young we develop a set of core values and base the rest of our values around these. Values are based on culture, ethnicity, demographics, peers etc.

How are attitudes formed?

Three components: affective, behavioural, cognitive. Beliefs about particular topics when seen through our values influence our attitudes.

How does media influence beliefs, attitudes and values?

Media messages can imply that what is being presented or promoted is what society values or what they believe society needs.

Purpose of the health belief model (HBM).

Motivate people to participate in interventions and prevention programs.

Elements of the health belief model (HBM).

• Perceived susceptibility.

• Perceived severity.

• Perceived barriers

• Perceived benefits

• Cues to action

• Self-efficacy

Perceived susceptibility.

One’s opinions of chances of getting a condition.

Perceived severity.

One’s opinion of how serious a condition is and what its consequences are.

Perceived barriers.

One’s opinion of the tangible and psychological costs of the advised action.

Perceived benefits.

One’s belief in the efficacy of the advised action to reduce risk or seriousness of impact.

Cues to action.

Strategies to activate readiness.

Self-efficacy.

Confidence in one’s ability to take action.

Define social norms.

A behaviour that is a regular part of society based on a socially shared belief of how one ought to behave.

How are social norms formed?

Constructed by like-minded people, the presence of similar views, preferences and opinions leads people to spend time together forming the norm.

Define cultural norms.

Behaviour patterns of specific groups due to their cultural upbringing. Relates to geographical location, country of origin, ethnic affiliation and religious practices.

How are cultural norms formed?

Usually determined by family expectation. The family’s traditions and regular way of behaving is based on where they live, language, background, religion etc.

What is stress?

An interactive process whereby the body responds to an external situation (stressor).

Stress management.

A range of techniques used to control a person’s level of stress and reduce the physical and emotional burden caused.

What are some stress management strategies?

• identify stressors and avoid them if possible.

• Approach support people and ask them if you can turn to them when needed.

• Identify behaviours that help you cope with stress.

Accessing support.

The ability to ask for help and successfully utilise services and/or people to gain assistance.

What are the 5 A’s of access?

Affordability, availability, accessibility, accomodation, acceptability.

Time management.

Effectively planning use of time to balance commitments and relaxation times. The ability to be organised and plan ahead of time to reduce stress and maintain calmness.

What are some time management strategies?

• Plan time by making timetables, schedules and to-do lists.

• Get organised.

• Prioritise activities and eliminate unnecessary or unhelpful activities.

What are the skills required for working effectively with individuals and groups?

• Negotiation

• Conflict resolution

• Mediation

• Leadership

Explain negotiation.

The process of achieving agreement through discussion, used to resolve disputes. Negotiators bargain for individual or collective advantage.

Explain conflict resolution.

People will benefit from effective conflict resolution, involves using skills such as empathy.

Explain mediation.

Someone intervenes for the purpose of bringing about settlement.

Explain leadership.

A leader is a person who guides, inspires and directs others. Leadership involves providing aid and support to others to achieve a common goal.

What are the three leadership styles?

Autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire.

Autocratic.

Authoritarian or dictator. Makes decisions without consulting others.

Democratic.

Collaborative style of leadership. Involves other people in the decision making.

Laissez-faire.

Casual leadership. Minimises leader involvement in decision-making allowing people to make their own decisions.

What are the personality styles?

Introvert and extrovert.

Introvert.

People who get their energy and emotion from within themselves.

Extrovert.

People who get their energy and emotion from the world and people around them.

How do introverts communicate?

Thrive in unique situations on their own. Generally has trouble meeting and talking to strangers but are good at building deep connections.

How do extroverts communicate?

Thrive in situations that require quick responses and tends to focus on the present moment. Prefers social activities and being around others.

Define wellbeing.

Refers to one’s physical health and mental happiness and prosperity.

Define medicare.

Federally funded government program that subsidises the cost of healthcare for Australian citizens.