Health Challenges Facing Australia Notes

Health Challenges Facing Australia

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe the major health challenges facing Australia.
  • Describe common ways of measuring health status.
  • Describe the determinants of health and common risk factors.
  • Describe the National Health Priority areas of Australia.
  • Describe the role of the allied health practitioner in health promotion.

What is Health?

  • The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as: “… a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.

Measuring Health Status

Insights can be gained from examining broad indicators of health:

  • Risk Factors
  • Life expectancy
  • Disease burden
  • Mortality
  • Survival
  • Morbidity
  • Also need to consider ‘Quality of life’

Life Expectancy

Life Expectancy in Australia

  • Life expectancy at birth:
    • Females: 85.3 years
    • Males: 81.2 years

Main Causes of Death in Australia (2020)

  • Males:
    1. Coronary heart disease: 10,040
    2. Dementia including Alzheimer's disease: 5,250
    3. Lung cancer: 4,751
    4. Cerebrovascular disease: 3,974
    5. Prostate cancer: 3,568
  • Females:
    1. Dementia including Alzheimer's disease: 9,325
    2. Coronary heart disease: 6,547
    3. Cerebrovascular disease: 5,496
    4. Lung cancer: 3,706
    5. Breast cancer: 3,110

Life Expectancy: International Comparison (2019)

  • Compared to other nations, Australia's life expectancy is relatively high.

Burden of Disease (BOD)

  • Measures the impact of diseases and injuries on a population.
  • BOD includes:
    • Years of healthy life lost due to living with ill health (non-fatal burden).
    • Years of life lost due to dying prematurely (fatal burden).
  • Measured using DALY (disability-adjusted life years):
    • 1 DALY=1 year of healthy life lost to disease and injury1 \text{ DALY} = 1 \text{ year of healthy life lost to disease and injury}

Burden of Disease in Australia (2023)

  • Australians lost 5.6 million years of healthy life (total burden, DALY) due to:
    • Living with illness (non-fatal): 54% of total burden.
    • Dying prematurely (fatal): 46% of total burden.
  • Australians are living longer, but more years spent living in ill health.
  • Chronic diseases cause most of the burden:
    • Cancer, mental health conditions and substance use disorders, musculoskeletal conditions, cardiovascular diseases, neurological conditions.
  • Top 5 diseases causing burden:
    1. Coronary heart disease
    2. Dementia
    3. Back pain
    4. Anxiety disorders
    5. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)

Effects of COVID-19

  • Now less likely to be hospitalised or die.
  • Use of mental health services increased, particularly for younger people.
  • 30% of COVID-related deaths have been in residential aged care.

Determinants of Health

  • Many serious health issues are related to health behaviours and lifestyle factors that could be prevented or modified.

  • Common risk factors that contribute to Australia’s disease burden:

    • Smoking
    • Alcohol consumption
    • Overweight and obesity
    • Physical inactivity
    • Diet
    • Family domestic and sexual violence

  • Up to 1/3 of disease burden potentially preventable if Australians reduce/avoid exposure to risk factors

Top 5 Risk Factors Causing the Highest Disease Burden

  • Smoking: 8.6%
  • Overweight and obesity: 8.4%
  • Dietary risks: 5.4%
  • High blood pressure: 5.1%
  • Alcohol use: 4.5%

Indigenous Health

  • Experience socioeconomic disadvantage and health inequality.
  • Some improvements in recent years – increased life expectancy.
  • Effects of colonisation and social systems which maintain inequity.
  • Requires further improvement cultural safety and responsiveness of health system.

What’s the Good News?

  • Deaths from coronary heart disease has fallen 80% since 1980.
  • Cancer survival rates are improving.
  • Fewer adults are smoking.

Reasons for Improvements

  • Improved medical technology and medications
  • Immunisation programs
  • Increased education on health issues
  • Health promotion strategies

What's the Bad News?

  • More adults are overweight or obese
  • Younger people experiencing higher levels of psychological distress

National Health Priority Areas

  • Cancer control
  • Cardiovascular health
  • Injury prevention and control
  • Mental health
  • Diabetes mellitus
  • Asthma
  • Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions
  • Obesity
  • Dementia

Health Promotion and the Role of Allied Health Practitioners

  • Focuses on preventive health rather than on treatment and cure
  • Examples of successful health promotion in Australia:
    • Slip, slop, slap
    • Anti-smoking campaigns
    • Compulsory seatbelts and bike helmets
    • Random breath testing and 50 km/hr street limits
  • Future focus of health promotion in Australia?

Role of Allied Health Professionals

  • Education and information:
    • Physical activity guidelines
    • Dietary guidelines
    • Smoking and drug use
    • Promotion and protecting good mental health
  • Recognise health risk factors and refer to appropriate service

References

  • List of references from the slides.