Contemporary Health Issues in Australia

Key Objective

  • Define how contemporary health issues in Australia are determined.
  • Understand the origins of common infectious and non-infectious health issues.
  • Explain variations of these issues between ethnic groups and locations.

Contemporary Health Overview

  • Current health reflects individual and population health statuses.
  • Issues include:
    • Population ageing (increased life expectancy due to medical advances)
    • Rising morbidity and disease (linked to environmental/lifestyle factors).

Mortality Trends

  • Infectious disease mortality has significantly declined:
    • Early 20th Century: Over 60% deaths from infectious diseases.
    • Late 20th Century: Less than 5%.
    • Reasons:
    • Development of antibiotics
    • Improved surveillance
    • Vaccination programs.

Leading Causes of Death (2016 data)

  • Males: 1) Coronary Heart Disease; 2) Lung Cancer; 3) Dementia/Alzheimer's.
  • Females: 1) Dementia/Alzheimer's; 2) Coronary Heart Disease; 3) Cerebrovascular Disease.

Population Trends

  • Projected population growth:
    • Australia: 24.3M (2019) to 35M by 2050.
    • Ageing population (over 65 years) expected to double (from 12% to 25% by 2050).

Health Care Demand

  • Increased care needs with age:
    • 41% of hospital admissions are over 65.
    • Complex comorbidities increase hospital stays.

Risk Factors for Chronic Disease

  • Major risk factors include:
    • Tobacco use
    • Physical inactivity
    • Alcohol misuse
    • Poor dietary habits
    • Obesity and high blood pressure.

Health Inequities

  • Geographic and social inequalities impact access to health care:
    • Urban vs rural areas can vastly differ in available services.

Health in Aboriginal Communities

  • Indigenous Australians face:
    • 17-year lower life expectancy compared to non-Indigenous.
    • High rates of chronic disease and infectious conditions.
  • Cultural understanding of health differs:
    • Emphasis on social and emotional well-being over just physical health.

Notifiable Communicable Diseases

  • Important for public health surveillance:
    • Reported diseases include AIDS, measles, tuberculosis, and more.

Challenges with Infectious Disease

  • Imported diseases like tuberculosis and malaria show continued potential risk despite low local prevalence.

Concluding Questions

  • What are contemporary health issues in Australia?
  • How does the ageing population impact health care?
  • What differences exist in health care delivery between urban and remote areas?