Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan Essay By: Sameem Danish The Victorian public health and wellbeing plan establishes a new and ambitious population health vision for the state: a Victoria free of the avoidable burden of disease and injury. The priority areas of the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan are healthier eating and active living, tobacco-free living, reducing harmful alcohol and drug use, improving mental health, preventing violence and injury, and improving sexual and reproductive health, the priority area that I will mainly be focusing in this essay is tobacco free living. The three determinants of Health that I will be discussing/ analysing in this piece are the biological, physical environment and social determinants …show more content…
of health. The Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing’s purpose is to deliver Victoria free of the unnecessary burden of disease and injury, so that altogether Victorians can relish the maximum attainable standards of health, wellbeing, and participation at every age.
The plan strategy sets out a long lasting program for enlightening healthiness and social outcomes in Victoria, the main aim of the plan is to target all Victorians to diminish inequalities in health and wellbeing. The plan idea identifies the importance of looking after the natural environment and addressing climate change and its influences on health and wellbeing. It serves the public by: improving the health status of individuals, families and communities; defending the population against what threatens its health; protecting people against the financial consequences of ill-health; and providing equitable access to people-centred care (World Health Organization 2010). In my judgement, this plan can progress the health of all Victorians because it inspires healthy living from the premature stages of the lifecycle by targeting the important matters obtained in the civilization these are through the priorities the plan claims such as Healthier eating and active living, Tobacco free living, Reducing harmful alcohol and drug use , Improving mental health , Preventing violence and injury, and lastly Improving sexual and reproductive health. With these priorities in tact it is most likely that all Victorians will endure a …show more content…
substantial health and wellbeing. The World Health Organisation (2009) outline the determinants of health as social, behavioural, environmental and biological. The social determinant includes factors such as the media, living arrangements, level of education, employment status and income, community belonging, social support, family and work–life balance. Biological determinants of health relate to the structure of the cells, tissues and systems of the body and how adequately they function. Examples include: body weight; for example, being underweight, a healthy weight, overweight or obese, blood pressure levels, blood cholesterol levels, glucose regulation, genetics, including sex, birth weight. The behavioural determinants of health relate to the choices people make in their lives that impact on their health status. Examples of behavioural determinants include: tobacco smoking, drug use, dietary behaviour and sexual behaviour. The physical environment has a well-established relationship with health and consists of the physical things that surround us. These include aspects of the environment that occur naturally, such as climate and natural landscapes; and structures built by people such as roads and infrastructure. (World Health Organization Regional 2014). In relation to the Victorian Health and Wellbeing plan, the plan addresses the at-risk groups in relation to the determinants of health. The plan indicates that Smoking rates are two to three times higher for Aboriginal Victorians and those undergoing psychological distress. Aboriginal individuals have a lifetime expectation of 10 years lower than non-Aboriginal people and life expectancy differs by up to seven years among local government parts of Victoria. The smoking rate for people experiencing psychological distress is more than double that of the proportion for Victoria in total. In addition, roughly one in five Victorian children aged 5–12 years live in a domestic household with a chain-smoker as well as Aboriginal women smoking while pregnant within the household. Children in zones of least disadvantage are about three times less expected to live in a family with a smoker than those in most disadvantaged areas. The Victorian Government (2015) outlines that In 2008 two-thirds of Aboriginal children lived in households with a daily heavy smoker, more than twice that for non-Aboriginal children. Tobacco free living is defined by avoiding use of all types of tobacco products such as cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, pipes and hookahs and living free from second hand smoke exposure The department of Health (2000). Smoking can cause fatal diseases such as pneumonia, emphysema and lung cancer. The EPA air watch (2016) argue that Smoking causes 84% of deaths from lung cancer and 83% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Tobacco use is an significant issue as it remains the uppermost regulating factor contributing to disease burden, smoking rates continue high in disadvantaged populations. One in eight women continue to smoke while pregnant, with rates three times higher for Aboriginal women. After 20 weeks development one in 20 pregnant women smokes, with the rate four times higher for teenagers and more than double in rural areas compared with metropolitan areas (Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity 2014). 12 per cent of Teenagers (the at-risk group) aged 16 -17 years old school students smoked in the last week (Department of Health 2013).These are major poor health issues within Victoria and The Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan provide the solution by aiming to deliver a tobacco free living environment by continuing to further reduce smoking rates with the ultimate aim of achieving a tobacco-free Victoria, Continuing legislative and non-legislative approaches to tobacco reform, such as smoking cessation support, in order to continue the downward trend in smoking rates, focusing on smoking cessation support at the community level (via hospitals, GPs and community health services) and finally Targeting smoking cessation measures for those groups with disproportionately high smoking prevalence, particularly Aboriginal Victorians. The relevant determinants of health influence Tobacco free living, as mentioned earlier, the Social determinant of health is referred to the determinants within the social environment that impact on health status.
Aboriginal women who smoke while pregnant can be put in/face multiple situations such as for example, poor socioeconomic circumstances which can lead to psychological distress, which is a major risk factor both for depressive and anxiety disorders, and is associated with risk behaviours such as Tobacco smoking. Subsequently the Physical environment which consists of the physical things that surround us also impacts pregnant aboriginal women as housing (a crowded house) can lead to a higher rate of mental health thus increasing the likelihood of tobacco smoking. Last of all, the biological determinant of health which relates to the structure of the cells, tissues and systems of the body and how adequately they function, can also impact pregnant aboriginal women as heavy smokers tend to have greater body weight as compared to light smokers or non-smokers, which likely reproduces a grouping of risky behaviours for example a low amount of physical activity, poor diet, and higher rates of tobacco smoking can lead to a advantageous to weight
gain. Ultimately, The Victorian public health and wellbeing plan establishes a new and ambitious population health vision for the state: a Victoria free of the avoidable burden of disease and injury. The priority areas of the Victorian Public Health and Wellbeing Plan : healthier eating and active living, tobacco-free living, reducing harmful alcohol and drug use, improving mental health, preventing violence and injury, and improving sexual and reproductive health, the priority area that I will mainly focused in this essay was tobacco free living. The three determinants of Health that I analysed within this piece were the biological, physical environment and social determinants of health.
...nts of Health and the Prevention of Health Inequities. Retrieved 2014, from Australian Medical Association: https://ama.com.au/position-statement/social-determinants-health-and-prevention-health-inequities-2007
Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live and age, and the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. These focuses and systems include economic policies and systems, development agendas, social norms, social policies and political systems. (WHO, 2016). In the video, various social determinants of health were being portrayed. They include aboriginal status; how aboriginal people are treated and how this treatment contributes to the economic status and health status of aboriginal people. Education, as aboriginal schools receive less funding from the government. Housing, as aboriginal people are forced to live in unsuitable reserves. Social exclusion and social safety net as aboriginal people are excluded from society. The social determinants of health are what contributes to the attributes of social justice. This problem also led to a larger and broader issue in society that includes the attributes of social justice. Social justice problems such as human and civil rights that includes sexism and racism. Equity in which the distribution of society’s wealth is not distributed fairly and results aboriginal people receive less of society’s wealth. Equity refers to fair shares. (CNA, 2010). It also leads to poverty as they experience lack of access to basic needs such as food, water, clothing and shelter. It also led to higher suicide rates and increase rate of aboriginal people in federal prisons. It also contributes to many health issues such as 42% of aboriginal children lack dental care, tuberculous rate four times higher and diabetics rate three times higher. Most of all it has led
People living in rural areas are experiencing highly limited excess to health care facilities either because they are not aware of the disease symptoms as a result of low education level or because the treatment is not available for them. In addition, rural population tend to smoke and drink more than others which has an extremely negative impact on their health status demonstrated by higher mortality and morbidity rates than that of the population living in the major cities (Beard et al., 2009). the mortality rate in regional areas of Australia are 1.05-1.15 times, and in remote areas 1.2-1.2 times those in major cities (Phillips, 2009).
There are significant health disparities that exist between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. Being an Indigenous Australian means the person is and identifies as an Indigenous Australian, acknowledges their Indigenous heritage and is accepted as such in the community they live in (Daly, Speedy, & Jackson, 2010). Compared with Non-Indigenous Australians, Aboriginal people die at much younger ages, have more disability and experience a reduced quality of life because of ill health. This difference in health status is why Indigenous Australians health is often described as “Third World health in a First World nation” (Carson, Dunbar, Chenhall, & Bailie, 2007, p.xxi). Aboriginal health care in the present and future should encompass a holistic approach which includes social, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing in order to be culturally suitable to improve Indigenous Health. There are three dimensions of health- physical, social and mental- that all interrelate to determine an individual’s overall health. If one of these dimensions is compromised, it affects how the other two dimensions function, and overall affects an individual’s health status. The social determinants of health are conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age which includes education, economics, social gradient, stress, early life, social inclusion, employment, transport, food, and social supports (Gruis, 2014). The social determinants that are specifically negatively impacting on Indigenous Australians health include poverty, social class, racism, education, employment, country/land and housing (Isaacs, 2014). If these social determinants inequalities are remedied, Indigenous Australians will have the same opportunities as Non-Ind...
Topic 3: "Outline the social determinants of health in Australia and provide a critical analysis of these determinants. Discuss the current health status comparisons between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians and interventions to remedy these inequalities.”
What does ‘care’ mean? Care is the provision of what is necessary for your health, welfare and protection of someone or something. However when you talk about ‘care’ in a care practice the term changes and becomes more about enabling people to meet all their needs which would refer to their social, physical, emotional, cognitive and cultural needs. The individual is central to the meaning of care in this context.
2.3 Explain how the health and social care practitioner own values, beliefs and experiences can influence delivery of care.
Thank you for taking time to read my letter. As a nursing student of University of Technology Sydney, I studied contemporary indigenous subject this semester. In this letter I want to illustrate 3 main social determinants of health that impact indigenous Australian health which I found and analysed during my recently study. And also offer some suggestion that could help the government improve aboriginal Australian mental health conditions in the future.
This essay is aimed to explore, analyse and discuss smoking in adults. Smoking is a public health issue as such is one of the major contributors to high mortality and ill-health in the adults which is preventable (Health and Excellence Care (NICE) (2012). The United Kingdom (UK) is known to have the highest number of people with a history of smoking among people with low socio-economic status (Scriven and Garman, 2006; Goddard and Green, 2005). Smoking is considered a serious epidemic in the UK and the National institute for Health and Excellence Care (NICE, 2012) stated that 28% of adults with low economic status are tobacco smokers compared with 13% of those with economic status or having professional incomes. Furthermore almost 80,000 people died in England in 2011 as a result of smoking related issues and 9,500 admissions of children died due to being second hand smokers (WHO, 2005). This essay focuses on definition of smoking, the aim is to underline the relationship between smoking and the determinants of health and then, the size, prevalence, and morbidity trend of smoking will be explored. Furthermore, some public health policies introduced to confront the issues around smoking will be investigated and finally, the roles of nurses will identify health needs the public so as to promote good health and their wellbeing.
To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. Therefore, health promotion is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy life-styles to wellbeing. Health promotion goes beyond health care. It puts health on the agenda of policy makers in all sectors and at all levels. It directs policy makers to be aware of the health consequences of their decisions and accept their responsibilities for
Smoking cigarettes is a detrimental practice not only to the smoker, but also to everyone around the smoker. According to an article from the American Lung Association, “Health Effects” (n.d.), “Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S., causing over 438,000 deaths per year”. The umbrella term for tobacco use includes the use of cigarettes, cigars, e-cigs and chewing tobacco. While tobacco causes adverse health consequences, it also has been a unifying factor for change in public health. While the tobacco industries targets specific populations, public health specifically targets smokers, possible smokers, and the public to influence cessation, policies and education.
The health of an individual and their communities is affected by several elements which combine together. Whether an individual is healthy or not, is determined by their circumstances and environment.1 To a greater extent, factors such as where an individual lives, their relationships with family and friends, the state of their environment, income, genetics and level of education all have significant impacts on health, however the more frequently considered factors such as access and use of health care facilities regularly have less of an impact.6 Determinants of health is a term which was introduced in the 1970s as part of a broader analysis of research and policy on public health. Researchers argued that there was a lot of attention and too much expenditure on health being dedicated to individuals and their illnesses, and little or no investment in populations and their health. It was decided that public health should be more concerned with social policies and social determinants than with health facilities and the outcomes of diseases.7 The determinants of health include social and economic environment, physical environment and an individual’s behaviour and characteristics. The environment of an individual determines their health, holding responsible an individual for having poor health or acknowledging them for good health is inappropriate. Individuals are not likely to be able to control several of the determinants of health. These determinants that make individuals healthy or not include the factors above, and numerous others.6
Most women have heard that smoking is very deadly to the human body and can cause cancer, heart disease, and other major health problems, yet it is still an ongoing problem. Around the world, about 250 million women use tobacco every day and this number is increasing rapidly, according to data presented at the 2009 14th World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Mumbai (March of Dimes , 2011). Not only do women smoke, some choose to continue to smoke while pregnant. Smoking during pregnancy is a worldwide problem, although it is more common in developed countries such as the US, where an estimated 18 percent of pregnant women smoke. In developing countries, it 's estimated that only 8 percent of expectant mothers smoke. These percentages may sound low, but together they equal up to one million babies born worldwide each year to mothers who smoked while pregnant (Smoking during Pregnancy , 2009) . One study found that about one in four women who smoked while pregnant deny it. Maternal smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of birth complications and has long-term developmental consequences for child development, including deficits in general intelligence, academic skills, and cognitive functioning. As social inequalities in smoking have increased over time, maternal smoking during pregnancy has become concentrated among women with lower levels of education (e.g., more than 20% among women without a high school degree) (Gilman, Breslau, Subramanian, Hitsman, & Koenen, 2008). Despite the warnings about the dangers of smoking while pregnant, some women still choose to smoke which places themselves and their baby at risk for many health issues.
In an era when the resources for health promotion are limited and the expectations as to what can be achieved are high, sustainability has become a familiar catch-cry (Swerissen & Crisp. 2014.) Health and sustainability are parallel challenges (Cunningham et al. 2010) as the economic, social and environmental characteristics of a sustainable society are the same as those of a healthy society (Griffiths 2006.). The precise definition of sustainability is still subject to debate. It has no single or universally accepted definition. It is not easily captured in a concise definition and means different things to different people or concepts (Auditor General of Victoria 2004). In this case sustainability will be the development aiming to maintain or sustain conditions in order to provide improved long-term economic health and a stable social and cultural quality system to preserve and protect the environment (Gremm et al. 2008). A crucial focus to sustainability includes preserving the environment so that the needs of future generations can also be met indefinitely in the future. Public health programs constitute an important method of improving health and program sustainability (Pluye et al 2004) as partnerships between health organisations and local authority planning departments concerning spacial planning are important to ensure the design of healthy sustainable communities (Griffiths 2006.).
There are numerous public health problems that can be addressed in my Southside of Chicago community. Among the several public health problems facing my Southside of Chicago community there are two that are more urgent. Health education or one might say lack thereof is a problem that needs to be addressed. My community is plagued with many of the residents suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, and the killer virus known as HIV. In most cases these conditions can be prevented with healthier lifestyles and access to nutritious organic foods. In addition, environmental health is another urgent problem my community is facing. Access to clean, safe water and air is supposed to be a fundamental human right aimed at a healthy environment. Yet, my community consists a waste contaminated beach, numerous deteriorated building that are still occupied, and a countless number of restaurant and stores supplying our residents with services that are endangering their health.