Discover Your Understanding of Australian Health Statistics and Disease Burden

Sports performance + mental health

Understanding the key determinants of health

Assessing health behavior change interventions

To report positive COVID-19 test results

Biomedical model

Both physical and mental health

Biological, psychological, and social factors

To understand how all facets of our lives impact our physical health

Alcohol consumption

They had the health of someone 14 years younger

Heart disease

A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being

Lectures will be pre-recorded in some weeks.

6

To enhance understanding of lecture topics.

On Wattle and are essential and/or recommended.

Experimental research

To evaluate the efficacy/effectiveness of a new treatment or intervention

To reduce bias by keeping participants and researchers unaware of group assignments

To identify eligible work using a systematic search strategy

To compare the impact of different diseases or health conditions

It provides a complete picture of the burden of disease by considering both mortality and disability

Number of cause-specific deaths x average life expectancy

12.685

60+

Social support and loneliness

To identify eligible work

MEDLINE, PSYCInfo, SportDiscus, PubMed

55-60

Social support and physical activity

Premature mortality (YLLs) and living with illness/disability (YLDs)

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs)

To reduce bias

To provide a comprehensive summary of primary research on a specific research question

The purpose of the labs in the course is to enhance students' understanding of the topics taught in the lectures and to introduce new material pertinent to the objectives of the course.

There are 6 labs in the course.

Students can find readings for the course on Wattle.

The mid-semester exam is weighted at 20% in the final grade.

The main focus of the studies reviewed in the text is the association between social support, or loneliness, and physical activity in older adults (60+).

The databases that were searched as part of the systematic search strategy in the text were MEDLINE, PSYCInfo, SportDiscus, and PubMed.

The purpose of conducting a systematic search strategy is to identify eligible work and apply inclusion and exclusion criteria in a systematic and comprehensive manner.

Heart disease and certain cancers.

Smoking, poor diet, and low physical activity.

Those who engaged in all four behaviors demonstrated the health of someone 14 years younger than someone who engaged in none of the behaviors.

Health psychologists can design and advise on public health education programs and interventions to promote healthier behaviors.

Social influences on health behaviours, Health behaviour change, Physical activity, Sports performance + mental health

1. Understand the key issues and topics in, and scope of, health psychology. 2. Have an in-depth and integrated understanding of the key determinants of health. 3. Understand and critically evaluate evidence pertaining to the incidence and importance of key health-related lifestyle behaviours (e.g., physical activity, smoking, drinking). 4. Describe and critically appraise dominant and emerging theoretical models of health behaviour, and the factors that are proposed to underpin positive and negative changes in people’s health-related behaviours. 5. Critically evaluate health behaviour change interventions and the methods used to assess health behaviours.

https://www.anu.edu.au/covid-19-advice#returning

The biomedical model is a perspective in medicine that emerged in the 19th century. It argues that diseases come from outside the body, invade the body and cause physical changes, or originate as involuntary internal physical changes. It also argues that individuals are not responsible for their illness and that responsibility for treatment should lie with the medical profession. Additionally, the biomedical model asserts that the mind and body are separate, and that health and illness are qualitatively different.

The biomedical model has been criticized and challenged by psychosomatic medicine and behavioral medicine. Psychosomatic medicine argues that psychological factors can also contribute to causing illness, while behavioral medicine emphasizes a focus on prevention and intervention rather than just treatment.

Health psychology is a relatively new discipline that developed in the 1970s and 1980s. It argues that illness (and health) is determined by a range of biological, psychological, and social factors. It also asserts that individuals are at least partly responsible for their health and that a holistic approach to treatment is needed. Health psychology recognizes the interaction between the mind and body in influencing health and acknowledges that the mind plays a role in both the cause and treatment of illness. It also views health as existing on a continuum.

The biopsychosocial model, proposed by Engel, suggests that biological, psychological, and social factors contribute to the development of a particular disease. For example, genetic predisposition (biological factor), smoking and lack of motivation to quit (psychological factors), and work colleagues all smoking (social factor) can contribute to the development of lung cancer.

The purpose of measuring the burden of disease is to understand the relative impact of different diseases or ill health conditions. This helps in identifying which diseases or conditions should be prioritized for interventions and resource allocation. It also allows tracking of the effectiveness of efforts to reduce the burden over time.

DALYs can be broadly thought of as years of healthy life lost. They are calculated by combining Years of Life Lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) and Years of healthy Life lost due to Disability (YLDs). YLLs are calculated by multiplying the number of cause-specific deaths in the population of interest by a loss function specifying the years lost for deaths as a function of the age at which death occurs. YLDs are calculated by multiplying the prevalence of the condition in the population by the disability weight. The sum of YLLs and YLDs gives the DALYs for a disease or health condition.

In the hypothetical example given, Sheila, an Australian female, lives a healthy life until she's 55. Between ages 55 and 70, she suffers from severe cardiovascular disease when she passes away. The life expectancy for Australian women is 80. The calculation is as follows: YLL = 1 (1 person) x 10 (years of lost life) = 10, YLD = 1 (1 person) x 15 (years living with the disability) x 0.179 (weight for severe cardiovascular disease) = 2.685, DALYs (years lost of healthy life) = 10 + 2.685 = 12.685.

The main advantage of using DALYs to measure the burden of disease is that it provides a comprehensive measure that takes into account both premature mortality and disability. It allows for comparisons between different diseases or health conditions in terms of their impact on healthy life years lost. This helps in prioritizing interventions and resource allocation based on the burden of disease.

Social influences on health behaviours, Health behaviour change, Physical activity, Sports performance + mental health

Understand the key issues and topics in, and scope of, health psychology. Have an in-depth and integrated understanding of the key determinants of health. Understand and critically evaluate evidence pertaining to the incidence and importance of key health-related lifestyle behaviours (e.g., physical activity, smoking, drinking). Describe and critically appraise dominant and emerging theoretical models of health behaviour, and the factors that are proposed to underpin positive and negative changes in people’s health-related behaviours. Critically evaluate health behaviour change interventions and the methods used to assess health behaviours.

https://www.anu.edu.au/covid-19-advice#returning

A state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity

Lifestyle and behaviours such as diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption

Those engaging in all 4 healthy behaviors demonstrated the health of someone 14 years younger than someone who engaged in none of the behaviors

Health psychology can help determine the distribution of disease and health needs, examine factors that predict behaviors, design public health education programs, and work with communities to improve health behaviors

The course consists of 12 x 2 hour lectures (1 per week), 6 x 2 hour labs in weeks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, & 9, and essential and/or recommended readings available on Wattle.

The labs are designed to enhance understanding of the lecture topics, introduce new material, and provide guidance with assessments.

Students can post questions or comments on the discussion forum on the course Wattle page or email [email protected].

The mid-semester exam is worth 20% of the final grade.

Potential health outcomes associated with social support and physical activity in older adults include improved cardiovascular health, reduced risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, improved mental health and cognitive function, and increased overall longevity.

Potential health outcomes associated with social support and physical activity or healthy eating include improved cardiovascular health, reduced risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, improved mental health and cognitive function, and increased overall longevity.

Potential health outcomes associated with social support and physical activity in adults aged 55-60 include improved cardiovascular health, reduced risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer, improved mental health and cognitive function, and increased overall longevity.

Premature mortality (YLLs) and living with illness/disability (YLDs)

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs)

Assess new treatments/interventions vs. established treatments or no treatment, all groups are treated identically except for the experimental treatment/intervention, an a priori power analysis should be used to decide the size of the groups, allocation to groups is done randomly, blinding/double-blinding is sometimes used

To comprehensively summarize primary research on a specific research question and answer it by synthesizing high-quality evidence relevant to that question

1. Diseases come from outside the body, invade the body and cause physical changes, or originate as involuntary internal physical changes. 2. Individuals are not responsible for their illness. 3. Responsibility for treatment should lie with the medical profession – vaccination, surgery, chemotherapy etc.

Health psychology is a relatively new discipline that developed in the 1970s and 1980s. It argues that illness (and health) is determined by a range of biological, psychological, and social factors. It emphasizes a holistic approach to 'treatment', encouraging behavior change, changes in beliefs, and compliance with medical recommendations. It recognizes the interaction between the mind and body in influencing health and acknowledges that the mind plays a role in both the cause and treatment of illness. Health psychology views health as existing on a continuum.

Some of the goals of health psychology are to understand how all facets of our lives impact our physical health (biological, psychological, and social factors) and to use this knowledge to promote health, prevent illness, and improve healthcare systems and policies.

The biopsychosocial model in health psychology argues that health and illness are determined by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. For example, the development of lung cancer could be influenced by biological factors (e.g., genetic predisposition), psychological factors (e.g., smoking and lack of motivation to quit), and social factors (e.g., work colleagues all smoking). These factors interact to contribute to the development of the disease.

The purpose of measuring the burden of disease is to understand the relative impact of different diseases/illness conditions and to determine which ones it is most valuable to focus on. It also allows us to assess whether our efforts in changing behaviors are making a difference.

DALYs can be broadly thought of as years of healthy life lost. One DALY represents the loss of the equivalent of one year of full health. It is calculated by combining Years of Life Lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) and Years of Healthy Life Lost due to Disability (YLDs). YLLs are calculated by multiplying the number of cause-specific deaths in the population of interest by a loss function specifying the years lost for deaths as a function of the age at which death occurs. YLDs are calculated by multiplying the prevalence of the condition in the population of interest by disability weight.

The components used to calculate DALYs are Years of Life Lost due to premature mortality (YLLs) and Years of Healthy Life Lost due to Disability (YLDs). YLLs are the number of cause-specific deaths in the population of interest multiplied by a loss function specifying the years lost for deaths as a function of the age at which death occurs. YLDs are the prevalence of the condition in the population of interest multiplied by disability weight.

In a hypothetical example, Sheila, an Australian female, lives a healthy life until she's 55. Between ages 55 and 70, she suffers from severe cardiovascular disease when she passes away. The life expectancy for Australian women is 80. YLL = 1 (i.e., 1 person) x 10 (years of lost life) = 10. YLD = 1 (i.e., 1 person) x 15 (years living with the disability) x 0.179 (weight for severe cardiovascular disease) = 2.685. DALYs (i.e., years lost of healthy life) = 10 + 2.685 = 12.685.