Health Priorities in Aus 1

Core 1: Health Priorities in Australia
Critical Question 1 –
How are priority issues for Australia’s health identified?
Outcomes – How are priority issues for Australia’s health identified?
A student:
H1 – describes the nature and justifies the choice of Australia’s health priorities
H2 – analyses and explains the health status of Australians in terms of current trends and groups most at risk
Students learn to:

Students learn about:
• Critique the use of epidemiology to describe health status by considering
• Measures health status
questions such as:
- Role of epidemiology
- What can epidemiology tell us?
- Measures of epidemiology (mortality, infant mortality,
- Who uses these measures?
morbidity, life expectancy)
- Do they measure everything about health status?
• Uses tables and graphs from health reports to analyse current trends in life
expectancy and major causes of morbidity and mortality for the general
population and comparing males and females
• Identifying priority health issues • Argue the case for why decisions are made about health priorities by
- Social justice principles considering questions such as:
- Priority population groups - How do we identify priority issues for Australia’s health?
- Prevalence of condition - What role do the principles of social justice play?
- Potential for prevention and early intervention - Why is it important to prioritise?
- Costs to the individual and community Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE
Health Priorities in Australia 1 (Ms A. Hopkinson)
Define:
‘Epidemiology’
Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Measuring Health Status – The Role of Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of disease in groups or populations through the collection of data and information, to
identify patterns and causes.
It is used by governments and health-related

organisations to:
• Obtain a picture of the health status of a population
• Identify the patterns of health and disease
• Analyse how health services and facilities are being

used.

Measures of Epidemiology
Measuring health status is technical and conceptual. Epidemiologists use a range of quantitative statistical
measures that include:
• Mortality
• Morbidity
• Infant Mortality
• Life Expectancy

Measures of Epidemiology – Mortality
Mortality is measured by the cause and number of deaths in a specific

population over a specific time period (usually one year).
Data is typically standardized to enable comparisons – for example, ‘deaths

per 100,000 of 20-30 year old’s’ is known as age-standardized

Measures of Epidemiology – Mortality (leading causes by sex)
• Coronary heart disease is the leading underlying cause of death in Australia, followed by dementia including
Alzheimer disease
• Cerebrovascular disease (which includes stroke), lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD) make up the top 5 leading underlying causes of death in Australia in 2018, for males and females of
Girraween High School
all ages – HSC PDHPE
combined
Measures of Epidemiology – Mortality (leading causes by age group)

Measures of Epidemiology – Infant Mortality
Infant mortality is data collected on the number of deaths in infants within their
first year of life per 1000 live births.
Infant mortality can be a good predictor of life expectancy.

Measures of Epidemiology – Infant Mortality
Between 1998 and 2017, the infant death rate peaked at 5.7 deaths per 1,000 babies before dropping to 3.3
deaths per 1,000 live births.
Boys consistently had higher death rates than girls, with their rates ranging between 1.1 and 1.3 as high as
those for girls.
Measures of Epidemiology – Morbidity
Morbidity is the level of illness, disease or injury in a given population.
There are two types of morbidity data – Prevalence and Incidence.
Prevalence is the number of cases Incidence is the number of new

of a disease, illness or injury within a cases of disease occurring in a
population at a specific time population

Morbidity measures and indicators include…..
Hospital use - Health surveys and reports –

Refers to the cause and number of admissions to National health and other surveys can provide a range of
hospital. These statistics provide some measure of the key health indicators and bring together an extensive
rates of illness and accidents in the community. The range of health information. Often, health surveys
causes of hospital use indicate the major reasons for our depend on self-reporting, so individual perceptions of
ill health as a nation. They also provide useful information health and illness affect the information gathered to
about the pattern of more serious diseases which require varying degrees.
medical treatment.
However, they do not describe less serious illness and ill

health that remain untreated. Doctor visits and Medicare statistics -
Medicare statistics (services claimed on Medicare)
indicate the reasons for doctor visits and the number of
Disability and handicap – visits. They can also provide the number of days absent
The incidence of disease or accident can lead to from work as a result of sickness.
impairment, disability and handicap. Disability can be in
terms of self-care, mobility, verbal communication, However, this information does not always include visits
schooling and/or employment. to doctors for general checkups. As with hospital use
statistics, doctor visits by females may not always reflect
A handicap is a perceived social disadvantage that ill health; for example, the statistics count visitations for
results from the impairment or disability. pregnancy and childbirth.
Measures of Epidemiology – Life Expectancy
Life Expectancy is the estimated number of years that members of a

group within society are predicted to live.
For example, if you were born in 2015, you have a life expectancy of
84.5 years (females) and 80.4 years (males).
Comparison: People born in 1970, have a life expectancy of 74.4

years (females) and 67.7 years (males).
One way in which the health status of a country is ranked is on its citizens life expectancy, which varies
considerably from one country to the next.
Measures of Epidemiology – Life Expectancy
Complete the following –
• Life expectancy of Australians continues to steadily rise - predict

reasons for the continued growth.
• Compare our rates of life expectancy with that of the US and the UK. Is
there a noticeable difference between the three? If so, identify factors
that may contribute to the differing rates of life expectancy.

What can Epidemiology tell us?
Epidemiologists collect numerical data on illnesses, diseases, injury and death within populations so
that they can:
• Identify the number of deaths from a particular cause
• Calculate the rate of diseases within a population group
• Identify specific sub-groups within the population who experience higher rates of a disease or health
inequities (e.g. Indigenous populations experience higher rates of infant mortality)
• Compare and identify inequalities in health as experienced among members of the population
• Provide tangible evidence that health promotion initiatives are being effective
• Provide information that allows governments to allocate resources on a ‘needs basis’ and target certain areas

Health in Australia
A snapshot of the most current data from 2020….
Note: Most data collection occurred prior to the COVID-19 outbreak

AIHW Report 2020

AIHW Report 2020

AIHW Report

AIHW Report 2020

AIHW Report 2020

Who uses these measures?
Data can be collected by various means; for example, when citizens use their medicare card, through hospital
admissions, immunization records and pharmaceutical sales. All this data is collected, stored and analysed by
various government and non-government organisations (NGOs).
• It provides powerful evidence for identifying needs, prioritizing

health funding and health promotion, as well as implementing
health programs
• GP’s use the data to identify outbreaks of diseases, monitor

groups within society who are at greater risk and implement
practices to increase the health outcomes of patients (e.g.
screening for CVD and diabetes)
• The NSW DET uses data regarding injuries (including sporting

ones) in schools as incidences of anaphylaxis and asthma, to
develop policy and procedures to minimise these risks (e.g.
excursion policies, First Aid and training staff in EpiPen use)

Who uses these measures?

Do they measure everything about health status?
Epidemiology provides limited understanding about complex health issues and a person’s quality of life.
Its drawbacks include:
• Sociocultural influences on an individual are not

considered (e.g. a persons wellbeing despite their injury
or disease, their contribution to society, their quality of
life prior to death)
• An epidemiological study does not identify the reasons

behind protective or risk behaviour choices made by an
individual
• Diseases that are not identified as national health

priority areas often receive little analysis or attention
• An epidemiological study does not recognize factors

that may contribute to mortality, an example being a
death certificate that identifies CVD but not the mental
health issues contributing to the hypertension
Australia’s Health at a glance
Complete the following -
1. Uses current health reports and epidemiological data to analyse current trends in life
expectancy, as well as major causes of morbidity and mortality for the general population
(comparing males and females)
2. Construct a table that includes your findings.
3. Compare the results from the 2020 AIHW report to data collected over a five-ten year
period – has there been a change in trends for the above areas? (identify if it is an
increase, decrease or remained stable).

Profile of Australia’s Health Status
Using the AIHW 2020 Report brief, complete the following:
1. Describe the population of Australia in terms of demographics and identify

how this may affect the health status of the nation.
2. Identify what percentage of Australians (up to 5 years of age) are fully

immunized. Research the percentage that the World Health Organisation
(WHO) states is a protective percentage for the population. Explain what
‘herd’ immunity means for the health status of Australia.
3. For the following age groups (15-24 years old, 45-64 years old, 75-84
years old), identify which diseases cause the greatest ‘burden’ on health for
males and females. Predict reasons for the differences.

HSC Practice Question –
Measuring Health Status
NESA (2017) -
Question 21a – Outline the measures of

epidemiology (3 marks)
Question 21b – Describe the limitations of

epidemiology. (4 marks)

NESA (2020) -
Question 22 - Complete the table for THREE

current leading causes of mortality for males and
females in Australia. (4 marks)
Current leading Trend in mortality Trend in mortality rate for

cause of mortality rate for males over females over the last 10
the last 10 years years

Practice Questions – Marking Criteria

Practice Questions – Marking Criteria
Note that the question is asking for

trends in the male and female
population of the top three leading
causes of mortality – NOT to identify the
three leading causes for each sex.

Identifying Priority Health Issues
In order to improve Australia’s health, governments and health authorities prioritise particular health issues,
based generally on:
• How much they contribute to the burden of illness in the community

• Their potential for reducing this burden
These priority issues include; the health inequities experienced by certain groups within our society, our growing
and ageing population and the high levels of chronic disease and other health problems evident in our society.

Identifying Priority Health Issues
In determining the disease burden on the community and its potential to be reduced, health authorities need to
consider a number of factors.
These include:
• Social justice principles
• Priority population groups
• Prevalence of the condition
• Potential for prevention and early intervention
• Costs to the individual and community

Social justice principles
Social justice is a set of values that recognises the impact of discrimination, past disadvantage, structural
barriers to equality, as well as other social factors. It is concerned with reducing inequality by supporting the
most disadvantaged people in society. The principles of social justice apply differently in different contexts, so in
practice, social justice may look different in health or law or education.
In health, the principles of social justice can include:
• Equity
• Access
• Diversity
• Supportive Environments

Diversity –
Equity –
When cultural, religious and other
The balanced (though not always equal)
differences are accepted, the needs of all
distribution of resources, to ensure fair health
members of society are acknowledged. In
outcomes for all groups, including the
disadvantaged. this way a wider range of solutions to health
problems becomes credible and available.
Supportive environments –
Access –
Social, environmental and political conditions
Removing barriers to make sure that all
all have a profound effect on health and
people, regardless of their circumstances,
need to be included in the processes of
are provided with satisfactory health services
decision making and planning if population
and information.
health is to be improved.

The selected priority issues for Australia’s health must reflect the principles of social justice. We need
to recognise and address inequities in health.
• These inequities encompass both differences in the

incidence and prevalence of sickness and death, and
inequalities in the social, economic, political and cultural
factors that influence health
• Although our national health status is relatively good

compared with that of other nations, improvement could
occur in some areas
• The alarmingly high incidence of diabetes in the

indigenous population and the high incidence of injury in
the 15–24 years age group are significant inequities in
health
By applying the principles of social justice in our identification of health priorities, we can determine the impact these
principles have on reducing health inequities and improving the health of the nation.
Oxfam Australia is working in coalition with over 40 indigenous and non-

indigenous organisations to close the 17-year life expectancy gap
between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and other Australians.
National Close the Gap day has been held annually since 2007.
www.oxfam.org.au/closethegap
Discuss how the ‘Close the Gap’ campaign:
(a) aims to address social justice inequities
(b) is focusing on a health priority issue to

improve Australia’s health

Priority population groups
The criterion for how best to spend money and distribute resources for health based on priority
population groups should be considered by asking questions such as:
• Does a specific group within the population suffer

higher prevalence of this condition?
• Can this health issue be improved by targeting a

specific population group?
• These questions identify priority groups for different

causes of sickness and death
The identification of priority population subgroups with inequitable health status is important for determining
health priority issues. It allows health authorities to identify the prevalence of disease/injury in specific groups,
better understand the social determinants of health and determine the needs of groups in relation to the
Girraween High
principles ofSchool
social– HSCjustice.
PDHPE
Priority population groups
Epidemiological information reveals that:
• Indigenous populations have much higher death rates from heart disease, injury, respiratory diseases and
diabetes
• People from a low socioeconomic background have a higher incidence of disease risk factors such as high
blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, smoking and lower use of preventative health services
• People living in rural or isolated locations have higher death rates and a higher incidence of heart disease
and injury, compared with people who reside in metropolitan areas
• Men are at much greater risk than women of developing a number of diseases (including heart disease and
lung cancer)
• These are only a few examples of subgroups that have specific health issues

Prevalence of condition
The criterion for how best to spend money and distribute resources for health based on prevalence of
condition should be considered by asking questions such as:
• Does this health problem affect a large number of people

within the population?
• Is there evidence that the extent of this health problem is

increasing?
High prevalence rates of a disease indicate the health and

economic burden that the disease or condition places on
the community.
Potential for prevention and early intervention
The criterion for how best to spend money and distribute resources for health based on prevention and
early intervention should be considered by asking questions such as:
• Is this health problem the result of risk factors or

determinants that can be changed or modified?
• Can the harm caused by this condition be reduced by

earlier detection and intervention?
• Can the impact of this condition be predicted and

reduced by understanding changes in the population?
The majority of diseases and illnesses suffered by Australians result from poor lifestyle behaviours. It is difficult
to change individual behaviours because often they reflect the environmental situation in which the individual
lives. Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE
Potential for prevention and early intervention
For change to occur — that is, for the burden of the major causes of disease and sickness to be reduced — we
must address both individual behaviours and environmental determinants.
Most of the chronic diseases, injuries and mental health problems have social and individual determinants that
can be modified, so prevention and early intervention may lead to improved health status.

Costs to the individual and community
The criterion for how best to spend money and distribute resources for health based on costs to the
individual and community should be considered by asking whether or not the condition imposes high or
inequitable costs on its sufferers and their communities.
The costs imposed on individuals by poor health can be extensive

and varied. These might include the:
• Financial cost of treatment or lost employment and medications
• Physical cost of lost mobility or functionality
• Emotional suffering caused by chronic pain or depression
• Social cost resulting from damaged relationships and family

suffering
• The combination of premature death and time spent with a

disability
Costs to the individual and community
The impact of disease in economic terms can provide

some estimate of the cost to the community. This cost can
be useful for health authorities when they are prioritising
health issues and determining health interventions.
Illness results in both direct and indirect costs –
Direct costs – include the money spent on Indirect costs are the value of the output lost when
diagnosing, treating and caring for the sick, plus the people become too ill to work or die prematurely
money spent on prevention. These costs can be (for example, the cost of forgone earnings,
estimated from the expenses of medical services, absenteeism and the retraining of replacement
hospital admissions, pharmaceutical prescriptions, workers).
prevention initiatives, research, screening and
education, for example. Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE
Identifying priority health issues – Review
Complete the following –
1. Using CVD as one of the National Health Priority Areas, research and complete the following
table, applying the criteria for identifying priority issues:
Social Justice Priority Prevalence Cost to Cost to Potential for

Principles Population of condition individuals community prevention
Groups and change
CVD
2. Assess the importance of prioritising health issues in Australia?
3. Is Australia a healthy nation compared with the rest of the world? Explain your answer. How
can Australia’s health be improved?
4. Distinguish between the terms ‘prevalence’ and ‘incidence’.
5. Identify some groups in Australian society that suffer health inequities.

NESA (2012) -
Question 23 – How is epidemiology used to

improve the health of Australians? Provide
examples (6 marks)


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Core 1: Health Priorities in Australia

Students learn to:

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

It is used by governments and health-related

• Obtain a picture of the health status of a population

• Identify the patterns of health and disease

• Analyse how health services and facilities are being

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Mortality is measured by the cause and number of deaths in a specific

Data is typically standardized to enable comparisons – for example, ‘deaths

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Infant mortality can be a good predictor of life expectancy.

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Morbidity is the level of illness, disease or injury in a given population.

There are two types of morbidity data – Prevalence and Incidence.

Prevalence is the number of cases Incidence is the number of new

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Hospital use - Health surveys and reports –

However, they do not describe less serious illness and ill

Life Expectancy is the estimated number of years that members of a

Comparison: People born in 1970, have a life expectancy of 74.4

Complete the following –

• Life expectancy of Australians continues to steadily rise - predict

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

• Identify the number of deaths from a particular cause

• Calculate the rate of diseases within a population group

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

A snapshot of the most current data from 2020….

Note: Most data collection occurred prior to the COVID-19 outbreak

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

• It provides powerful evidence for identifying needs, prioritizing

• GP’s use the data to identify outbreaks of diseases, monitor

• The NSW DET uses data regarding injuries (including sporting

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Its drawbacks include:

• Sociocultural influences on an individual are not

• An epidemiological study does not identify the reasons

• Diseases that are not identified as national health

• An epidemiological study does not recognize factors

Complete the following -

2. Construct a table that includes your findings.

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Using the AIHW 2020 Report brief, complete the following:

1. Describe the population of Australia in terms of demographics and identify

2. Identify what percentage of Australians (up to 5 years of age) are fully

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Question 21a – Outline the measures of

Question 21b – Describe the limitations of

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Question 22 - Complete the table for THREE

Current leading Trend in mortality Trend in mortality rate for

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

Note that the question is asking for

Girraween High School – HSC PDHPE

• How much they contribute to the burden of illness in the community