1. Measuring Health Status
Chapter 1
Measuring Health Status

2. What’s Ahead: Defining health and health status
Defining the dimensions of health
Measurements of health status
The determinants of health

3. Defining Health: The World Health Organisation Defines Health as:
‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’
Health status is an individual’s or population’s overall level of health, taking into account factors such as life expectancy, amount of disability and levels of disease.

4. Dimensions of Health: Health is comprised of 3 dimensions:
Physical health
Social health
Mental health

5. Physical Health: Physical Health- Examples of Physical Health-
Efficient functioning of the body and its systems.
Examples of Physical Health-
Being a healthy weight for height
Being free from disease or illness
Having reliable body function
Physical fitness
Healthy blood pressure level
Healthy blood cholesterol level
Flexibility of muscles and joints

6. Social Health: Being able to interact effectively with others
Examples of Social Health-
Communicating effectively with others
Maintaining a network of friends
Accepting responsibility for actions
Obeying the laws and rules of society
Taking part in activities around you and interacting with others

7. Mental Health: Mental Health-
Able to realise ones own abilities and cope with normal stresses. Positive self esteem and self concept.
Examples of Mental Health-
Recognising and expressing feelings
Having coping mechanisms for stress
Supporting and helping family
Feeling good about oneself
Having the ability to function in society
Cope with the demands of everyday life

8. The Notion of ‘Dynamic Health’
An individual’s health is always changing throughout one’s lifetime.
Health cannot remain the same; we are bound to have periods of illness and stresses in life as we interact with the environment.
It is unlikely a person would maintain optimum physical, mental and social health throughout their entire life.

9. Optimum Health:
An optimum level of health is maintained through the three dimensions of health interacting and working together to achieve a sense of wellbeing.
This is not perfect physical, mental or social health but a balance of all three.

10. Interrelationships Between Dimensions:
The dimensions of health do not work independently, but together resulting in the health status of an individual or population.
The interrelationship between physical, social and mental health concerns interact and balance between maintaining:
- Good bodily structure and function
- Participation in community and social activities
- Effective emotional functioning
STOP! THINK FOR YOURSELF:
Develop your own example of health interrelationships.

11. Why is the health status of a population measured?
Analysis of health status and trends enables optimisation of the health of a population
Health status is measured so comparisons between populations can be made and trends can be measured to predict and prepare for health services in the future as well as present situations and requirements
Trends in the health of a population can help predict what services will be needed in the future
Locations for hospitals and other health services can be determined

12. Measurements of Health Status:
Life Expectancy-an approximation of the total number of years a person is expected to live from birth
Health Adjusted Life Expectancy-the number of years a person can expect to live in full health
Mortality- number of deaths caused by a particular disease, illness or other environmental factor
Under 5 Morality-estimates the number of newborn babies that will die before reaching their fifth birthday, based on current age specific mortality rates for each country
Morbidity-the rate at which a particular disease or illness occurs within a population

13. Measurements of Health Status:
Incidence- the number or rate of new cases of a particular condition during a specific time
Prevalence-the total number of people experiencing a particular condition at a specific time
Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY’s)- a measure of the years of healthy life lost due to premature death, illness and/or disability.
YLL + YLD = DALY’s
Years Life Lost (YLL)-years of healthy life lost due to death
Years of Life lost due to Disability (YLD)-years lost due to disability
Burden of Disease-The impact of a particular disease in relation to the amount of healthy life lost due to premature death, illness and/or disability.

14. Under 5 Mortality Rates:
Under-5 mortality rates are widely used indicators of a population’s health status because they are associated with:
Education
Economic development
Availability of health services
These are all useful indicators when estimating the overall health and wellbeing of a population.

15. Determinants of Health:
Biological
Behavioural
Social

16. Biological Determinants:
Factors of the body that impact on health
Examples could include; genetics, hormones, body weight, blood pressure, cholesterol levels and birth weight.

17. Behavioural Determinants:
Actions or patterns of living that impact on health
Examples could include; smoking, alcohol consumption, sexual activity, physical activity and eating habits.

18. Determinants of Health:
Aspects of the social environment and society that impact on health
Examples include poverty, early life experiences, social networks and support.

19. Pop Quiz
Define Health

20. Pop Quiz What is physical health?
What is an example of physical health?

21. Pop Quiz
What is social health?
What is an example of social health?

22. Pop Quiz
What is mental health?
What is an example of mental health?

23. Pop Quiz
Define incidence
Define prevalence

24. Pop Quiz
Define Health
‘a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

25. Pop Quiz What is physical health?
What is an example of physical health?
Physical Health-
Efficient functioning of the body and its systems.
Examples of Physical Health-
Being a healthy weight for height
Being free from disease or illness
Having reliable body function
Physical fitness
Healthy blood pressure level
Healthy blood cholesterol level
Flexibility of muscles and joints

26. Pop Quiz What is social health? What is an example of social health?
Being able to interact effectively with others
Examples of Social Health-
Communicating effectively with others
Maintaining a network of friends
Accepting responsibility for actions
Obeying the laws and rules of society
Taking part in activities around you and interacting with others

27. Pop Quiz What is mental health? What is an example of mental health?
Able to realise ones own abilities and cope with normal stresses. Positive self esteem and self concept.
Examples of Mental Health-
Recognising and expressing feelings
Having coping mechanisms for stress
Supporting and helping family
Feeling good about oneself
Having the ability to function in society
Cope with the demands of everyday life

28. Pop Quiz Define incidence Define prevalence
Incidence- the number or rate of new cases of a particular condition during a specific time
Prevalence-the total number of people experiencing a particular condition at a specific time