Healthcare Policy: Difference In The Mortality Of Indians & Canadians (Essay Sample)

Healthcare Policy Student’s Name: Course: Tutor: Institutional Affiliation Date: Healthcare policy Q1). How does the mortality experience of Indians differ from that of the general population in Canada? The Indigenous people of Canada face significant health problems at higher rates compared to the non-indigenous populace. Some of these health problems include high child and infant mortality, higher maternal morbidity and mortality, shorter life expectancy, homicidal and suicidal thoughts, a higher burden of infectious diseases, lifestyle diseases, drug addiction and environmental diseases (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, 2013). The crude mortality rate of the Indians in 2003-2007 was 4.8 per 1,000 while the crude mortality rate for the general Canadian population was 7.0 per 1,000. The age-standardized mortality rate for the Indians during 2003-2007 was about two times more than the rate of the other Canadian populace (uOttawa, 2017). According to a 2012 survey, more than one among five Indians had suicidal thoughts and the risk increased among the Indians aged above 65 years, males having a higher risk than females (uOttawa, 2017). The disparity in the mortality rates of Indians compared to the general Canadian population is directly or indirectly related to or associated with economic, social, political and cultural inequalities which result to a disproportionate burden of disease among the Indians (National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health, 2013). The socioeconomic health determinants such as income, gender, education, housing, as well as the historical and current experiences of colonization and the residential schools have negatively affected the health of the Indians (uOttawa, 2017). Q2). Give two examples each of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention activities. Explain the differences between each level of prevention. Prevention involves the implementation of an intervention to alter the occurrence of the natural history of the disease and undesirable health-related events. The interventions occur at three levels namely primary, secondary and tertiary. Primary prevention is concerned with the preventive measures for the onset of diseases or injury with the aim of reducing the incidence of disease. This is usually done by applying intervention on exposures to hazards associated with injury or disease before there is any evidence of the illnesses or injuries. Examples of primary prevention activities include immunization against infectious disease, changing unhealthy behaviors such as diet and smoking, education about health habits, and legislation to control hazardous products (Robert, H. F., 2018). Secondary prevention involves the preventive measures that result in the early detection and diagnosis of diseases or injury and the prompt treatment to halt, slow or reverse its progression. Examples include regular examination and screening tests to detect illnesses as early as possible. Another example is the education of people about the early signs of diseases and what treatment to seek once the signs have been detected (Robert, H. F., 2018). Tertiary prevention is concerned with the interventions intended to rehabilitate the progress of an ongoing disease or injury and to control its negative consequences. This may involve reducing disability caused by a disease, minimizing suffering from a disease, and promoting adjustment to non-reversible conditions. Examples of tertiary prevention activities include chronic disease rehabilitation programs, support groups for those affected by diseases, and educating people to manage long-term health conditions or injuries (Robert, H. F., 2018). Q3) Discuss three situations in which the opportunity to be healthy depends in part on conditions that are beyond the individual’s power to provide for and control. While many determinants of health can be controlled, there are some situations where remaining healthy depends on conditions that are beyond individuals control. Most of these situations are dependent on biological and genetic factors such as genetic predisposition, family history of the disease, sex/gender, and age (HealthyPeople.gov, 2018). If an individual inherits faulty genes, his body may not undertake some important chemical reactions. For instance, inheriting mutated genes associated with blood clotting exposes an individual to a greater risk of the bleeding disorder. The sickle cell disease is one of the genetic determinants of health that is beyond an individual’s control. The condition is most common to people with an ancestry from Mediterranean countries, Caribbean islands, Central American Countries, Saudi Arabia and West African Countries. More often, an individual who inherits faulty genes from one or both parents is at higher risk of developing diseases. However, having mutated genes does not necessarily mean that an individual will get the associated disease since there are various factors that may increase or lower the risk of diseases. It is impossible to change ones’ genetic predisposition, but one can change the behaviors that affect their health (HealthyPeople.gov, 2018). Age is another determinant of health that is beyond an individual’s control. Older adults have a greater risk of diseases compared to the young adults and adolescents due to the cognitive and physical changes associated with the aging. Sex and gender are also biological determinants of health that are beyond an individual control. The biological differences between males and females expose them to different health risks. For instance, the hormonal differences and ability to bear children predisposes women to numerous reproductive health problems (HealthyPeople.gov, 2018). Q4) Briefly describe the seven essential steps in the development of a preventive program. Apply these steps to a brief description of a public health program that is not related to HIV infection. The preventive program should be clearly planned an implemented through a series of stages. The seven essential stages of developing an effective prevention program include the following; “Assessing community readiness, conducting a needs assessment, translating needs indicator data into risk and protective factors, conducting resource assessment, identification of target prevention efforts, selecting scientifically-defensible practices to implement and finally conduct an evaluation” (Wilson, R., Kolander, C., 2011, pg 116). These steps can be applied in developing a drug abuse prevention program as follows; Step 1: Assessing Community’s readiness for prevention This involves the assessment of the extent of community’s preparedness in supporting and implementing the drug abuse prevention program. In addition, readiness assessment also focuses on the community’s tolerance to drug abuse behaviors, the recognition of the behavior as a problem, the acknowledgment that action needs to be taken, and availability of enough information to justify intervention. Step 2: Assessing the community’s greatest needs for prevention This involves examining the current condition of substance abuse and identifying the risk levels and protection within the community. This is important in determining the demographic and geographical risk distribution, allocation of resources and identification of implementation strategies. Needs assessment requires data collection, data analysis and prioritization of risk factors. Step 3: Translating indicator data in risks and protective factors This involves the identification of the risk and protective factors from the collected data and prioritizing the most prevalent risks and lacking protective factors that need to be addressed within the community. This helps in identifying the risk and protective factors related to drug abuse that should be tackled first. Step 4: Resource assessment This involves assessing the available resources in the community that can be activated to reduce the risk of drug abuse among individuals. Step 5: Targeting prevention efforts This involves the identification of the target population whether universal indicated or selective where the drug abuse problem needs to be addressed. This helps in providing information about target age groups, genders, the culture of the target group and their developmental stage. Step 6: Selecting scientifically-defensible best practices to implement The best practices involve the activities, approaches or strategies that are proven through scientific research experiments and trials as effective practices of preventing drug abuse. Step 7: Evaluating the prevention program This involves the conducting an evaluation planning, analysis, implementation and the use of findings for future substance abuse prevention programs. Q5) a. Calculate the attack rate for the residence based on preliminary data collected in the infirmary. The attack rate is the number of new cases within the population divided by the number of people at risk of developing the disease. Therefore; 47/411 * 100 = 11.43% b. Among the students returning the questionnaire, what proportion developed gastroenteritis? The proportion compares part of a whole which in these case is the number of students who developed gastroenteritis compared to the number of the students returning the questionnaire Therefore; 110/304 * 100 = 36.18% c. Calculate the ratio of attack rates as determined by the questionnaire and the information from the nursing station. Attack rate from questionnaire 110/411 * 100 = 26.76% d. What might explain the apparent difference? The apparent difference between the attack rate from the preliminary data and from the questionnaire can be attributed to several reasons. The questionnaires were provided sometime after the preliminary data allowing more incubation period for the pathogens to cause illness. The incubation period for different individuals may var...