Community health nursing notes on the topic Burden of Disease
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BURDEN OF DISEASE
Burden of disease is the harmful effects of disease on the individual and community.
Example: the burden of disease (harmful effects) caused by HIV/AIDS on our communities
includes loss of income and poverty due to breadwinners becoming sick and dying of HIV/AIDS
measured by financial cost, mortality, morbidity, or other indicators.
WHY DO WE MEASURE BURDEN OF DISEASE?
To determine the need for various health services and associated costs and benefits. This is essential for the
planning and development of public health policies.
IMPORTANT CONCEPTS
1. Morbidity- the existence of any form of disease (the degree that the health condition affects the
patient)
2. Comorbidity- the simultaneous presence of two or more medical conditions in a person
3. Mortality- state of being mortal (destined to die) or the number of deaths in a certain group of people in
a certain period of time.
4.
QUADRUPLE BURDEN OF DISEASE
South Africa is experiencing a quadruple burden of disease (disease or ill health caused by four major factors):
Chronic diseases
HIV / AIDS
Violence and injury
Diseases related to poverty and under-development (e.g. diarrhea, malnutrition, TB)
HOW IS BURDEN OF DISEASE MEASURED?
We measure burden of disease and the health status of the population by using indicators:
1. Health Indicators Proposed by WHO
Political commitment to health for all e.g., what proportion of the GDP is spent on health?
The degree of equity of distribution of health resources e.g., in the apartheid era the majority of
the health budget was spent on the White minority
Community involvement in attaining health for all
2. Social and economic indicators related to health
Rate of population increase
Gross national product or gross domestic product
Income distribution
Work conditions
Adult literacy rate
Housing
Food availability
3. Indicator of the provision of health care
Coverage by primary health care
Coverage by referral system
4. Health status indicators
Nutritional status of children E.g., 12% of children under 5 years are underweight
Infant mortality rate- number of infants (i.e., babies aged from 0 to one years of age) who die
per 1000 live births
HEALTH INDICATORS
1. Under Five Mortality rate- number of children under 5 years who die per 1000 live births
2. Maternal Mortality rate
3. Life expectancy at birth
South Africa’s life expectancy = 50 years for men; 54 years for women
Notes by @silibazisomupereki
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