PUB 655 Grand Canyon University Health and Disease Measures Discussion

WRITE A response EITHER AGREEING/ DISAGREEING FOR FUTHER ELABORATING ON THE SUBJECT POSTED BY CLASSMATE.

PLEASE:

– minimum of 150 words or more

– strong academic writing / APA style 7th ed (please use in-text citing and References WITH HYPERLINK to article at end )

– must be scholarly articles only no older than 5 years or website that is gov/ org. no blogs

– please be original writing ( will check for plagiarism ).

PLEASE, SEE BELOW CLASSMATE DISCUSSION ANSWER AND WRITE A response EITHER AGREEING/ DISAGREEING FOR FUTHER ELABORATING ON THE SUBJECT POSTED BY CLASSMATE. (p2 #2 jk)

The Global Disease Burden study was an important study that first identified socio-demographic index (SDI) as a way of comparing different countries (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation [IHME], 2020). Two countries with vastly different SDI levels are Australia and Somalia. Looking at the data presented for these two countries, it is easy to see the differences in primary causes for disability-adjust life years (DALYs). As a country with a higher SDI, Australia’s top causes for DALYs are mostly due to non-communicable conditions, and conditions related to lifestyle factors (IHME, 2021). Their top three causes are cancer, heart disease, and musculoskeletal conditions (IHME, 2021). It was interesting to note that not one condition in the top ten causes for DALYs in this country was due to communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional deficiencies (IHME, 2021). Somalia, on the other hand, was just about the complete opposite. With a lower SDI, most of the primary causes for DALYs in Somalia are a result of communicable, maternal, neonatal, and nutritional deficiencies (IHME, 2021). The top causes are neonatal disorders, lower respiratory infections, and diarrheal diseases (IHME, 2021). In fact, six of the top eleven causes are from communicable diseases (IHME, 2021). These results show that Somalia’s DALYs are affected by more environmental and biological conditions, than from lifestyle choices. It was interesting to see how clearly the difference was when comparing the two side by side.

There could be many reasons for these differences, but three of them include healthcare quality and access, sanitation, and war. Healthcare quality and access is much better in Australia than Somalia. Australians are lucky to have coverage for healthcare provided through their Medicare or through private companies (Australian Dept of Health, 2019). This healthcare coverage allows access to primary care doctors and specialists at rates that are affordable, allowing Australians to live longer, healthier lives (Australian Dept of Health, 2019). Somalia’s healthcare has been sparse with low participation rates (WHO, 2015). Measles vaccination is low at 46%, and there is not enough workers to help care for the sick (WHO, 2015). These issues make it hard for the country to be healthy.

Another possible reason for the differences in DALY causes is the sanitation of each country. Australia’s budget for water and sanitation is about $140 million (Australian Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade [DFAT], 2021). This country places importance on clean water and hygiene, especially with COVID-19 (DFAT, 2021). Australia partners with WHO and UNICEF to provide clean water, as well as the Water for Women Fund (DFAT, 2021). In Somalia, clean water is not available to all, there is not enough bathrooms for everyone, and soap and water for handwashing is not commonplace (UNICEF, 2021). These issues can lead to increased illnesses and unsafe drinking water.

A final reason for the difference in DALY causes is war. Australia has been mostly a peaceful nation for many years (Australian War Memorial, 2021). When war is not occurring, there is no to little damage to infrastructure and transportation, allowing Australians to live free lives and supporting their fellow society members in being healthy. Somalia has been rife with civil war for years, and this has weakened their resolve to get better. Humanitarian efforts have helped, but the country is still attempting to move onward for the good of its people (Ahmed, et al., 2020).

Using the DALY to measure health has made this a standardized way of comparing countries. The DALY is a description of how many years have been lost due to diseases or conditions, and helps to quantify what one’s current health is compared to where it could be (Adhikari, 2017). The DALY makes it easy to compare different areas quickly, and also helps countries to know where to focus for health improvements (Adhikari, 2017). The categories of communicable disease, non-communicable disease, and injury can help to identify where the biggest areas of concern with morbidity and mortality for a country so their health efforts can be focused on those. These three broad categories capture the general reasons for DALYs, and individuals can know whether to focus on lifestyle changes, environmental changes, or other changes to prevent injury, such as increasing mental health services.

References

Adhikari, S. (2017). DALY (Disability Life Adjusted Years). Retrieved from https://www.publichealthnotes.com/daly-disability-adjusted-life-years/

Ahmed, Z., Ataullahjan, A., Gaffey, M. F., Osman, M., Umutoni, C., Bhutta, Z. A., & Dalmar, A. A. (2020). Understanding the factors affecting the humanitarian health and nutrition response for women and children in Somalia since 2000: A case study. Conflict and Health, 14(35), 1-15. Doi: 10.1186/s13031-019-0241-x

Australian Dept of Health. (2019). The Australian health system. Retrieved from https://www.health.gov.au/about-us/the-australian-health-system

Australian Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade. (2021).

Australian War Memorial. (2012). Australian military history and overview. Retreved www.awm.gov.au/articles/atwar

Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). (2020). Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Retrieved from www.data.org/taxonomy/glossary / socio-demographic-index-sdi

IHME. (2021). Global health data compare. Retrieved from https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/

UNICEF. (2021). Somalia: Water, sanitation, and hygiene assessment (February 2021). Retrieved from https://reliefweb.int/report/somalia,somalia-water-sanitation-and-hygiene-assessment-february-2021