Social Determinants of Health: Asthma Among Old People in Ballarat

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Health Determinants

Contrary to common belief upheld by many people that health status is only determined by feeding habits, social determinants contribute largely to the same in any given place. These determinants include socio-economic, political forces, education, environmental factors, and social support networks among others. At face value, feeding habits may appear primarily to contribute to health status, but the primary factors determining health status are these social determinants aforementioned above. These factors dictate the feeding patterns hence the health status.

Ballarat Versus Melbourne

Ballarat is a town in Victoria and forms the largest inland city of the Victoria State. According to Australian Bureau of statistics (2007), this city has an urban population of 88,437 people. This is an ancient city with little development and its economic mainstay is tourism backed up with small-scale food and textile industries among others. On the other hand, Melbourne is the capital city of the State of Victoria with a population of 4 million people, making it the second most populated city in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007). With improved infrastructure, financial systems and good living standards, this city stands out in Australia.

Compared to Melbourne, Ballarat score below par in all sectors, that is, economically socially and politically. Consequently, living conditions and health status of Ballarat do not match those of Melbourne. The only sector Ballarat would compare to Melbourne is in tourism industry. However, according to a media release from ministry of tourism (2004), Melbourne received 1.88 million international visitors and 7.6 million domestic visitors, a number that surpasses Ballarat’s figures by a great margin.

Current Health Outcomes Experienced by Old People 65+ in Ballarat

The current health outcomes experienced by people over 65 years in Ballarat are appalling. According to Page, Ambrose, Leah and Glover (2007), in 2005 Ballarat recorded relatively high levels of asthma cases compared to Australia as whole (p 7).

This raises many questions why such a high prevalence rates exist in this particular place. According to a discussion paper for the 2009 Ballarat community summit (2009), the people above 65 years old are at risk of developing health complications. This resulted from disadvantaged economic state of inhabitants of this town. Ballarat’s salary and wage earners averaged $37,411 compared to that of the State of Victoria, which hit $42,603 in 2005. The report indicated that 37% of households in this ancient town survived on less than $650 per week while the Victorian average was only 30.6% (Discussion Paper for the 2009 Ballarat Community Summit, ¶ 15).

This clearly shows the how this town is economically disadvantaged and alienated. Consequently, the people living in this place withstand the worst of this backdrop and live with the consequences thereof. The authorities need to ask some crucial questions here, and take a firm step in scaling down these economic disparities. Has the government or the local authorities developed strategies that addresses the employment needs of the rising population effectively? From this question, the authorities will formulate and implement long-term strategies that deal with this issue perfectly.

Effects of Socio-economic Status in Accessing Health Care

Poor economic status implies that people cannot access better health facilities thus reducing lifespan drastically. This economic backdrop coupled with unemployment, which reached 8.9%, compared to 5.3% of Victoria, further presents Ballarat with recovery impasse that calls for national attention. The socio-economic factors contribute largely to the well-being and health status of the subjects. Across Australia, unlawful discrimination against aged workers continues to bite.

Perception of Society on Aged Employees

According to a report by Australian Human Rights Commission (2009), mature age workers (54-64 years) encounter massive barriers to employment due to their age. This group of people is prone to sicknesses like asthma, yet they cannot access the resources to fight off the ailments. This trend is likely to boil down to workers aged above 45 years in very recent future.

According to this human rights watchdog, this poses a great threat to economic development. By 2056, the proportion of people aged over 65 years will overtake those aged below 15 years in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). This is a great challenge to the future of economic status of Australia. What is the government doing about this? Review of labor laws is inevitable if the government is to deal with these challenges effectively. The human rights watchdog has to become proactive and step up campaigns to sensitize the public on the dangers of discriminating aged workforce. With figures indicating that the proportion of people over 65 years will overtake those under 15 years, the government has to review its strategic plans.

Population Projections by 2021

In Ballarat, more than 15% of the population is over 65 years old, the projections are that by 2021; quarter of the population will be above this age (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2008). Ageing population requires improved health services to cater for the rising needs among these people. This is a challenge to Ballarat because the available health institutions do not match the rising needs. Other determinants of health include environmental factor, education and housing.

Life Expectancy

Life expectancy in Ballarat for males stands at 76.9 years, which fairs poorly with that of Victoria of 84.3 (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2007). This indicates that there is a serious problem affecting environmental factors in this region. Environment affects life expectancy largely in the long term. Polluted environment means that people fall sick often from the microbes suspended in the polluted surroundings. Even though there is a projected plan to construct 15,000 dwellings by the year 2030, the current housing patterns contribute a lot to prevalence of asthma in Ballarat. Asthma thrives well in congested environments, explaining in part the reason why this region recorded higher figures on asthma prevalence in Australia. The proposed construction of extra households by 2030 is in time and if implemented, will ease congestion in this city.

Asthma Versus Smoking

Reported asthma cases indicated that the victims were smokers. Education contributes immensely to elimination of some ailments like asthma. In Ballarat, education advancement is low in relation to Victoria. This also implies that many people did not get sufficient information on dangers of smoking. Improved education systems will alleviate illiteracy and in turn inform public on the dangers of practices like smoking.

Administration in Ballarat

Politically, Ballarat is isolated from other cities that make up the State of Victoria. This ancient town lies in the hands of municipal councils who run it. As a result, development of social amenities like hospitals and dispensaries take long before establishment. By the government stepping in and providing these crucial services, the health status will improve drastically and this will encompass reduction of asthma prevalence in this region.

Prevalent Challenges

Victorian Government Health information (2009) concur that hospitals face the challenge of increasing demands from the public especially from the aged. This prompted hosting a seminar to debate on how to improve hospital conditions and structures and still maintain consumer perspective in the process. In the seminar, reports indicated people aged above 65 years frequented hospitals and spend more time in them than young people spend. This calls for implementation of strategies, which will allow establishment of clinics for the aged. A recent policy paper from Victorian government gives an outline of a ‘person-centered’ approach will improve care for the aged.

Resilience Among Asthmatic Old People

Sources of resilience among asthmatic aged people come from family support, religious bodies, socialization and emotional control. Maintaining a strong positive attitude and meeting people of the same caliber alleviates most ailments. According to an APA taskforce set to address resilience in different age groups, emotional, social and cognitive development is important in dealing with societal problems including sickness.

The Way Forward

The current asthma situation among people aged above 65 years in Ballarat is alarming. This is because the reported cases surpassed those in Victoria and any other part in Australia. This results from several social determinants that score poor in this region. The main determinant is economic backdrop that muzzles efforts to improve the state of health among the aged. There is discrimination of aged people seeking employment thus reducing their purchasing power even for drugs. However, the Victorian government is implementing crucial reforms in housing and health sectors to improve health status of individuals.

Ballarat is far from matching with Melbourne, economically, politically, socially and all other forms of societal well-being. Nevertheless, with time, the economy will pick up with the increasing population, which presents sustained workforce. With strategic planning and resource management, Ballarat can achieve its long-term goals. This is realistic if immediate implementation of crucial process takes place now.

For more Information

To learn more about health determinants and their effect on asthmatic old people (65+) in Ballarat, visit [Insert Name of College Health Service, Campus Location, and Telephone Number and Website].

Reference List

Australian Bureau of Statistics (2008). Population Size and Growth. Web.

Victorian Government Health information. (2009). Improving Care for Older People. Web.

Australian Human Rights Commission. (2009). Experience Works Report Highlights Our Hidden Age Discrimination Problem. Web.

Science News. (2009). APA Task Force Calls For Reframing Research to Address Resilience among Black Youth. Web.

Discussion Paper for the 2009 Ballarat Community Summit. (2009). People and Communities. Web.

Page A. Ambrose L. Leah C. and Glover J. (2007). Population Health Profile of the Ballarat and District Division of General Practice: Supplement. (p 7). Web.

Ministry of Tourism. (2004). Melbourne Surpasses Tourism Expectations. Web.

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