National Health Priority Area: Cardiovascular Health

This report discusses the national health priority area of cardiovascular health in Australia, including priority consideration data, improvement of health by reduction of impacted factors, and a case study on super-sizing ambulances. The report highlights the major causes of cardiovascular diseases and the need to reduce risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and obesity.

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Table of Contents
Introduction:...............................................................................................................................................2
Priority consideration Data..........................................................................................................................3
Improvement of health by reduction of impacted factors..........................................................................5
Case Study: we super-sizing the ambulances..............................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................8
References...................................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction:
The establishment of (NHPA) national health priority area is done in response to the Global
strategy of the world health organization (Wells 2007). It is a collaborative activity of territory
and state government and common wealth, health experts, non-government organization and
consumers and clinicians.
Between 1996 and 2012, there were 9 NHPA that are agreed by an advisory council of The
Australian Health ministry.

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 Cancer control
 Cardiovascular health
 Injury prevention and control
 Mental health
 Diabetes mellitus
 Asthma
 Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions
 Obesity
 Dementia
This report will study the cardiovascular health as the national health priority area. The
cardiovascular health the national health priority area as CVD is the major cause of the
premature deaths as well as overall mortality in Australia (Wells 2007). The economic burden
and cost associated with the cardiovascular diseases are more than any other type of the disease.
The cardiovascular health can be improved by the reducing the coronary heart diseases and
reducing its impact on the human health. Cardiovascular diseases have a major impact on the
Australian population in illness burden term and cost burden on the economy (Wells 2007). All
over the world, the people are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases because of the prevalence
of the risk factors such as high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, increased cholesterol level,
obesity and little exercise.
Priority consideration Data
In 1994, there were 54,888 deaths due to cardiovascular diseases or 43.3% deaths in Australia
(Carmona 2006). The coronary heart disease was the major cause of these deaths in addition to

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this, the rate of cerebrovascular diseases such as stroke surplus 10.1% to all deaths. There was
also 2.3% deaths due to heart failure and 1.7% by the peripheral vascular disease. (Carmona
2006)
According to estimation, in 1991-92, there were 289500 hospital discharges that were followed
by the admission for the non-fatal cardiovascular disease episodes (Carmona 2006). From them,
36% cases are of coronary heart disease, 13% are because of stroke and 11% because of the heart
failure (Carmona 2006).
According to one another estimation, in 1991-1992, 14700 males and near about 4900 females
that have age between 25-69 years were suffering from the heart attacks and the non-fatal heart
attacks numbers in 1991-1992 was 2800 for females and 8500 are for the females. Roughly 76%
is the 1st heart attacks (Trupp 2005).
The data collected from the stroke study indicated that each year, in Australia, there was the
occurrence of 37000 strokes. In 1989-1990, the rate of the annual event of strokes was 190
males/100000 and 109 females/100000 (Trupp 2005). The cost of the cardiovascular disease for
the total health care was about 2.5 billion dollars that included 1.1 billion dollar for in-patient
costs, about 0.5 billion dollars for the costs of nursing home, about 0.4 billion dollars for the
medical services, about 0.4 billion for the pharmaceuticals and 35 million dollars for the health
professional services (Song, Wang and Wu 2015).
In Australia, significant health differentials exist in cardiovascular diseases, the death rate is
more in male as compared to females from the cardiovascular diseases. This statement is true for
the most of the age groups but, these differentials decrease as the age is increased (Song, Wang
and Wu 2015). The indigenous people are the population group that has higher death rate due to

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cardiovascular diseases as compared to the others. Higher socioeconomic people are less
vulnerable to the CVD diseases as compared to the lower socioeconomic status people. People
those are born in Australia are more prone to CVD than the people those are a resident of
Australia but born overseas (Song, Wang and Wu 2015).
Improvement of health by reduction of impacted factors
To improve the health of the people by overcoming the national health priority area of
cardiovascular diseases and deaths that are caused by these diseases, there should be
minimization of the causes of the cardiovascular disease death that are coronary heart diseases,
smoking, high cholesterol level, diet, high blood pressure, overweight and less physical activity
of the adults (Wurie and Cappuccio 2012).
In Australia, Coronary heart disease is the main cause of the mortality of the cardiovascular
disease. In 1994, about 30000 women and men were died due to the coronary heart disease.
However, from the last 1960, the death rate due to the coronary heart disease is declining (Wurie
and Cappuccio 2012) .
To meet the requirements set a target for 2000, for the coronary heart disease, death rates will
require decreasing by 5.8%/annum (Wurie and Cappuccio 2012). The target is seemed to be
achieved on the current trends. For the Aboriginal person and Torres Strait Islander person, the
leading cause is the coronary heart disease of deaths that is much higher than the death rates of
the Australian people.
In Australia, approximately, every third man and every fourth woman smoke regularly.
Although, in the recent years, there was a decline in the smoking rate among men and women in

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Australia, the target of reducing smokers about 20% by 2000, is less likely to be achieved (Wurie
and Cappuccio 2012).
Between the years, 1989-1995, there had been a minor reduction in the adult proportion that does
not participate in the physical activity regularly (Myers and Mendis 2014). But the reduction rate
should need to be much higher if there is the target of 25% adult with 18 years age and over is to
be achieved by 2000 (Myers and Mendis 2014).
In Australia, the people get 1/3 of their energy from the fat consumption. In recent years, there is
no alteration in this proportion, but there is need to do an alteration to reduce the 32% of energy
content from fat (Myers and Mendis 2014).
In 1989, 15% of the men and 15.4% women between the ages 20-69 years had the problem of the
blood cholesterol level higher than or equal to 6.5 mmol/L. The target is to reduce this level to
12% (Myers and Mendis 2014).
In 1994-1995, approximately every second men and every third woman were overweight and
there is a continuous increase in the population having the problem of overweight (Adhikari
2012). But there is a target to reduce the overweight population men to 40% and women to 40%
that is difficult to achieve (Adhikari 2012).
Case Study: we super-sizing the ambulances
The problem of obesity forced the ambulance in Victoria to purchase a modern heavy-duty
vehicle because airlines and schools are giving orders for the wider seats. Even our funeral
parlors are enlarging their crematoriums (Adhikari 2012). Victoria had expended about 1.4
million dollars on the new ambulances for the overweight patients that have a weight higher than

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159 kg. Victoria has also ordered 4 more vehicles of 350000 dollars that are Mercedes based on
custom-built those start servicing from the month of April. They will able to transport the
patients having weight up to three hundred fifty kilograms (Adhikari 2012). The group manager
of the ambulance Victoria said that these heavy duty vehicles are must now a day. For the sake
of the patient, hospital, these are necessary as, before three or five years, the ambulance is unable
to transport the patients safely. Obviously, the hospital has to keep these patients dignity, most of
them, not able to lie down as they feel breathless because of their overweight (Adhikari 2012).
Each of the customized ambulances has a 500 kg hydraulic lift, a stretcher that is able to carry up
about 450 kg weights, a wheelchair that has the capability of carrying about 295 kg weight
(Adhikari 2012).
Dr. John Tickell said that there are 80% of the obese people are those can manage their weight
but they are not cautioned about the health problems that are related to the overweight (Chum
and O′Campo 2013). Five years before, the Alfred hospital provided the treatment to the 15
patients only with the overweight problem but now it has catered with the reinforced bed for 50
patients, CT scanners, and toilets, as well as to visit the house-bounding patients, they have a
bariatric team.
In the year, 1989, 13% men and 6% women had the problem of the high blood pressure. There is
a target for the achievement of reduction of this problem 8% in men and 5% in women, but till
2000, there was no progress on this target (Chum and O′Campo 2013).
Although in Australia and in the whole universe, there is an encouragement for the declination
of the death rates due to the coronary heart diseases and cardiovascular diseases, NHPA targets

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for the recent years is not able to achieve if the recent trends will not be reduced according to the
targets (Chum and O′Campo 2013).
The cardiovascular diseases death rate increases as the person being obese. In recent years,
obesity is the major cause of the cardiovascular diseases because it increases the chances of
CVD. There is a case study that explained that there is continuously increase in the number of
overweight persons.
Conclusion
From the above discussion of national priority on the cardiovascular health, it is cleared that the
CVD is the major cause of the deaths in Australia and they cause major economic burden and
cost on the country. There are numerous data that shows its priority as national health priority
area. The major cause for the CVD are the coronary heart diseases, smoking, high blood
pressure, high cholesterol level, the lesser physical activity of the adults (Pilgrim, Dorward and
Drummer 2016). The prevalence of CVD is more in men as compared to women between 18- 69
ages. So, for the management of the CVD, above factors should be maintained that supports the
improvement of the cardiovascular health.

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References
Adhikari, Tara Ballav. 2012. "Adolescent Health; A Must Priority". Health Prospect 10 (0).
doi:10.3126/hprospect.v10i0.5668.
Carmona, Richard H. 2006. "Health Literacy: A National Priority". Journal Of General Internal
Medicine 21 (8): 803-803. doi:10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00569.x.
Chum, Antony, and Patricia O′Campo. 2013. "Contextual Determinants Of Cardiovascular
Diseases: Overcoming The Residential Trap By Accounting For Non-Residential Context
And Duration Of Exposure". Health & Place 24: 73-79.
doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2013.07.007.
Myers, Laura, and Shanthi Mendis. 2014. "Cardiovascular Disease Research Output In WHO
Priority Areas Between 2002 And 2011". Journal Of Epidemiology And Global Health 4
(1): 23-28. doi:10.1016/j.jegh.2013.09.007.
Pilgrim, Jennifer L., Rhyse Dorward, and Olaf H. Drummer. 2016. "Drug-Caused Deaths In
Australian Medical Practitioners And Health-Care Professionals". Addiction 112 (3): 486-
493. doi:10.1111/add.13619.
Song, Wei, Hao Wang, and Qingyu Wu. 2015. "Atrial Natriuretic Peptide In Cardiovascular
Biology And Disease (NPPA)". Gene 569 (1): 1-6. doi:10.1016/j.gene.2015.06.029.
Trupp, Robin. 2005. "It's Time To Make Women's Cardiovascular Health A Priority". The
Journal Of Cardiovascular Nursing 20 (6): 373. doi:10.1097/00005082-200511000-00002.

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Wells, John. 2007. "The Public And Professional Interface With Priority Setting In The National
Health Service". Health & Social Care In The Community 4 (5): 255-263.
doi:10.1111/j.1365-2524.1996.tb00071.x.
Wurie, Haja R., and Francesco P. Cappuccio. 2012. "Cardiovascular Disease In Low- And
Middle-Income Countries: An Urgent Priority". Ethnicity & Health 17 (6): 543-550.
doi:10.1080/13557858.2012.778642.