Health Research Priority Setting Report

Running head: HEALTH RESEARCH PRIORITY SETTING REPORT 1
Health Research Priority Setting Report
Name

HEALTH RESEARCH PRIORITY SETTING REPORT 2
Introduction
The chief goal of priority setting is to seek out an element of consensus on key areas where
increased research effort inclusive of aspects such as coordination, collaboration and
investment will as result have wide ranging benefits to society. The priority-driven research
has an evident clearly defined purpose, with a significant emphasis placed on the aspect of
answering questions of crucial importance that are highly likely to possess a significant
impact on what we know or practice in the short to the medium term.
Data Comparison
The data extracted from the priority setting exercise includes: the aim of the priority setting
process itself; the scope of the process with regard to the specific terms of the exercise, the
entire method and criteria that was employed to generate priorities and the methods and
criteria that was administered to rank priorities. Furthermore, the stakeholders included in the
priority setting process and the success of the model in relation to meeting the desired stated
objectives were also analyzed (Victorian Department of Health, 2012).
When it comes to Age and Gender about 5.9% of the women who possessed an income of
below $40,000 were stated to be underweight in sharp contrast with only 2% of the men who
were subjected under similar conditions. Furthermore, the women had also been employed
and well educated, and it was established that they were significantly less obese and had a
larger percentage with a normal BMI than the men with similar conditions. It was further
stated in the study that more males, generally speaking, were found to be obese. The men
who did not complete high school or were unemployed were found to be more prone to this
condition. They were likely to undertake physical activity as compared to all Victorian men
(Victorian Department of Health, 2012).

HEALTH RESEARCH PRIORITY SETTING REPORT 3
It was also established from the data that there were more women than men who reported
high or very high degrees of psychological distress. This occurred mostly between the ages of
65-74 in females and 55-64 in males. Additionally, the men who ended up reporting that they
had experienced depression either did not consume alcohol, or had been diagnosed with
hypertension, or had two or more chronic diseases. On the other side of the coin, the women
who were currently smoking and had two or more chronic diseases were established to be
much more likely to give a poor self-reported health status and had become more depressed.
When it comes to the prevalence of diseases such as hypertension it was found that men were
more prone to be attacked by the disease than women. Type 2 diabetes which is one of the
most dangerous and chronic diseases in the world today, and is also associated with careless
weight gain and obesity, was found to be influenced by heredity factors. It occurs in
individuals over the age of 50 (Victorian Department of Health, 2012).
The type 1 diabetes has been found to occur from the body which does not produce insulin
and hence it is contracted by people under the youthful age of 30 years (Victorian
Department of health, 2012). It has now been called the juvenile onset diabetes and there
does not exist a current cure for it despite numerous research in the field.
Crownlands is a small agricultural community which is located on the Wimmera River and is
located just in the region of about 24 kilometers northeast of Ararat, in the state of Victoria,
Australia which in all its simplicity consists of a small village with large farms with houses.
Based on the information in the chart, Subzone 01 of Crownlands, it can be seen that the
lowest population of people in this area are aged 18 years of age and over with diabetes and
highest population being located in the subzone 14 of Crownlands.
The inherent prevalence of cancer can be noted to be age related, with more frequent cases
being established above the age of 65 years for men. Osteoporosis on the other hand had a

HEALTH RESEARCH PRIORITY SETTING REPORT 4
higher incidence rate in the women than in the men and was later observed that it occurred
more in females who were aged above 55 years and males who were above the age of 65
years. High blood pressure was also proven to be age related with a huge chunk of the cases
occurring on individuals who are above the age of 55 and also had higher reported cases in
men
It was also important to note that a considerable percentage of the elderly aged between the
ages of 65-74 years of age ended up rating their lives as being of a satisfactory nature.
However, it is important to note that men with high stress levels, obese or even underweight
had more than two chronic diseases and unemployed women who partook in the study and
did not’ complete their high school education and had a lesser than $40,000 household
income reported their health as being in a terrible state. Adults who were aged between 18-34
years mostly reported their health as being good and excellent. Women reported their health
as good and excellent more times than men.
Regarding the pertinent aspect of socioeconomic inequalities it can clearly be seen that adults
with a total annual income of less than 40,000 dollars had a higher incidence of obesity. It is
also important to note that this same demographic does not possess with them the
recommended amounts of consumption of fruits and vegetables, and have been covered by
less or no hours of physical exercise. This was also the case for people who were not in the
job circulation, while they were employed had a significantly larger percentage of the pre-
obesity cases. A significantly large percentage of women, it was established, who had
obtained education credentials up to the tertiary levels had a normal body mass index (BMI
and this resulted in this demographic also having the lowest percentage of obese people. This
trend can also be seen with the women who possess a household income exceeding 100,000
dollars (Victorian Department of Health, 2012). It is very important to note that people with
lower incomes and education levels or not in a labor force were far more likely to be