Principles and Practice of Public Health Assignment
Added on 2020-03-16
17 Pages4649 Words31 Views
Disease and DisordersNutrition and WellnessHealthcare and ResearchLanguages and Culture
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Running head: PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL PRACTICEMinisterial Briefing Paper (For a decision)Name of the StudentName of the UniversityAuthor Note
1PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL PRACTICESubjectPrinciples and Practice of Public HealthExecutive summaryVitamins are essential nutrients required by our body for optimal functioning. Reportsfrom theNational Health Survey found that adequate amount of nutrients are not being utilizedby Australians from the food they consume. According to reports released by the AustralianBureau of Statistics (ABS),the Australian Dietary Guidelines for daily fruit intake were met by49.8% adults and that for vegetables by 7%. 4 million adults were found to be deficientinVitamin Din Australia, in 2011-12. Most of them suffered from mild to moderatedeficiencies. Moreover, recent cases of Scurvy have also been reported. The aim of this paper isto evaluate the prevalence of several vitamin deficiencies among Australians and the effects ofdietary habits and migration patterns that increase the vulnerability. It will further discuss on theseveral policies that are being implemented to reduce the recent resurgence of these conditionsand will establish certain recommendations for the same. BackgroundThere is a high prevalence of Vitamin C and D deficiencies among Australians. Theprincipal source of vitamin D, for most people, is exposure of the skin sunlight. Minimalerythemal dose (MED) is referred to as the amount of exposure to Ultra Violet radiation thatleads to faint redness of the skin, condition commonly called erythema (Heckman et al., 2013) .At lower UVB radiation wavelengths, erythema production action spectrum is almost similar tothe spectrum related to production of vitamin D. Less amount of vitamin D is synthesised in
2PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL PRACTICEwinter. This particularly occurs at regions located at latitudes farther from the equator. This leadsto lack of exposure of the skin to sunlight and leads to deficiency in the production of Vitamin D.Short exposures to UV radiation have proved to be more efficient in producing vitamin D. Datafrom several studies suggest that adult people are more vulnerable to vitamin D deficiency owingto the less amount of (7-dehydrocholesterol substrate in their skin. Vitamin D deficiency inadults is also attributed to the lower rates of skin exposure to the sun. Elevated presence ofmelanin among dark skinned people helps in increasing the absorption of UV radiation. Thisleads to a reduction in the production of Vitamin D. Dark skinned people require 3-6 times moreskin exposure than others. This deficiency is also observed among migrants, people who areaffected with any chronic health condition like multiple sclerosis, those who avoid exposure tosun rays and are at a risk of skin cancer. Vitamin D deficiency is also prevalent among obesepeople and those who work in enclosed environment like factories, warehouse and offices. TheAustralian Bureau of Statistics has recommended certain levels of Vitamin D deficiencies in thepopulation. The cut-off levels are:Adequate levels: ≥50 nmol/LMild deficiencies: 30 – 49 nmol/LModerate deficiencies: 13– 29 nmol/LSevere deficiencies: <13 nmol/LTotal deficiencies: <50 nmol/L
3PRINCIPLES OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL PRACTICE23% adults reported a deficiency that consisted of 17% people with a mild deficiency and6% people with a moderate deficiency. Severe deficiency was found in less than 1% people. TheNational Health Survey provided evidence for the prevalence of 31% Vitamin D deficiencyamong people aged 18–34 years and 15% among those aged 65–74 years. Adults above 75 yearsof age showed a deficiency of 20% (Daly et al., 2012). On the other hand, the survey reportsdemonstrated relatively low deficiency levels among children in 2011–12. This deficiency wasobserved in around 15% children who were 12-17 years old. The deficiency rates were almostsimilar for both boys (15%) and girls (16%).The NATSIHMS (National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health MeasuresSurvey) measured the levels of Vitamin D by performing a blood test. The test analyzed theamount of vitamin D that a person obtained from the nutrients present in the food and throughexposure to sunlight. The survey utilized LCMS (Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry)method to assess the status of Vitamin D among the target population. The measurements werehighly specific and sensitive. On analysis, it was found that 1 out of 4 (26.5%) Aboriginal andTorres Strait Islanders demonstrated a <50 nmol/L Vitamin D deficiency. Majority of theseadults showed a mild deficiency (21.9%). Remaining 4.6% demonstrated a severe to moderatedeficiency. There were no differences observed in the pattern among men and women. When theage differences were taken into account it was found that, Vitamin D deficiency was less likelyto occur in non-indigenous adult population when compared to their Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander counterparts (rate ratio of 1.1). Furthermore, results from recent surveys also indicatethat the deficiency was more common in aboriginals who lived in remote locations during 2012–13 (Maple-Brown et al., 2014). The prevalence was found to be in 4 out of 10 people (38.7%)compared to 2 out of 10 people who lived in non-remote locations (23.0%).
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