Heart Disease in Australia: Burden and Interventions Report

This report provides an overview of heart disease in Australia, focusing on its disproportionate impact on lower socioeconomic groups. It explores the burden of heart disease, highlighting the influence of social and environmental factors on individual health. The report discusses the socioeconomic determinants of health, such as income, education, and employment, and their correlation with increased heart disease risk. It recommends public health interventions, including education, training, and supply-side policies, to address unemployment and improve living conditions. Furthermore, the report emphasizes the roles of various sectors, such as education and local government, in promoting health and preventing heart disease. The conclusion summarizes the key findings, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to mitigate health disparities and improve the overall well-being of the Australian population. This report aims to offer a comprehensive understanding of the issue and propose actionable solutions.

Running head: HEART DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA
Heart Disease in Australia
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Burden of the heart disease........................................................................................................2
Social Determinants of the health..............................................................................................3
Public health intervention for addressing heart disease.............................................................3
Role of sectors in improving health conditions of people..........................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
The people belonging to the lower socio-economic strata in the society are prone to
the heart disease owing to various kinds of the behavioural risk factors. The social along with
the environmental factors also have a great influence on a person and it contributes to health
of an individual (Crosland et al., 2019). The people in Australia enjoy the good health
however the benefits are not shared by all the people in Australia. The people who come from
the socio-economic disadvantaged class within Australia have to suffer from the brunt of the
cardiovascular diseases, diabetes along with the kidney diseases. This report discusses about
burden of the health disease among the people of the lower classes within the framework of
Australia. This report talks about social determinants of the health that can help in explaining
the heart disease among the disadvantaged class. This report recommends the health
interventions that can prevent the heart disease in the country and the role that can be played
by the different sectors in curbing the heart disease taking place in the country.
Burden of the heart disease
The incidence of the heart disease have been found to be high among the people
belonging to the lower class in Australia on account of the influence of the social along with
the environmental factors. It was found that the males who were aged 25 and lived within the
framework of the low socio-economic class have the heart attack rate which is 1.55 times
when compared to the males who were living in the highest socio-economic areas. It was
found that the disparity was greater in the case of the females and it was 1.76 greater when
compared to the male segment of the population (Aihw.gov.au., 2020). The mortality rate of
the lower class people in Australia bears testimony to the dismal living conditions of the
people. It was found that the death on account of the heart disease for the males within the
framework of the low socio-economic areas have been found to be 1.52 times more high

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when compared to the men coming from the upper segment of the society. The disparity have
been found to be less in the case of the females however it is 1.33 times more high when
compared to the females belonging to the upper strata of the society (Theconversation.com.,
2020).
Social Determinants of the health
The socio-economic factors can be said to be a crucial determinant in relation to the
health and the well-being of the people within the boundaries of Australia. It have been found
that higher the income along with the education of a person the higher is the tendency among
the people of leading a healthier life. The low income level of the people in Australia make
them more vulnerable of losing their life due to heart disease before age of the 75. They do
not have the steady job that makes them less engaged in the activities of the community. The
underemployment taking place among the poor people in Australia makes them take recourse
to the tobacco consumption that deteriorates their health in the society (Teng et al., 2018).
They have been found to be employed on the short-term contracts and they do not have the
resources that can help them in fighting the heart diseases (González-Chica et al., 2016). The
people who are stricken with poverty are more likely of being obese as they have less chances
of doing the exercise. They involves themselves in smoking that deteriorates their health
within the framework of the Australian society. The obesity have been found to be 35 %
more prevalent among the power of the lower class and their activity is 22 % lower that have
a bad effect on their health in the society. The lack of the educational attainment of the poor
people within Australia makes them take recourse to the menial jobs which increases their
chances of the heart disease in the Australian society.

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Public health intervention for addressing heart disease
There are public health interventions that can be taken recourse to that can aid in the
prevention of the heart disease within the lower classes of the Australian society. The
education and the training can be provided to the people that can help in solving the
occupational immobility in the Australian society (Nichols et al., 2016). The supply side
policies can be undertaken that can prove to be instrumental in removing the issue of the
unemployment among the people. It can help them in learning the new skills that can help
them in finding the jobs within the framework of the developing industries (Vu.edu.au.,
2020). The firms can be provided with the subsidies that can help them in taking on the
people who have been unemployed for a long span of time. They can get the confidence with
the help of their job training which can strengthen their position in the society. It can help the
people of the lower socio-economic class in getting the adequate livelihood that can remove
the misery from the lives of these people (Hoare et al., 2017). The government can take an
active role which can make the unemployed people accept the job. It can help them in
bringing about the reduction of the tobacco consumption that can help them in leading a more
active life. It can make them physically active that can reduce their chances of becoming
obese or falling prey to the heart diseases.
Role of sectors in improving health conditions of people
There are various sectors that can be involved that can help in addressing the problem
of the heart disease in society. The inequalities pertaining to the educational opportunities
along with the experiences takes place owing to socially segregated schools in the society
(Nicolae et al., 2019). The intensive support should be provided to the students who are
falling behind that can help in taking care of the fact that the children from the disadvantaged
class get access to the proper education. The government can take recourse to the needs-
based funding that can improve the prospect of the children coming from the lower order of

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the society. The schools can be made socially segregated that can raise the achievement level
of the students (Wyber et al., 2017). It can help in the creation of the conditions which can
facilitate the learning that can bring down the rate of the heart disease from Australia. The
local government of Australia can provide the support to the local councils that can aid in the
promotion of the walking within Australia (Alston, Nichols & Allender, 2019). It can prove
to be helpful in preventing the heart disease and raise the quality of life of the people.
Conclusion
Mortality rate among the people of the lower socio-economic class point out to the
bad conditions of living of these people. The male coming from the lower level of the society
have 1.52 times greater chances of dying as compared to the people from upper hierarchical
level of the society. The people of the lower classes have more chances of losing their life
before they attain the age of 75. The lower class people do not possess steady jobs that makes
them vulnerable to the heart disease in Australia. Their engagement level have been found to
be low that have a detrimental effect on their health. Education along with the training should
be provided to people which can help in solving occupational immobility within Australia.

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References
Aihw.gov.au. (2020). Indicators of socioeconomic inequalities in cardiovascular disease,
diabetes and chronic kidney disease, Summary - Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare. Retrieved 11 March 2020, from https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/chronic-
disease/indicators-of-socioeconomic-inequalities-in-cardio/contents/summary
Alston, L., Nichols, M., & Allender, S. (2019). Policy makers’ perceptions of the high burden
of heart disease in rural Australia: Implications for the implementation of evidence-
based rural health policy. PloS one, 14(4).
Crosland, P., Ananthapavan, J., Davison, J., Lambert, M., & Carter, R. (2019). The health
burden of preventable disease in Australia: A systematic review. Australian and New
Zealand journal of public health, 43(2), 163-170.
González-Chica, D. A., Mnisi, Z., Avery, J., Duszynski, K., Doust, J., Tideman, P., ... &
Stocks, N. (2016). Effect of health literacy on quality of life amongst patients with
ischaemic heart disease in Australian general practice. PloS one, 11(3).
Hoare, E., Stavreski, B., Kingwell, B. A., & Jennings, G. L. (2017). Australian adults'
behaviours, knowledge and perceptions of risk factors for heart disease: A cross-
sectional study. Preventive medicine reports, 8, 204-209.
Nichols, M., Peterson, K., Herbert, J., Alston, L., & Allender, S. (2016). Australian heart
disease statistics 2015. Melbourne: National Heart Foundation of Australia.
Nicolae, M., Gentles, T., Strange, G., Tanous, D., Disney, P., Bullock, A., ... & Hornung, T.
(2019). Adult congenital heart disease in Australia and New Zealand: a call for
optimal care. Heart, Lung and Circulation, 28(4), 521-529.

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Teng, T. H. K., Katzenellenbogen, J. M., Geelhoed, E., Gunnell, A. S., Knuiman, M.,
Sanfilippo, F. M., ... & Thompson, S. C. (2018). Patterns of Medicare-funded primary
health and specialist consultations in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians in
the two years before hospitalisation for ischaemic heart disease. International journal
for equity in health, 17(1), 111.
Theconversation.com. (2020). Chance of heart attack is more than double for those with no
educational qualifications. Retrieved 11 March 2020, from
https://theconversation.com/chance-of-heart-attack-is-more-than-double-for-those-
with-no-educational-qualifications-70336
Vu.edu.au. (2020). Retrieved 11 March 2020, from
https://www.vu.edu.au/sites/default/files/ahpc-heart-health-policy-paper.pdf
Wyber, R., Katzenellenbogen, J. M., Pearson, G., & Gannon, M. (2017). The rationale for
action to end new cases of rheumatic heart disease in Australia. Med J Aust, 207(8),
322-323.