Chronic Health Promotion

Burden of disease for asthma in Australia3

Years Lived with Disability (YLD)4

Years of Life Lost (YLL)4

Age and Sex Distribution4

Health-care expenses5

Estimating the future burden of Asthma in Australia5

Epidemiological Findings5

Prevalence5

Approach to Health care services5

a)Clinic Visits5

b)Emergency Visits and Hospital Admissions6

Primary Considerations for Asthma6

Secondary and Tertiary Considerations6

Health Promotion Plan for Asthma7

Objectives of the Health Promotion Plan7

Surveillance7

Clinical care8

Education8

Environment9

Perspective Health Outcomes9

References11

Chronic Health Promotion

Asthma

The group of chronic diseases that affect the airways and lung parenchyma are known as chronic respiratory disease. Chronic respiratory diseases present with chronic symptoms such as chronic cough, shortness of breath, hemoptysis and chest pain. Some of the common chronic respiratory diseases are asthma, COPD, broncheictasis and sarcoidosis.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract that is usually associated with hypersensitivity of the upper airways. Exposure to allergens leads to inflammatory response in the upper airways. The cells involved in this inflammatory response are mast cells, eosinophils, macrophages and T lymphocytes (NAC 2006). The inflammatory reactions can cause permanent changes in the lung airways such as increased bronchial wall thickening and loss of elastic recoil. Common inflammatory triggers include dust mites, pollen, irritants like tobacco smoke, perfumes, cold air exposure, viral infections and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

The symptoms of asthma include wheezing, cough, chest tightness and bronchoconstriction usually at night or early morning. The symptoms are reversible with treatment and even preventable with regular medication. Asthma is also associated with rhinitis (runny nose). Treatment option for asthma are mainly preventive (anti-inflammatory drugs), acute relievers (bronchodilators) and symptom controllers (long acting beta agonists and inhaled corticosteroids). The patients need to be strictly compliant with the drugs in order to prevent complications. The disease affects both children and adults. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that around three hundred million people are affected around the world (WHO).

Burden of disease for asthma in Australia

In order to measure the burden of disease, a criteria of DALY (Disability adjusted life years) has been adopted by World Health Organization (WHO). The DALY helps in estimating the number of years of healthy life lost due to morbidity or mortality. One DALY equals to one lost year. According to statistics of year 2003, asthma was 11th foremost contributor to the burden of disease in Australia. This accounted for around 2.5% of the disability adjusted life years (DALY). In 2003, 63,100 healthy life years were lost because of asthma with more than 59,000 lost due to morbidity and around 4,000 years lost due to mortality or early death. Asthma was the eminent cause of burden of disease among children in 2003 with more than 17% of DALYs. It is expected that for the next twenty years asthma will prevail as one of the leading causes of burden of disease in Australia (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2009).

Asthma is an important health setback in Australia which affects around ten percent of the Australian population (ACAM 2008). Asthma is highly prevalent in Australia according to the international standards. The disease affects people of all ages and has detrimental ...