This document discusses several strategies for managing health risks like aging populations, depression, obesity, diabetes, malaria, and HIV/AIDS. It examines how differing management approaches have led to varying outcomes. Effective management of these issues requires awareness of why some risks are harder to address, like those indirectly caused by modern lifestyles. Both short-term and long-term strategies across multiple levels are needed to control risks and their impacts on public health.

1. EQ4: How can the impacts of health risk be manage? Aims: To examine how health risks have led to differing management strategies and policies

2. Develop an awareness of why some health risks and environments are harder to manage than others; such as indirect spin-offs from modern societies and consumerism like ageing populations, depression, obesity and diabetes (hard to tackle as numbers constantly rising – highest levels in MEDCs BUT NICs increasing rapidly) **Refer to section 2 work** or the impacts of corruption and poor governance on malaria and HIV/AIDS

3. Ageing In almost every country, the proportion of people aged over 60 years is growing faster than any other age group, as a result of both longer life expectancy and declining fertility rates. This population ageing can be seen as a success story for public health policies and for socioeconomic development, but it also challenges society to adapt, in order to maximize the health and functional capacity of older people as well as their social participation and security. http://www.who.int/topics/ageing/en/ Ageing Populations

4. What are the public health implications of global ageing? From 2000 until 2050, the world's population aged 60 and over will more than triple from 600 million to 2 billion. Most of this increase is occurring in developing countries - where the number of older people will rise from 400 million in 2000 to 1.7 billion by 2050. This demographic change has several implications for public health. Good health is essential for older people to remain independent and to play a part in family and community life. Life-long health promotion and disease prevention activities can prevent or delay the onset of non-communicable and chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer. When these conditions do occur in older people, primary health services must provide accessible, integrated and regular care. Chronic diseases require monitoring in order to minimize the development of associated disabilities and negative effects on the quality of life. The ongoing nature of the care means it is more effectively provided in community-based settings, such as primary health care centres. Public health action can draw on the capacities of older people. For example, the world's growing population of older people plays a critical role through volunteering, transmitting experience and knowledge, helping their families with caring responsibilities and increasing their participation in the paid labour force. http://www.who.int/features/qa/42/en/index.html

5. Depression “ Significant and pervasive lowering of mood leading to difficulties in leading a normal life” Pearson, 2009

7. Depression causes 37% of disability in the UK

8. Depression and other mental disorders account for 38% of benefit claims

10. Obesity “ A condition in which an excess of body fat has accumulated to such an extent that health may be negatively affected. It is commonly defined as a BMI > 30kg/m 2 ” Pearson, 2009

13. All info from Healthy Weight; Healthy Lives – A cross Government Strategy for England, 2008 – Section A is on the VLE The rest can be downloaded at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_082378

14. Diabetes Rapidly becoming one of world’s most common diseases. “ Any of the various disorders especially diabetes mellitus, characterised by excretion of an abnormally large amount of urine. There is a STRONG link between obesity and diabetes.” Pearson, 2009

15. Diabetes New figures by the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory reveal that more than one in ten deaths among 20 to 79-year-olds in England can be attributed to diabetes. If current trends continue, one in eight deaths among 20 to 79-year-olds will be attributable to the condition by 2010. Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) with the highest percentage of diabetes-attributable deaths are areas with a higher than average proportion of the population over 40 and where there are large numbers of over 40s of Asian and Black origin, who are at greater risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. These areas also have high levels of deprivation compared to PCTs with the lowest proportion of deaths. Full Article on VLE – source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/117896.php

20. Malaria Malaria causes an average loss of 1.3% of annual economic growth in countries with intense transmission. It traps families and communities in a downward spiral of poverty, disproportionately affecting marginalized and poor people who cannot afford treatment or who have limited access to health care. Malaria has lifelong effects through increased poverty and impaired learning. It cuts attendance at schools and workplaces. However, it is preventable and curable.

21. Managing Malaria At a Local Level The incidence of malaria in Usa, Tanzania has dropped dramatically since a local bednet factory began distributing insecticide-treated nets here as part of a project supported by the World Health Organization . Usa is surrounded by verdant rice paddies, which serve as fertile breeding ground for the malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquito. Local farmers such as 26-year-old Judy Nico used to suffer repeatedly from malaria attacks. But five years ago she received insecticide-treated nets to cover each bed and window, and the attacks have subsided. Unfortunately, at $5 each, these nets remain too expensive for many poor African families to afford. World Vision See also Zanzibar example, DDT and malaria and home management articles. Investigate www.who.int/en for more

24. So far we have looked at LONG TERM management strategies and policies. What about short term? Use the BBC’s Swine Flu pandemic pages to investigate: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/world/2009/swine_flu/default.stm Or issues too big for one government? PA p373 – The Health Risks of the Asian Tsunami