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See Section 2 where the healthy living practices have been used as a framework to guide community and health staff action in the area of environmental health |
In 1987 Nganampa Health Council published an environmental health report called the 'UPK Report'. The report came to the conclusion that nine healthy living practices are necessary for improved health in the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands. THS agrees and believes that these healthy living practices are important to the health of all people living in the Northern Territory.
These healthy living practices can be used to plan and prioritise environmental health projects.
The nine healthy living practices were listed according to their likely importance to improving people's health status:
Work done since the UPK report in Housing for Health, by Pholeros et al (1993), suggests that in terms of housing and living area design and maintenance, life-threatening safety issues should be given priority over the other nine listed above. These life threatening issues include things like electrical safety and gas safety.
Note: local morbidity statistics and environmental health needs vary from place to place. As a result, the healthy living practices that are appropriate for your area, or their order of priority, may be different from the above list.
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See Section 2 where the healthy living practices have been used as a framework to guide community and health staff action in the area of environmental health |
To achieve healthy living practices there are a number of essential requirements relating to services, programs, policies and personal behaviours. The diagram below provides a model.
Model of essential requirements for achieving healthy living practices
The Environmental Health Officers within THS have adapted the nine healthy living practices from the UPK Report (1987) to meet the priorities of the Environmental Health Program and Departmental priorities. They have added a tenth practice.
Children need to wash or be washed every day and washing hands and faces more often during the day is likely to reduce the prevalence of the four most common childhood illnesses. These are:
It is important to educate adults in the importance of daily washing as well. This will reduce the risk of skin disease and diarrhoea in adults. Also, children and adolescents model their behaviour on that of their elders.
Washing clothes regularly is likely to reduce exposure of adults and children to faeces, secretions, scabies and mites. Washing clothes is therefore likely to reduce the prevalence of skin infections and diarrhoeal disease.
Improved waste removal systems may help to prevent or reduce the prevalence of:
Gastro-intestinal problems are often related to issues of water quality and food hygiene. The nutritional problems of Aboriginal people contribute to:
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See also the 'Food and Nutrition' chapter |
Crowding of houses contributes to the rapid and easy spread of many diseases in all age groups, such as:
Reduced contact between unhealthy dogs and children may help to reduce the prevalence of:
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See the section 'Dogs' in this chapter |
High levels of dust in the air cause abrasion and inflammation of soft tissues of the body. The soft tissues are more likely to get infected. Dust in the air contributes to respiratory, skin and eye diseases; for example, dust aggravates the eyes, causing inflammation of the conjunctiva.
Dust also carries bacterial and viral infections, so levels of respiratory disease, skin infection, TB and asthma are also affected.
Groups such as children, especially if they are sick, older people and those with chronic illnesses are particularly vulnerable to extreme or sudden changes in temperature.
Many physical injuries result from a range of accidents that can be prevented; for example, burns, cuts, scalds, electric shocks and poisoning. Some of these are life threatening.
Control of insects and pest populations is very important. Insects and pests can transmit disease in a number of ways, for example through: