Reference no: EM132322313

Determinants of Health Assignment - Environmental Health Risk Assessment and Intervention Simulation

Learning Outcomes:

• Evaluate the impacts, interactivity and distribution of health determinants at a community or population level, and how these relate to complex public health/societal issues.
• Evaluate social, political, ethical, economic and ecological considerations and their impact on public health interventions and practice.
• Assess risks to health present within the environment using practice-based frameworks and recommend appropriate evidence-based interventions.

Background - High-rise apartments and public health

Decent, affordable housing is a basic building block of healthy communities, and is a major health equity issue (Commission on Social Determinants of Health, 2008). For example, living in poorer- quality housing has been associated with poorer mental health and higher rates of infectious diseases, respiratory problems, and injuries (Howden-Chapman, 2002; Krieger and Higgins, 2002).

Unfortunately, in recent years concerns have been raised about the quality and liveability of high rise apartment buildings in the City of Melbourne (the inner-city local government area).

For example, in February 2019, a fire burned at least five stories of a building on Spencer St Melbourne (Cunningham and Fox Kobb, 2019). In 2015 there was another major fire in the Lacrosse apartment tower on LaTrobe St Melbourne. Both of these fires were exacerbated by flammable building cladding, similar to that which caused the devastating Grenfell Tower fire in London in 2017, where 72 people tragically died. A federal government Senate enquiry has found that other buildings have similar flammable cladding in Melbourne's CBD (also see Clay, 2017).

There have also been concerns about the small size, poor lighting and ventilation, and construction quality of many inner city apartments. This has led to apartment design guidelines being release by the Victorian state government in December 2016.

Compounding the problem of poor-quality apartment design and construction, there has been evidence of overcrowding and poor living conditions for overseas students and workers in inner-city apartments (see extracts in attached file).

Assessment specifications -

Purpose: Apply knowledge through conducting an environmental health assessment and developing an intervention plan.

Instructions - This assessment involves students assuming the role of an Environmental Health Officer working for the City of Melbourne. Students will conduct an environmental health risk assessment involving the quantification of hazards associated with overcrowding and poorly constructed inner-city apartments. Students will provide the findings of the assessment, their recommendations for intervention, and an appropriate communication plan to alert stakeholders about their findings.

Specifically, students' written report should cover the following:

1. Issue identification: Identify at least 2 likely health hazards associated with overcrowding and poor living conditions in Melbourne's inner-city apartments (e.g. infection risk, exposure to noise, air pollution, extreme temperatures, fire risk etc.). Describe how the hazards arise, by citing academic literature and/or reputable newspaper/media articles.

2. Hazard and exposure assessment: Assess the likely health impacts of the identified hazards, citing academic literature and/or official statistical resources (ABS, WHO etc) as appropriate.

Discuss the mechanisms through which those hazards impact health, and whether particular sub-populations are particularly exposed to the hazards (e.g. low socio-economic groups, youth, older adults, migrants etc.).

3. Risk characterisation: Make an overall assessment of the level of health risk from environmental hazards, considering the likelihood and severity of health impacts at the population level. (For ideas, see p. 28 and pp. 33-35 of the 'Environmental Health Standing Committee 2012' reference listed below and available on LEO).

4. Risk management plan: Outline recommendations for intervention by the City of Melbourne and/or other stakeholders (e.g. state government, building inspectors, property developers, apartment residents, landlords etc.), and how your findings and recommendations will be communicated to the public and/or stakeholders.

Students should give their report a title that reflects its content, and include an introduction which briefly describes the issue of poor living conditions in inner-city apartments, and outlines the main findings.

Finish with a conclusion or summary. Students are encouraged to include images, figures and tables, where these will support the explanation and analysis.

In your report, you are welcome to cite literature from other countries/cities about high density housing, but remember to relate this information to Melbourne, as this is the focus on this assessment task.

Length and/or format: 2500 words +/- 10% (excluding the reference list), written environmental health risk assessment report.

Attachment:- Assignment File.rar