Presenter

Ms Jeeva Kanesarajah - PhD Confirmation Review milestone presentation

Advisors

Professor Gita Mishra, Associate Professor Jennifer A Whitty, and Mr Michael Waller

Overview

There is a growing need for information on the burden of multimorbidity in Australia, its associated economic cost to Australia, impact on health related quality of life, quality adjusted life years (QALY) and life expectancy of Australians, using an evidence based approach.  To measure self-rated health related quality of life, and derive QALYs, the Short Form 6-Dimension or SF-6D can be used. To date, there have been no longitudinal studies examining the relationship between multimorbidity and SF-6D, or how this relationship varies across the different adult life stages. There is also very limited Australian and international evidence on the longitudinal relationship between the SF-6D and demographic, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors. To date, there have been no studies that have reported how the relationship between SF-6D and demographic and lifestyle factors vary across adult life stages. It is uncertain whether young, middle age and older adults with poorer health (measured using the SF-6D) have any demographic or lifestyle factors in common or whether these factors affect poor health differently based on life-stage. This doctoral research aims to examine the burden of multimorbidity on health care usage and expenditure, health related quality of life, and survival in Australian women across three different life stages (young, middle age and older women).  The findings of this research may be used to inform government decision making on health care policy and expenditure on multimorbidity. This information may assist healthcare administrators in allocating government funding to services in greater demand thereby improving health resource allocation to benefit women who need it most.

Brief Bio

Jeeva Kanesarajah is a statistician and PhD student at the Centre for Longitudinal and Life-course Research based at UQ's School of Public Health. She has a background in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Western Australia and a Master of Biostatistics from The University of Queensland.  She has a special interest in statistical methodology, women’s health, and military and veterans’ health specifically on risk and protective factors associated with mental health vulnerabilities. 

The burden of multimorbidity in Australian women

Wed 9 Dec 2015 11:00am

Venue

Room 234, Level 2 Public Health Building (Herston)