Essay Example on Queensland: Australia's North-Eastern Gem

Introduction

Queensland is a North-eastern province covering a coastline stretch of about 7,000 kilometers of the Pacific Ocean. It has four major cities; Cairns, Gold Coast, Brisbane, and Whitsunday Island. The Northern State is among the most densely populated regions in the country, with the current population estimated to be about 5 million people (Brennan et al., 2018). It is a major hub for many commercial and leisure activities, as well as an important tourist destination in the country. The Australian state of Queensland has several significant age disparity gaps, owing to a mostly aging population. Many issues are surrounding the aging Australian population, but Queensland residents have differing health concerns due to the ecological factors in the region (Esterman et al., 2018). This essay discusses the population statistics in Queensland, to present significant health problems in the region due to the aging population.

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Age Statistics in Queensland

According to Anderlini, Wallis & Marinovic (2018), Queensland is the third-most populated state in the country (Australia), with a rather high growth rate compared to most of the other states. It is the second-largest province in the country and significantly presents a diverse mix of culture, religion, economic activities, and even race and ethnicity. The median population age in Queensland is 37 years, with the statistics showing that the women have a higher median. Specifically, the men have a median of 36.3 while the women have a median of 37.8. The life expectancy in the state is approximately 80 years (Senserrick, Boufous, Olivier & Hatfield, 2018). The states' population growth rate is ranked fifth, with an annual growth rate of about 1.5 percent per annum. The population density of the state is about three people per square kilometer. Just like most of Australia, the region is sparsely populated.

Of the over 5 million people living in Queensland, the population of urban dwellers is averagely 25%. A further 25% of Queensland residents reside in the suburbs, while 50% of residents dwell in the vast rural areas. The number of deaths reported in the state is approximately 30,000 annually, with over 60,000 children born each year. Regardless, the 40% effective increase in births does not eliminate the 20 percent of elderly people who require nursing care (Anderlini, Wallis & Marinovic, 2018). The population is nonetheless fairly distributed as with a life expectancy of 80 and an average population age of 38 years; it is possible to argue that the population is fairly diversified across different age brackets. The country's elderly population makes up a good number of patients struggling with different health concerns that need to be addressed as well.

The Senior Population in Queensland

More than 80% of the people in Queensland are aged below 70. Of the 20% of Queensland residents aged above 70 years, about half range between 80 years and above. The Australian government continually keeps statistics and data concerning lifestyle issues and medical concerns affecting this population (Anderlini, Wallis & Marinovic, 2018). Annually, an increase in the senior population of Queensland residents is reported, mostly due to the excellent healthcare in the country. There is also the possibility that the increase in life expectancy can be attributed to lifestyle decisions in Australia. A good number of residents reside away from the cities, where there is less exposure to toxins and chemical waste. Similarly, the population of the cities is often inherently consistent with millennials (15-45 years) who do not have as many health concerns as the senior population (Esterman et al., 2018). The consistency of living standards in all regions helps maintain life expectancy.

As of 2018, the population of senior people in Queensland was about 1.3 million. Many of these (60%) were retired and committed to aged-care facilities. A further 20% was however still active and vibrant, living in different parts of the state (Wong, Luscombe & Hawke, 2019). Age is often not the determining factor when it comes to admitting old persons to nursing homes. The fragility of their immune systems and the consistency of age-related diseases often impacts the decisions taken by the next of kin. Currently, about 20% of the Queensland population comprises old people who have been committed to care facilities (Brennan et al., 2018). It is through these facilities that proper care is offered and the right diet and lifestyle activities are encouraged to increase the life expectancy of the individual.

Diseases Associated with Aging in Queensland

Australia's aging population presents several health concerns to the nation. The common health issue among the old is the case of pulmonary and cardiac infections. According to Esterman et al. (2018), a large population of Queensland seniors often face issues such as thrombosis and acute cases of pneumonia as well. Heart failure and stroke have led to a significant number of deaths, as is the morbidity associated with mostly cancer and Parkinson's disease. Even though these issues are majorly a threat to the health of the nation, they are not unique issues among the aging population. Wong, Luscombe & Hawke (2019) assert that the major causes of death among senior persons in most modern communities include heart infections, cancers, brain diseases, and arthritis. The senior population in Queensland is thus averagely healthy considering the common issues affecting their health.

According to Senserrick et al. (2018), the aging population that lives in the coastal cities and towns often faces acute cases of influenza, which significantly lowers their immunity. Mosquitos also attack many old persons on the coast, leading to yellow fever and malaria. Similarly, there is concern about the weather in the region, with Queensland reporting reasonably hot summers and freezing winters. The immunity of the senior residents in the state thus significantly gets affected during such weather patterns (Brennan et al., 2018). Caring for the aged in homes often makes it easier to deal with health risks. It involves medications to increase the resistance to flu, as well as treatment for recurring conditions associated with old age. It is often the senior residents who reside in their own homes that face potential health hazards owing to neglect and lack of proper health information.

Discussion

Queensland has a diverse range of ethnicities, but mostly, the population that determines the issues of epidemiology and other statistics is White. Race and culture do very little to affect the diet of the residents. A good percentage of dwellers live in towns and cities, where there is a lot of pollution and health risks. Many senior residents in Queensland, however, dwell in their own homes, in the rural and suburban regions of the state (Anderlini, Wallis & Marinovic, 2018). In as much as there is often the general health risks associated with the aging population, each age group has its health risks. Cancer, for instance, is more prevalent among the 40-60 age group than it is among the population aged 70 and above. Influenza infections and mild cases of autism are reported among the teenage population as well. Regardless, these numbers are quite minimal, and the incidents are rare as well.

From an economic point of view, the Queensland state is significantly young and vibrant, taking up activities in major hubs in the city. Often, the main economic activities in the region include agriculture, tourism, and trade. The state is significantly diverse, and that increases the vibrancy of the population and the general health (Wong, Luscombe & Hawke, 2019). The state supports activities to improve the health of the aging population. It is by getting statistics on epidemiology and other factors that the government can ascertain on the aging population that the life expectancy is improved. Indeed, Queensland and Australia in general boasts of some of the highest life expectancies in the world (Senserrick et al., 2018). Achieving these statistics implies that there is a constant effort on the part of the government to improve the quality of care offered to the aging population in the country.

Conclusion

Queensland is one of the states in Australia, comprising a rather sparse but healthy population. Just like in most of Australia, the population growth is below 2 percent. Similarly, the state has a diverse population and a rather high number of people living in rural regions; away from major cities. Of Queensland's 5 million people, about 30,000 die each year, and about twice the number is born. The population thus continues to thrive due to the low death rate, occasioned by a significant healthcare policy.

References

Anderlini, D., Wallis, G., & Marinovic, W. (2018). Stroke hospital admission rates in Brisbane and Queensland in 2015: Data from 11,072 cases. International Journal of Stroke, 1747493018801221. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1747493018801221?journalCode=wsoa

Brennan, J., Chan, K. C., Kippen, R., Lenard, C. T., Mills, T. M., & Williams, R. F. (2018). Applications of the cumulative rate to kidney cancer statistics in Australia. In Demography and Health Issues (pp. 97-106). Springer, Cham. Retrieved from https://eprints.usq.edu.au/34039/4/brennan%20et%20al.pdf

Esterman, A., Thompson, F., Fitts, M., Gilroy, J., Fleming, J., Maruff, P., & Clough, A. (2018). Incidence of emergency department presentations for traumatic brain injury in Indigenous and non-Indigenous residents aged 15-64 over the 9-year period 2007-2015 in North Queensland, Australia. Injury epidemiology, 5(1), 40. Retrieved from https://injepijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-018-0172-9

Senserrick, T., Boufous, S., Olivier, J., & Hatfield, J. (2018). Associations between graduated driver licensing and road trauma reductions in a later licensing age jurisdiction: Queensland, Australia. PLoS One, 13(9), e0204107. Retrieved from https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0204107

Wong, K. C., Luscombe, G. M., & Hawke, C. (2019). Influenza infections in Australia 2009-2015: is there a combined effect of age and sex on susceptibility to virus subtypes?. BMC infectious diseases, 19(1), 42. Retrieved from https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12879-019-3681-4