8A.2 Variations in health and life expectancy Flashcards
8A.2a Variations in the developing world
what are the 3 main causes of variations in health and life expectancy in the developing world?
differential access to basic needs, such as food
water supply
sanitation
8A.2 Variations in the developing world
how does differential access to basic needs, such as food, affect health and life expectancy?
children may not be able to attend school because they must support their family by working
8A.2 Variations in the developing world
how does sanitation affect health and life expectancy?
poor sanitation makes it easier for diseases to spread
poor sanitation leads to a higher rate of infant and maternal mortality
8A.2 Variations in the developing world
how does water supply affect health and life expectancy?
in poor countries, reaching water supplies can be dangerous
the quality of water supplies can cause sever ilness, affecting the health of the people that rely on it
in urban areas, high cost of water can reduce the disposable income of households, forcing cutbacks which may result in poorer health and worse living environment
8A.2a Variations in the developing world
importance of health and life expectancy
why is health important for development?
health is important for development because
- disease affects education
- disease reduces capacity to work and therefore earning capacity
- poor health means high dependency ratio, putting pressure on relatives for support
- medical costs use up income that could be used on food, education and housing
life expectancy reduces as a result of poor health
8A.2b Variations in the developed world
what are the 3 main causes of variations in health and life expectancy in the developed world?
differences in lifestyles
levels of deprivation
the availability, cost and effectiveness of medical care
8A.2b Variations in the developed world
how do differences in lifestyles cause variations in health and life expectancy?
inactive lifestyles and high calorie diets contributes to increasing obesity levels in developing countries, such as America where 36% of the population is obese
differences in diet between east and west has led to difference between countries such as America and Japan
alcohol and recreational drug use
8A.2b Variations in the developed world
how does level of deprivation cause variations in health and life expectancy?
areas with high levels of deprivation are often associated with low life expectancy
8A.2b Variations in the developed world
how does the availability, cost and effectiveness of medical care cause variations in health and life expectancy?
countries with free healthcare often have higher life expectancy than countries with private healthcare (this affects the relationship between health expenditure and life expectancy)
8A.2b Variations in the developed world
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The OECD is a group of 35 nations from the developed world that aim to promote policies which improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world
Their findings from research in 2015 were
- women live longer than men
- people with the highest level of education live on average 6 years longer than those with the lowest level
- infant mortality had declined sharply in all OECD countries
- the countries in which life expectancy has increased the most vary widely in GDP (e.g. China and Denmark)
- the key factors behind the improving life expectancy were health spending per capita, economic factors and tow behavioural factors- reduced smoking and calorific intake
due to ageing populations, healthcare costs are rising sharply in many developed countries, which means that the increased research into new drugs and more complex surgery are driving the healthcare budgets for many developed countries upwards at a much faster rate than both GDP growth and general inflation
8A.2c Variations within countries
what are the 2 main causes of variations in health and life expectancy within countries?
ethnic variations
income levels and inequalities
… impacting lifestyles
8A.2c Variations within countries
how does ethnicity impact health and life expectancy?
Certain ethnic groups face discrimination leading to socio-economic characteristics being associated with them. This has a negative multiplier effect that reinforces the stereotypes and traps certain ethnic groups in the cycle of poverty. Lower levels of health leads to shorter life expectancy.
This is seen in New York where certain areas experienced ‘white flight’
8A.2c Variations within countries
how does income levels and inequalities impact health and life expectancy?
Private healthcare can increase the difference in life expectancy between different socio-economic groups because low income groups cannot afford it. This means that their health remains lower than that of those in private healthcare and they have shorter life expectancy.
