Chapter 10: Factors Influencing Health Status

Question 1

Explain the influence of political instability and peace on health status.

Answer 1

Political situations such as war/conflict and or corrupt governments can lead to unfavourable trade arrangements, leading to a lower GDP. This then influences health status, low income, poor education due to lack of funding, poor access to sanitation and healthcare, decreasing life expectancy and increasing transmission of diseases and preventable deaths.

Question 2

Discuss how being a female in a developing country can affect ones health status.

Answer 2

• responsible for caring for family; spend many hours growing and preparing food and collecting water, leading to exhaustion.
• marry young; have many children, contributing to malnutrition.
• low social status; domestic violence common, fewer legal rights and financial independence.
• less likely to be educated; low literacy rates, forced into labour/intensive work.

Question 3

Identify steps that can be taken to improve the health of women in developing countries.

Answer 3

• reinforce laws/legislation that give women equal rights to men.
• give women maternity leave to avoid malnutrition and exhaustion.
• spend more on antenatal healthcare, making it affordable to population.

Question 4

Identify 3 ways that not having access to an adequate and clean water supply can impact on health.

Answer 4

• increase malnutrition
• dehydrate population
• poorer health and inability to grow food.
• maintain hygiene and clean environment.

Question 5

Identify 3 steps that communities can take to improve their access to a clean water supply.

Answer 5

• have provisions needed to sustain a water supply
• be suitable to culture and population
• be affordable and appropriate, enable population by teaching them.

Question 6

Explain how having lack of access to education impacts on health status.

Answer 6

• lower literacy rates
• less understanding of health and risk factors
• less knowledge regarding skill set for e.g. Sustainable farming.

Question 7

Explain what is meant by global marketing.

Answer 7

Refers to the advertising and selling of goods and services across the world and to the marketing of products in all countries, including developing countries.

Question 8

Analyse how global marketing impacts on health.

Answer 8

In developing countries:

• increased use of tobacco and alcohol in developing countries has increased number of deaths due to tobacco.
• contributing to under nutrition when families purchase tobacco or alcohol instead of food.
• increased consumption of processed foods is contributing to the double BOD as those in DC are now at risk of under nutrition and obesity.
• healthcare system isn’t established and people aren’t having these conditions managed in the early stages, increasing mortality rates.

Question 9

Define adult literacy rates.

Answer 9

The percentage of people over the age of 15 who can read and write.

Question 10

What is the focus of primary healthcare?

Answer 10

Prevent illness and promote good health, and to provide affordable curative care for those in need.

Question 11

What are the core activities of primary healthcare?

Answer 11

• safe water and sanitation
• food and nutrition
• maternal and child health
• immunisation
• curative care
• essential drugs
• education
• disease control

Question 12

Define immunisation.

Answer 12

Enables an individual to develop immunity to infection by the use of antigens that stimulate the body to produce its own antibodies.

Question 13

What is DPT?

Answer 13

A series of three vaccines to prevent diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus.

Question 14

What is globalisation?

Answer 14

The interconnectedness of the world through the transfer of goods, services, capital, people and information.

Question 15

Define food security.

Answer 15

The state in which all persons obtain nutritionally adequate, culturally appropriate, safe food regularly through local non-emergency sources.