Chapter 10: Sustainable Development Goals

Question 1

Objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Answer 1

• End extreme poverty
• Fight inequality and injustice
• Address climate change

Question 2

Why have the SDGs been developed?

Answer 2

• To reduce inequalities in health status
• To ensure sustainable human development
• To create accessibility and equality with health
• To emphasise the importance of mental health
• To achieve universal health coverage
• To promote good HWB

Question 3

SDG 3: Good health and wellbeing

Answer 3

• Ensuring and promoting the HWB of everyone at all ages
• Reduce global maternal mortality
• End preventable deaths of newborns and children
• End epidemics of communicable diseases (e.g. AIDS, neglected tropical disease, malaria, tuberculosis)
• Reduce premature mortality from NCDs through prevention and treatment and promote mental HWB
• Increase investment in healthcare services and qualified healthcare staff, specifically in LICs
• Strengthen prevention & treatment of substance abuse
• Halve global deaths & injuries from road traffic accidents
• Universal access to sexual & reproductive healthcare services
• Universal health coverage (e.g. access to meds & vax)
• Reduce deaths and illnesses from chemicals, pollution and contamination
• Strengthen the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries

NOTE: This is important as without good HWB, the other SDGs will not be achieved.

Question 4

Maternal mortality

SDG 3 target

Answer 4

• Causes – haemorrhage (excessive bleeding), infection, high BP, unsafe abortion & obstructed labour
• Solutions – access to family planning info and good quality antenatal, childbirth and postpartum care
• Barriers – low access to healthcare services, lack of information and knowledge, gender inequity and poverty

Question 5

Deaths of newborns and children under

SDG 3 target

Answer 5

• Causes – malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia (preventable)
• Solutions – increase investment in healthcare and vaccination

Question 6

Communicable diseases (e.g. AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, hepatitis and waterborne diseases)

SDG 3 target

Answer 6

• AIDS – spread of infected bodily fluids usually via sex
  
  • Solutions: education and prevention services
• Tuberculosis – spread via coughs, sneezes, etc.
  
  • Solutions: quality healthcare (prevention & treatment)
• Malaria – via mosquito bites
  
  • Solutions: treated mosquito nets, quality healthcare
  • Barriers: Inadequate funding
• Neglected tropical diseases
  
  • Collection of diseases that have not had enough resources and effort directed towards
  • More prevalent in tropical regions and can be infectious and
    communicable

Question 7

How can progress in SDG 3 promote health and wellbeing globally?

Answer 7

• Good HWB increases people’s capacity to engage in economic pursuits around the world which thereby increases global economic activity and productivity
• Good HWB can mean that people have stronger immune systems, preventing disease transmission which thereby decreases the emergence or re-emergence of infectious disease worldwide

Question 8

SDG 1: No poverty

Answer 8

• Objectives
  
  • End poverty in all its forms, including extreme poverty
  • Increase access to basic services
  • Implement social protection systems and measures for all
• Relationship with SDG 3
  
  • SDG 1 aims to ensure that everyone has equal access to services such as healthcare
  • This can mean that pregnant women have better access to healthcare before, during and after their pregnancy which can reduce MMR
  • This assists in the achievement of SDG 3 which aims to reduce global MMR
• Importance in promoting HWB
  
  • Can ↑ access to nutritious food, ↓ risk of malnutrition
  • Can enable parents to afford their children’s education, ↓ stress and anxiety regarding their children’s future
• Importance in promoting human development
  
  • Can allow children to attend school, promoting their ability to reach their full potential and lead productive lives
  • Can ↑ access to basic resources (e.g. food), enabling a decent standard of living

Question 9

SDG 2: Zero hunger

Answer 9

• Objectives
  
  • Ensure everyone has access to nutritious food
  • End hunger and malnutrition
  • Ensure sustainable food production systems
• Relationship with SDG 3
  
  • SDG 2 aims to end malnutrition
  • This can mean that more children are nourished and have stronger immune systems, reducing deaths associated with CDs
  • This helps in the achievement of SDG 3 which aims to reduce U5MR
• Importance in promoting HWB
  
  • Nutritious food supports a strong immune system, protecting people from illness and disease
• Importance in promoting human development
  
  • Strong immune systems, reduces the time people spend in ill health
  • This means that people are more able to actively participate
    in their community and reach their full potential

Question 10

SDG 4: Quality education

Answer 10

• Objectives
  
  • Equitable, quality and affordable learning opportunities
  • Eliminate gender disparities in education
  • Increase the supply of qualified teachers
• Relationship with SDG 3
  
  • SDG 4 aims to ensure that all children complete primary and secondary education which improves health literacy
  • This enables people to practise proper hygiene, reducing the transmission of infectious disease
  • This assists in the achievement of SDG 3 which aims to reduce the spread of CDs such as malaria
• Importance in promoting HWB
  
  • Education can provide children with a sense of purpose in life
• Importance in promoting human development
  
  • Increased health literacy enables informed decision making, allowing people to participate in the decisions that affect their lives

Question 11

SDG 5: Gender equality

Answer 11

• Objectives
  
  • Empower women and girls to reach their full potential
  • Recognise and value unpaid care and domestic work
  • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health
• Relationship with SDG 3
  
  • SDG 5 aims to ensure universal access to reproductive healthcare for women
  • Access to these resources promotes timely and effective medical interventions/treatments
  • This helps reduce maternal and infant mortality rates, assisting in the achievement of SDG 3
• Importance in promoting HWB
  
  • Ending violence against females reduces injuries
  • Feeling valued contributes to a sense of purpose in life
• Importance in promoting human development
  
  • Employment provides women with a source of income, allowing them to achieve a standard of living
  • Being respected promotes women’s ability to freely participate in society and make decisions about their lives

Question 12

SDG 6: Clean water and sanitation

Answer 12

• Objectives
  
  • Safe water and adequate sanitation for all people worldwide
  • Improve water quality by reducing pollution
• Relationship with SDG 3
  
  • SDG 6 aims to improve access to sanitation which includes improving hygiene facilities in schools
  • This prevents girls from missing school during menstruation as a result of poor facilities
  • This enables them to develop their health literacy (e.g. knowledge about reproductive health) which ↓ the risk of maternal mortality, contributing to the achievement of SDG 3
• Importance in promoting HWB
  
  • Decreases the spread of communicable disease
  • Water scarcity can force children to travel long distances to collect water, preventing them from attending school which ↓ opportunities to build meaningful relationships
• Importance in promoting human development
  
  • Prevents the spread of CDs meaning that more children will be able to continue attending school where they can enhance their knowledge and develop to their full potential

Question 13

SDG 13: Climate action

Answer 13

• Objectives
  
  • Prepare countries for changing weather patterns and increases in natural disasters
  • Improve education and awareness about climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
• Relationship with SDG 3
  
  • SDG 13 aims to strengthen countries’ resilience and adaptive capacity to natural disasters
  • This reduces the risk of death and illness due to hazardous chemicals, pollution and contamination which is a key target of SDG 3
• Importance in promoting HWB
  
  • Early warning can allow people to take preventative measures to protect their health and homes
• Importance in promoting human development
  
  • Being prepared for natural disasters prevents injury and premature death, allowing individuals to lead long and healthy lives