Chapter 8: Comparisons in Health Status and Human Development

Question 1

Characteristics of countries

Answer 1

• Economic
  
  • Level of debt
  • Income
  • Trade opportunities
  • Poverty
  • Welfare support
  • Industry
• Environmental
  
  • Infrastructure
  • Access to clean water, improved sanitation and food
  • Agricultural productivity
  • Energy and resource use
• Social
  
  • Social support and social justice
  • Employment and education levels
  • Birth rates
  • Healthcare system
  • Access to technology
  • Legal and political systems
  • Living standards

Question 2

Characteristics of low, middle and high income countries

Answer 2

• Low e.g. Afghanistan and Zimbabwe
  
  • Low GNI per capita
  • Lack of social support such as welfare
  • Low levels of educational attainment
  • High population growth
  • Poor access to healthcare and improved sanitation
  • Lower agricultural productivity and levels of food security
  • Less infrastructure
• Middle e.g. Cambodia and Malaysia
  
  • Increasing economic growth and infrastructure
  • Divided into lower-middle and upper-middle
• High e.g. Australia, Japan and USA
  
  • More resources to provide services (e.g. healthcare and education) that promote development
  • Higher levels of education attainment
  • Lower population growth
  • Access to healthcare and improved sanitation
  • High agricultural productivity and levels food security
  • Good infrastructure

NOTE: Avoid using the term ‘GP’ when describing low income countries.

Question 3

Health status in high income countries

Answer 3

• Life expectancy
  
  • Higher due to the better access to health resources that a stronger economy is able to provide
  • ↓ infant mortality and U5MR contributes to this
• Maternal mortality
  
  • Lower due to quality antenatal care
  • Qualified health staff provide immunisations, promote good nutrition/hygiene/adequate rest and can detect potential complications
  • Many women take time off work before & after childbirth
• Mortality
  
  • Majority are due to NCDs (e.g. cancer and CVD)
• Burden of disease
  
  • Lower due to developed health system
  • Conditions are often effectively treated

Question 4

Health status in low income countries

Answer 4

• Maternal mortality causes
  
  • Complications during pregnancy and childbirth
  • Lack of medical care e.g. antenatal care
  • Poor nutrition
  • Long working hours before and after childbirth
• Mortality causes
  
  • Majority due to CDs and under-nutrition (e.g. perinatal conditions, diarrhoeal and infectious disease)
• High burden of diseases causes
  
  • Due to limited treatment options

NOTE: A perinatal condition is one that occurs to a baby during the period shortly before or after birth.

Question 5

Double burden of disease

Answer 5

• Coexistence of communicable diseases and under-nutrition (often associated with poverty) and noncommunicable diseases (often associated with wealth) within the one country.

Question 6

Communicable vs non-communicable disease (NCD)

Answer 6

• Communicable – infectious diseases transmitted in the environment, including via air/food/water/infected organisms
  
  • E.g. malaria, diarrhoea
• Non-communicable – not passed from person to person
  
  • Due to damage caused to body by diff risk factors
  • E.g. CVD, respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma), cancer

Question 7

Sustainability

Answer 7

• Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

Question 8

Dimensions of sustainability

And their respective objectives

Answer 8

• Social – equitable society that meets and promotes the needs of present and future generations
  
  • Full employment, equity, education, health, participation, cultural identity
  • Sustainable birth rates
  • Investing in education and employment
  • Development of healthcare systems
  • Development of legal and political systems
  • Improving living standards
• Economic – efficient and responsible use of available resources to ensure that the financial obligations of present and future generations can be met
  
  • Growth, efficiency and stability
  • Managing debt and building industry
  • Increasing incomes & opportunities for trade/employment
• Environmental – minimising degradation of the planet to serve current generations and to preserve natural resources for future generations
  
  • Practices that minimise resource degradation/depletion.
  • Rational use and conservation of resources/energy
  • Reducing emissions

TIP: SEE.

Question 9

How do the dimensions of sustainability promote health and wellbeing globally?

Answer 9

• Social
  
  • Stronger political systems can mean that more countries work together on worldwide issues, reducing conflict and enhancing global peace
• Economic
  
  • Trade opportunities involve partnerships between countries, increasing global economic activity and productivity
  • Countries can benefit from trade agreements and gain extra finances to improve infrastructure, education, etc.
• Environmental
  
  • Provides people around the world with natural areas to relax, promoting spiritual HWB globally by increasing feelings of connectedness to the world in which people live

TIP: Be specific when explaining. E.g. Managing debt (example) allows current generations to continue a high standard of living and also ensures that future generations are not left with large amounts of money to pay.

Question 10

Themes in the human development concept

Answer 10

• People – focusing on improving the lives of people rather than focusing on economic growth
  
  • Economic growth is instead viewed as a means to achieve human development rather than as the end goal
• Opportunities – providing people with more freedom to live a life that they value
  
  • I.e. providing people with a range of skills / abilities and the opportunities to use them
• Choice – people need to be provided with opportunities and have the choice to make use of them
  
  • Happiness / satisfaction can’t be guaranteed, nor can we ensure that people make the right choices in life

Question 11

Human development

Answer 11

• Involves creating an environment where people can:
  
  • Develop to their full potential
  • Lead long, healthy and productive lives
  • Have more choices & enhanced capabilities
  • Access a decent standard of living
  • Access freedom, education and healthcare
  • Participate in their community
  • Participate in decisions that affect their lives
  • Break the cycle of poverty
  • Live according to individual needs and interests

NOTE: Must refer to at least one of these components when responding to questions about human development.

Question 12

Human development index (HDI) and its dimensions

Tool introduced by the United Nations

Answer 12

• Used to assess health & development outcomes of a nation
• A long and healthy life – measured by LE at birth
• Knowledge – measured by mean years of schooling (average no. years of school completed by those aged 25+) and expected years of schooling (no. years of schooling expected for a child)
• Decent standard of living – measured by GNI per capita

Question 13

Advantages and disadvantages of the HDI

Answer 13

• Advantages
  
  • Provides a single statistic that can be used to easily compare the human development of diff countries
  • More comprehensive indication of human dev than simply using income or LE alone
  • Broad perspective of viewing human progress and the complex relationship between income & wellbeing
• Disadvantages
  
  • If data is unavailable, estimates are made which can result in inconsistencies
  • Not a complete reflection of human dev as it excludes important indicators e.g. gender, inequalities in poverty
  • Not all countries around the world can receive a ranking