Demography - Deaths Flashcards
Death rate definition
The number of deaths per thousand of the population per year
Death rate in 1900
19
Death rate in 2012
8.9
Why did the death rate rise during the 1930s and 40s?
Because it was the period of the Great Depression, followed by WW2
Trend in death rate since 1950s
It has been in decline
What was over 3/4 of the decline in death rate from 1850 to 1970 due to?
A fall in the number of deaths from infectious disease
What generation were infectious diseases the most common reason for death?
The younger generations
What generations do ‘diseases of affluence’ affect that most?
Middle and older generations
What does McKeown believe to account for up to half the reduction in death rate?
Improved nutrition
What was improved nutrition partly important in reducing according to McKeown?
Tuberculosis (TB)
What does better nutrition increase according to McKeown?
Increases resistance to infection and increases survival chances of those who have been infected
What two things does McKeown fail to explain?
- Why females, who receive a smaller share of the family food supply, live longer than men
- Why deaths from some infectious diseases actually rose at a time of improving nutrition
What helped to reduce death rates after the 1950s?
Improved medical knowledge, techniques and organisations
Improved medical factors after 1950s
Introduction of antibiotics
Immunisation
Blood transfusion
Improved maternity services
NHS (1948)
What has reduced deaths from heart disease by 33% recently?
Improved medication, bypass surgery and other developments
What has the greatest fall in death rates in recent decades come from according to Harper?
The reduction is the number of people smoking
Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1971
Made it illegal for tobacco companies to advertise cigarettes of TV and radio
What became illegal on 1st July 2007?
It became illegal to smoke on any pub, restaurant, nightclub and most workplaces in the UK
What has increased dramatically and replaced smoking as the new lifestyle epidemic in the 21st century?
Obesity
What has led to a range of improvements in public health and the quality of the environment in the 20th century?
More effective control and local government with the necessary powers to pass and enforce laws
Improvements in public health and the quality of the environment
Improvements in housing
Purer drinking water
Laws to combat adulteration of food and drink
Pasteurisation of milk
Improved sewage disposal systems
Adulteration
Act of intentionally degrading the quality of food or drink by either adding or replacing the substance with undeclared alternative components
What did the Clean Air Act reduce?
Air pollution
What has reduced the rate of transmission of infection?
Smaller family sizes
What has allowed people to establish healthier lifestyles?
Higher incomes
What does life expectancy refer to?
How long an average person born in a specific year is expected to live
What has happened to life expectancy since death rats have fallen?
It has increased
Life expectancy of males and females born in 1900 in England
Males 50
Females 57
Life expectancy of males and females born in 2018 in England
Males 79
Females 83
Increase in life expectancy during past 2 decades
Increased by about 2 years per decade
What will we soon achieve according to Harper?
‘Radical longevity’ with way more ‘centurions’
Women usually live longer than men however this gap has narrowed. Why?
Due to changes in employment and in lifestyle (E.g. more women smoking)
What does Walker believe about those living in the poorest areas of England?
They die on average 7 years earlier than those in the richest areas
