Development and Health Flashcards
Describe 2 economic and 2 social indicators that show a country’s level of development (8)
Social Indicators
• Life Expectancy (in years)
- Life expectancy shows how long people are expected to live in a country
- Life expectancy shows a countries level of development as a greater life expectancy implies that there is a good healthcare system
• Literacy rate (in %)
- Literacy rate shows the number of people that can read and write
- Literacy rate shows a countries level of development as a greater literacy rate implies that the education system is good
Economic Indicators
• GNP per capita (in $)
- GNP per capita shows the value of all goods and services produced in a year by a country divided by the population
- GNP per capita implies shows a countries level of development as a higher GNP per capita implies that there is money that can be spent on schools and hospitals
• Energy used per person (in Watts)
- Energy used per person shows the amount of energy used by a country
- Energy user per person shows a countries level of development as this indicator is high then there are lots of wealthy people in the country that can spend money on heating and electricity
What are the problems with using single indicators as a measurement of a countries level of development? (6)
• They are averages, which could disguise wide internal variations (Some very wealthy, majority in poverty)
• Some regions may be much better of than others (Regional disparities in Brazil)
• GNP figures may be inflated by oil revenues, where as other indicators may be very low (Almost half of Saudi Arabia’s GNP is from oil)
• Certain indicators may be irrelevant to the real quality of life in many poorer ELDS’s (TV’s per household when there is no electricity supply)
• One indicator is not enough on its own (Being illiterate doesn’t make up for being hungry or ill)
• GNP has to be converted to common currency
(Monetary calculations change daily)
What are the advantages and disadvantages of using a composite measure of development (Human Development Index)? (8)
Advantages
• Allows comparisons between countries
• HDI is a mixture of social and economic indicators so gives more realistic idea of actual standard of living
• Reduces ‘Fluke’ factor as there’s more than one indicator
• Can be adjusted to show scored for men and women which highlights any gender inequality
Disadvantages
• HDI gives relative figures, so if all countries improve at the same rate then poorer countries will never climb up
• Only 3 sets of data are used, so doesn’t reflect all factors
• Using different variations of indicators gives different results
• It can still hide internal differences in a country
Reasons for differences in levels of development BETWEEN developing countries (12)
• Different levels of Mineral reserves (Saudi Arabia)
- Countries can sell resources to make money, which provides more industry and job opportunities
• Political Instability (Sudan)
- A country won’t develop of the working age population are fighting instead of working
• Natural Disaster (Bangladesh)
- Money is spent on repairing roads, buildings and railways instead of education and healthcare
• Corrupt Government (Zimbabwe)
- Most of country’s money is in the hands of a few people who don’t use it to improve standards of living
• Tourism (Brazil)
- Growth of tourism allows more jobs to be available, increasing living standards
• Disease (Lesotho)
- Working age population with AIDS don’t work, decreasing productivity and country’s income
Reasons for differences in levels of development WITHIN a developing country (15)
India
• Punjab Region (Farming is prosperous)
- Fertile alluvial soil
- Most mechanised farms in India
• Mumbai Region (Attracts Industry)
- Best transport systems in India
- Educated, English workforce
• Kerala Region (Best according to social indicators)
- State uses its money to improve quality of life
- Farms no bigger than 10 hectares, more equal society
• Himalayas & Thar Desert (40% of people live in poverty)
- Very remote with poor transport systems
- Climate problems result in crop failures
• Shanty Town in Dharavi (Poor quality of life)
- No proper housing
- No proper sanitation
What are the Physical and Human factors that put people at risk of Malaria? (8)
Physical Factors
• The vector must be presents (Female Anopheles)
• Climate must be hot and wet
• Temperature has to be right (15-40 degrees Celsius)
• There must be areas of stagnant water (So eggs can be laid)
Human Factors
• Bare skin exposed allows mosquito to infect person
• Settlements of people must be nearby to allows mosquitos to thrive
• Man made areas of stagnant water (eg. Irrigation, Reservoirs)
• If people do not complete courses of drugs, so Malaria might not be completely eradicated from bloodstream
How can Malaria be treated, and how effective are these methods? (20)
• Insecticides can be used
- DDT and Malathion are examples of insecticides
- They aren’t effective, as mosquitoes can develop a resistance to insecticides
• Mustard seeds can be thrown into water with mosquito larvae in them
- The mustard seeds become wet and sticky in water, so attach to the larvae and drown them
- This isn’t’ effective as this is wasteful of feed, particularly in very poor areas
• Larvae eating fish can be bred in ponds
- Muddy loaches are examples of these type of fish
- This is effective as the fish can be an additional source of food for locals containing protein
• Genetic engineering could be used
- You could engineer sterile male mosquitoes so they don’t breed
- This is very effective as it reduces the population of mosquitoes, but is very expensive
• Oral drugs could be used
- Larium and Malarone are types of oral drugs
- They are effective but not practical, as Larium has bad side effects, including nightmares, and Malarone is very expensive
• Artemisinin plant extracts can be used
- This is a traditional Chinese malaria treatment
- This is effective but not practical, as the plant takes 18 months to grow
• Further research into a vaccine
- The MVI is an example of a medical research organisation
- This is not currently effective as money is being put elsewhere so is not advancing
• Education on the use of insect repellants
- Covering skin at Dawn/Dusk
- This is effective as it makes sure you’re protected during the day and during sleep at night
• Providing Insecticide Treated Bed Nets
- This covers the user’s bed at night while sleeping
- This is not effective as many people in rural areas believe evil sprits leave the body at night, so don’t use them
• International Malaria Campaigns
- The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is an organisation that raises money for Malaria treatment
- This is effective, but only when billions of dollars are raised, which is not practical
How would the eradication/control of Malaria benefit developing countries? (6)
• There would be huge savings in terms of money
- Less money spent on health & medicine
• The working age population would be healthier
- This would increase productivity and income
• There would be a longer life expectancy
- There would also be decreases infant mortality rates
• Scarce financial resources could be spent elsewhere
- For example, on housing and education
• More tourists and foreign investment may be attracted if there was less risk of disease
- This could lead to more job opportunities and less unemployment
• There may be a possible reduction in birth rates due to fall in infant mortality rates
- More people having full, healthier lives ahead
Describe and explain Primary Health strategies used in developing countries (10)
• Oral Dehydration Therapy
- This is an easy, cheap and effective method of helping children with diarrhoea using salt solution
• Barefoot Doctors in rural villages
- These doctors are trusted local people who can recognise and treat common diseases
• Use of vaccination programmes against diseases such as Measles
- This is preventative medicine rather than curative medicine, so is cheaper and more practical
• Use of health education schemes in schools, like community songs concerning AIDS
- Oral education is much more effective in illiterate countries like South Sudan
• Building small local health centres staffed by local doctors
- This is good as doctors tend to be there on a voluntary basis so those who can’t afford healthcare can get help
• Using local labourers to build health facilities such as latrines
- This improves sanitation but also provides training for those building them, and gains them more acceptance in the local community
