Epidemiological Transition

Question 1

Who proposed the idea of epidemiological transition and when?

Answer 1

Abdul Omran in 1971

Question 2

What does the epidemiological transition model suggest?

Answer 2

The process of socio-economic development accounts for a transition over time from infectious diseases to chronic and degenerative diseases.

Question 3

What can cause development of a country on the epidemiological transition model ?

Answer 3

Advances in medical technology, disease prevention, sickness therapy and treatment.

Question 4

What are the life characteristics of the age of pestilence and famine?

Answer 4

Mortality is high and fluctuates, preventing sustained population growth.
Life expectancy is low and variable between 20 and 40 years.

Question 5

What is the first stage in the epidemiological transition model?

Answer 5

The age of pestilence and famine.

Question 6

What causes low growth patterns in the age of pestilence and famine?

Answer 6

Wars, famine, epidemic outbreak.

Question 7

What is the second stage on the epidemiological transition model?

Answer 7

The age of receding pandemics.

Question 8

What are the life characteristics of the age of receding pandemics?

Answer 8

Mortality rates decline as disease epidemics occur less frequently.
Average life expectancy increases and population growth is sustained and begins to rise exponentially. 30-50 years

Question 9

What causes increasing growth in the age of receding pandemics?

Answer 9

Advances in medicine, development of healthcare systems.

Question 10

What caused half of the deaths in the 19th century to be prevented?

Answer 10

Clean water being provided by public utilities thanks to John Snow.

Question 11

What breakthrough medicine in 1928 caused a dramatic decline in deaths worldwide?

Answer 11

Penicillin by Alexander Flemming.

Question 12

What is the third stage of the epidemiological transition model?

Answer 12

The age of degenerative and man made diseases.

Question 13

What are the life characteristics of the age of degenerative and man made diseases?

Answer 13

Mortality continues to decline and reaches stability at a low level.
Life expectancy increases to more than 50 years and fertility becomes a more important factor to population growth.

Question 14

What causes stable mortality and high life expectancy in the age of degenerative and man made diseases?

Answer 14

Infectious disease pandemics are replaced by non-communicable degenerative diseases as the main causes of death.
In short: Infectious agents as the major contributor to morbidity as mortality are overtaken by anthropogenic causes.

Question 15

What is the fourth and last stage of the epidemiological transition model?

Answer 15

The age of delayed degenerative diseases.

Question 16

What are the life characteristics of the age of delayed degenerative diseases?

Answer 16

Declining mortality rates are concentrated at advanced ages. Life expectancy increases to 70-80 years.

Question 17

What are the mortality trends for the age of delayed degenerative diseases?

Answer 17

Causes of mortality stay the same as stage 3 but distribution is delayed until older ages.

Question 18

What causes the delay in disease in the age of delayed degenerative diseases?

Answer 18

New treatments, prevention and health promotion.

Question 19

What are the three types of epidemiological transition model?

Answer 19

Classical/western model.
Accelerated model.
Contemporary/delayed model.

Question 20

What does the classical/western model tend to show?

Answer 20

A slow decline in death rates followed by lower fertility.

Question 21

What does the accelerated model tend to show?

Answer 21

More rapid transition; falls in mortality take place over a shorter period of time.

Question 22

What does the contemporary/delayed model tend to show?

Answer 22

Recent decreases in mortality are not accompanied by a decline in fertility because infant and maternal mortality remain relatively high.

Question 23

What three sets of factors did Omran suggest encouraged reduced fertility rates?

Answer 23

Bio-physiologic factors.
Socio-economic factors.
Psychological or emotional factors.

Question 24

How do bio-physiological factors encourage reduced fertility?

Answer 24

Reduced infant mortality and the expectation of longer life in the parents.

Question 25

How do socio-economic factors encourage reduced fertility?

Answer 25

Childhood survival and the economic perceptions of a larger family size.

Question 26

How do psychological or emotional factors encourage reduced fertility?

Answer 26

Society changes its rationale and opinion on family size; parental energies are redirected to qualitative aspects of child-rearing.

Question 27

Name 3 infectious diseases.

Answer 27

Influenza, yellow fever, smallpox, malaria, tuberculosis.

Question 28

Name 3 chronic and degenerative non-communicable diseases.

Answer 28

CHD, cancer, dementia.

Question 29

Where is the transition evident?

Answer 29

In most developed countries

Question 30

What do critics question about the epidemiological transition model?

Answer 30

Whether or not the transition has actually taken place during the 20th century or not. They suggest the increase in chronic disease may be an illusion resulting from more advanced medical technologies being able to diagnose diseases that previously existed undiagnosed giving the appearance of new chronic illnesses.

Question 31

What will occur as a result of the epidemiological transition model according to the WHO?

Answer 31

There will be dramatic changes in the world’s heath needs in the next two decades.

Question 32

At present, what percentage of lifestyle and behaviour is linked to global burden and disease?

Answer 32

20-25%.

Question 33

What does the epidemiological transition model suggest about healthcare in LEDC’s?

Answer 33

It will need to adapt if it wishes to increase life expectancy and decrease mortality.