Human Geo 2.3 Questions Flashcards
Where is the high expenditure (spending) on health care in developed countries reflected?
Medical facilities.
What percentage of health-care costs do government programs pay for in most European countries?
More than 70%. Private individuals pay less than 30%.
In the United States, private individuals are required to pay an average of 55% of health care, which closely resembles the pattern in what other countries?
Developing countries. The United States is an exception to the pattern that in developed countries, the government typically pays for most of the health care.
In developed countries, economic growth has slowed in recent years while the percentage of people needing public assistance has increased, governments have been faced with what choice?
Governments have faced a choice between reducing benefits and increasing taxes to pay for them. In the past, this wasn’t a problem because rapid economic growth permitted these states to finance generous programs with little difficulty, but in recent years it has become a problem.
In some of the poor countries, threats to health and sustainability are not so much ______ as ________.
financial, environmental.
What % of all government spending does spending on health care exceed in Europe and North America compared to what % in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia?
In Europe and North America, it is more than 15%. In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, it is less than 5%. This indicates that developed countries spend both more on health care but also spend a higher % of their wealth on health care.
Has the global maternal mortality rate increased or decreased over time?
It has decreased. In 1990, the MMR was 385. In 2016, the MMR was 216.
What are the two most common causes of maternal death in poor countries?
Heavy bleeding, followed by high blood pressure.
Why do developed countries have lower MMRs than developing countries?
Developing countries have medical facilities, advanced technologies, and trained personnel to limit the incidence of life-threatening conditions during childbirth. Physicians can monitor and treat conditions prior to delivery and manage complications during and after delivery.
Why is the MMR in the US (14) higher than in other developed countries?
The higher rate is attributable to difficulties faced by people with low incomes in the US in gaining access to health care. Women who lack health insurance are 4 times more likely to die of a pregnancy-related complication than those with insurance.
Why are there over 117 million “missing” females throughout Asia over the past several decades?
As a result of gender-based sex selection. The females are “missing” either because the fetus was aborted before birth, the female baby was killed in infancy, or the newborn female is being raised somewhere remote and not reported to census and health officials.
The standard biological sex ratio (105:100) is characteristic of the developed regions of North America and Europe as well as in the developing regions of Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. In what two countries is the sex ratio tipped in favor of males?
China (114:100) and India (112:100).
Why have efforts to ban gender-based sex selection been ineffective in China and India?
Because people seek out unregulated providers of these services. An ultrasound can reveal the gender of a fetus before birth, allowing parents to abort a baby girl. If a baby girl is born, her parents may hide her from authorities in a remote rural area, and she may recieve less food and health care than a baby boy.
What practical problem is the widespread practice of sex selection in China and India creating?
These countries are left with an enourmous surplus of men who are unable to find women to marry.
As countries progress through the demographic transition, they face:
Increasing percentages of older people who need adequate levels of income and medical care after they retire from their jobs.
