Population and the Environment, Global health

Question 1

What is mortality?

Answer 1

• the death in a country
• shown in the death rate

Question 2

What is Morbidity?

Answer 2

• the illness or poor health of a population
• shown in prevalence rate
  > total number of cases of a disease in a population at a given time/ the total population
• shown in the incidence rate
  >the rate or time at which persons become ill
  > used to measure numbers of new cases of an illness

Question 3

What is the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic?

Answer 3

• epidemic is a disease being widespread in the community
• pandemic is a disease being widespread over a whole country/countries or effecting multiple continents

Question 4

What are factors effecting health and morbidity?

Answer 4

• wealth
  > people in poverty more likely to have poorer health
• occupation
  > staying at home can increase mental health problems
  > may restrict chances of gaining educational qualifications
• high alcohol consumption/ lack of exercise/poor diet/ smoking
  > increase the risk of cancer and heart disease
  > these cause the highest rate of mortality in the UK
• availability of heathcare services
  > how much pressure they are under
  > accessibility, urban/rural

Question 5

What are factors of mortality in HDE/UK?

Answer 5

• Wealth
  > healthy food is more expensive
  > increase of 58% of takeaway outlets in poorer areas from 1990-2008, only 30% in least deprived areas (Norfolk)
• Age
  > different age groups perceive their health needs differently
  >older groups more likely to have plans in place for future health needs, be more informed of preventative strategies and have more routine health checks
• Gender
  > women are more likely to make health decisions
  > both in preventative measures and regular GP visits
• Environment/climate
  >UK is more prone to pneumonia, influenzas and common cold due to warmer winters
  > some cancers linked with overexposure to solar radiation is less risky
• Environment/ Urbanisation
  > high density of population are at a greater risk of depression and schizophrenia
• Environment/ water
  > quality and availability of water is very good, high concentration of aluminium is linked to Alzheimer’s

Question 6

What are factors of mortality in LDE/sub-Saharan Africa?

Answer 6

• one in four people is undernourished
  -malnutrition is contributory to 4 million deaths annually
• Poverty
  > lack of access to food,healthcare, clean drinking water and sanitation
• Health choices
  > constrained due to misunderstanding and prejudice
  > women are the food preparers, but have limited education or control of the income which means they have a poor understanding of dietary needs which leads to imbalanced meals lacking nutrients
• during pregnancy and childing rearing women are unlikely to have enough rest
  > increase risk of poor health
• environmental problems reduce levels of productivity
  > drought
  > desertification
  > insect infestation
  > soil erosion
  > wetland degradation

Question 7

What is epidemiological transition?

Answer 7

• outlines the way populations shift from high rates of infant mortality due to disease and famine to a higher life expectancy which man-made diseases being more likely the cause of death
• can be improved though
  > improved sanitation and nutrition
  > increased healthcare and anti-disease programmes

Question 8

Where do people live the longest?

Answer 8

• in blue zones communities
  > Sardinia, Costa Rica, Nicoya

Question 9

What physical environmental factors can effect health?

Answer 9

• water/sanitation
  > unclean drinking water. stagnant water attracts vectors of disease
• Chemical exposure
  > such as lead and asbestos are linked to cancer and heart disease
• radiation
  > from radon and other ultraviolet sources
  > can lead to cancers
• air quality
  > can cause medication conditions from both:
  > indoor pollution from cooking
  > outdoor pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions
• chemical traces found in foods
  > poisons may be harder to track to the source

Question 10

What percentage of disease cause by environmental factors?

Answer 10

• 25% of all diseases worldwide
• indoor smoke from solid foods was responsible for one million child deaths under the age of 5 according to the WHO