Variations in health and life expectancy Flashcards
Why is the Democratic Republic of the Congo underdeveloped?
Despite having vast reserves of gold, silver, copper, cobalt, zinc and diamonds, this has led to both civil wars and conflicts with other countries which have caused the death of 6 million people - most of which resulted from disease and malnutrition as a result of disrupted food supply.
Evidence of the Democratic Republic of the Congo being underdeveloped?
GDP per capita - $800 (3rd lowest in the world)
HDI - 0.338 (2012) 2nd lowest in the world
Life expectancy - 56 years
Food security - 40% of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition
Water supply - 47% of the population is supplied with unimproved water
Schooling - 40% of children aged 5-14 are forced to work
Healthcare - 37% of Congolese people have no access to medical care
Infant and maternal mortality - Highest in the world (most women have children before 20)
How does Algeria contrast with the Democratic Republic of the Congo?
Between 1980 and 2014
-GDP per capita has increased by roughly 30%
-Life expectancy has increased by 16.6 years to 76
- HDI rose from 0.574 to 0.736
The number of years of expected schooling rose by 4.5 years (still low literacy rates)
Oil resources generate 36% of Algeria’s GDP and 98% of its export earnings. Extreme poverty halved between 1999 and 2015. However, 20% of the rural population lacks access to safe sanitation
What causes variation in health and life expectancy in the developed world?
Factors affecting life expectancy and health in the developed world include:
-Quality of education
-Income
-Level of deprivation
-Lifestyle factors and dietary choices
-Access to preventative healthcare
In the UK:
- The South typically enjoys higher life expectancies and better health than the North (top 10 all in Southern England, bottom 10 all in Northern England and Scotland)
-Coastal towns typically have lower life expectancy and worse health than inland towns
-Males live 2.6 fewer years on average
In the North East, 29.1% of people aged 50-64 and 48.7% of people over 65 live in poor health compared to 20.3% and 37.6% in the South East
Employment rates of people aged 50-64 in the North East are 68% compared to 74.5% in the South East
Blackpool has the lowest life expectancy for men (73.1). Hart has the highest life expectancy for men (83.4)
Glasgow has the lowest life expectancy for females (78.3). Chelsea has the highest life expectancy for women (86.5)
Variations in life expectancy in Brazil
South Eastern regions of Brazil typically have the highest life expectancy. States like Rio Grande do Sol and Santa Caterina have life expectancies of 77.2 and 78.4 respectively. In the Northern states such as Roraima and Maranhão have lower life expectancy at 70.9 and 70.0 respectively. This is likely due to the fact that the South Eastern regions contain the main economic districts and thus have higher incomes and can access higher quality private education and healthcare, whilst the presence of indigenous groups, who have no access to healthcare or education, in the Northern district may be the reason for lower life expectancy.
Variations within countries - Australian and the Aboriginal population
Australia’s life expectancy - 79.7 for men and 83.1 for women.
Indigenous people account for 3% of the Australian population. their life expectancy is 10.6 years lower in men and 9.5 years lower in women. This is believed to be due to several factors:
- Poor housing
-Dispossession of traditional lands
- low education
-high unemployment
-Politicians not addressing problems faced by Aboriginals
- Substance abuse
The root cause of this is ethnic discrimination. Furthermore, many Aboriginal populations lack the transport to access healthcare facilities, however, this is not just due to Aboriginals choosing to live in remote areas (such as the outback) 25% of the Aboriginal population live in such areas - compared to 30% who live in major cities.
