Week 9 material Flashcards
What is demography
the science of human populations
it includes…
- population size
- population density
- age structure
- migration
- socioeconomic status
- urbanization
Demographics usually means the characteristics of a population
Example: education level, income, ethnicity, etc.
What is social demography
It measures the impact of economics, society, biology, and culture on population growth
Why are demographics important to infectious diseases
Due to populations growing and there being shifts, factors like…
- population density
- urbanization
- migration patterns
- access to healthcare
- poverty
- age structure and fertility rates
influences the spread and severity of infectious diseases
How does poverty influence the spread and severity of infectious diseases
- This is associated with poor living conditions + overcrowding
- Causes limited access to clean water + sanitation
- Malnutrition is a risk factor for both communicable + non-communicable diseases
- Lower literacy rates + health education leads to not being aware of preventative measures
How does population density and urbanization influence the spread and severity of infectious diseases
- P.D. increases transmission of some infections
- Urbanization impacts human contact with animals + influences zoonotic diseases
- Urban residence vs. rural residence impacts the healthcare infrastructure + access to the resources
How does migration + mobility influence the spread and severity of infectious diseases
People moving b/w regions impacts…
- population density
- population distribution
- access to healthcare
- Contributes to the spread of diseases via traveland migration
- Important for many emerging infections
How does age structure + fertility rates influence the spread and severity of infectious diseases
- Age impacts disease susceptibility (different age groups can be more vulnerable or susceptible to a disease and there can be a lot of people in the population in this age group)
- Changes in the age structure can influence *healthcare needs + availability**
- High fertility rates -> rapid population growth -> overwhelms health systems causing limited resources and inadequate treatment + prevention
Example: women with limited maternal health and screening resources can be more vulnerable to perinatal infections
What is the demographic transition model
It predicts the changing birth, death, and population growth rates as countries industrialize
Helps with understanding and predicting population trends in countries
What are the limitations of the demographic transition model
- Not applicable to all countries due to it being based on the country’s patterns of growth in the western world and with industrialization
- Migration is NOT considered
- Large scale global challenges (climate change or pandemics) are NOT considered
- Fertility rates that can vary doesn’t work with this model
What are tools we can use to understand demography
World Mapper
- Data visualization project that represents global demographic, social and economic data using cartograms
- The territories are sized to represent the specific variable, NOT the geographic areas
Gapminder
What is positive checks
Factors that increased the death rate
Example:
- Famine
- Disease
- War
What is preventive checks
Factors that decreased the birth rate
Example:
- Moral restrain: delaying. marriage or abstinence
- Postponement of childbirth
Who is Thomas Robert Malthus
- Demographer + political economist
- Best known for his influential views on population growth
What was Thomas Malthus’ predictions and what did he fail to predict
Predictions:
The global population would steeply increase after the industrial revolution
- Human pop. would continue to grow geometrically
- Food production would grow arithmetically due to diminishing marginal returns OR less than arithmetically
Failed to Predict:
1. The impact of industrial revolution on food production
- The “opening” of new lands
- Declines in fertility rates
What are 3 direct factors + indirect factors that make up the population dynamics
Direct Factors:
- Incoming Populations (births + immigration)
- Exiting Populations (mortality + emigration)
- Longevity (how long people live)
Indirect Factors:
- Economy
- Infrastructure + Development
- Urbanization
- Globalization
- Water/Clean Water
- Energy
- Health Care
- Agriculture
- Nutrition + Sanitation
- Medicine
- War/Trade War
What do population pyramids show
The age distribution in the population with the division of males and females
How is the demographics in Canada changing?
Aging Population
- Increase in elderly population
- Median age has increased due to baby boomer generation aging
- The median age increasing causes challenges for healthcare, pensions, and the labour market
- Shift is expected to continue
- Trend of later marriages + delayed childbearing also contributes to this
Fertility Rates
- Declining - below 2.1 kids per woman
- Has significantly declined since the 70’s
Immigration
- Contributed to the growth of the population
- Significant increase in immigrants from the 70’s onwards
What are demographic measures
Rates + ratios that..
- Makes inferences about a population
- Act as an indicator for the overall health of a specific population
- Indicates where the important disparities are
What are incoming population + longevity measures
of live births/1000 women of childbearing age (~15-49)
Total fertility rate
(by the end of her reproductive life)
Crude birth rate
number of live births/1000 people
Adolescent fertility rate
number of live births/1000 women ages 15-19
Life expectancy at birth
- usually by sex
What are some outgoing population measures
Crude Death Rate:
number of death/ 1000 people
Infant Mortality:
number of deaths in children less than 1 year old/ 1000 live births
Child Mortality:
number of death in children less than 5 years old/ 1000 live births
Maternal Mortality:
number of pregnant related caused deaths/ 100000 live births
Why did some parents of 2-year-old children not vaccinate their children
Concerns about the risk of side effects
Didn’t think it was necessary
Not confident in the effectiveness
