IB Geography
H E A L T H
SYLLABUS AS DESCRIBED BY IB: Variations in health: 1.1 Describe the variations in health as reflected by changes in life expectancy at national and global scales since 1950.
1.2 Explain the patterns and trends in terms of differences in income and lifestyle Measuring health:
Evaluate life expectancy, infant mortality rate (IMR) and child mortality, HALE (health adjusted life expectancy), calorie intake, access to safe water and access to health services as indicators of health.
Prevention relative to treatment: Discuss the geographic factors that determine the relative emphasis placed by policy makers, in one country or region, on prevention as opposed to treatment of disease.
Life expectancy has improved globally?
The map to the left is an indication of how life expectancy around the world has changed since as early as 1770 - 2013.
The life expactancy in Asisa and Africa were both lower than the Global Average until 1970 after which Asian life expectancy exceeded the Global Average. Africa has remained below the glbal average since life expectancy since it begun to be measured. It remained very low at 25 from 1770 to about 1925, when it begun an exponentional increase. A sudden drop was experienced in the 2000, but has begun to increase which can be due to increased availablity of clean water sources, food and education.
Europe, Oceania and the Americas as they continue to develop at a similar rat, ranging from 80 to 76. Europe intially started of as the lowest of the 3, expericing a dip in the 1800s, but all three regions saw an exponentional increase in their life expectancies from 30 in 1860, and there have not been any setbacks or dips in the life expectancies since then.
Below is a look at the Life expectancy around the world in 2012
Europe: 80
Oceania: 78
Americas: 76
Asia & Global Average: 70
Africa: 58
Life expectancy has improved globally?
Health Terminology
Measuring Health Indicators
Notes on Life Expectancy
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The notes on Life Expectancy are on an article by Max Roser. The notes focus on section 2,4,6, 10 and 11.
Life Expectancy article by Max Roser.
The activity required us to 5 countries with a life expectancy between 40-50 yrs, 50-60 yrs, 60-70 yrs, 70-80 yrs, and finally one above 80 yrs. The image above is an indication of how life expectancy has changed from 1950 to 2010 in 5 different countrries with varying life expactancies. Of the group, Australia has had the highest life expectancy since 1950. There has been a gradual change, as it was at 69 in 1950 and has now reached 81.8. The increase in the life expectancy of Australia has also been consistent, there were never any significant decreases or events that threatend the life expectancy of the nation.
The lowest life expectancy has been for Sierra Leone, which has had a consistently low life expectancy. There are numerous reasons for this, and there is a noticable decrease in life expectancy in the late 90's and early 2000's. This is due partially to Civil war (1991-2001). This has caused nearly half the country's 4.5 million population displaced. Since then, Sierra Leone life expectancy has been steadily increasing
Kenya is another African country on the list with a life expectancy that begun in the 40's and has now increased to 57. While this is not great, it is important to note gradual progress. African countries normally have lower life expectancies due to lack of access to clean water and sanitation adequate sanitation.
The Phillipines and Poland have both increased slowly in life expectancy over the years. It can be said that all five countries are showing increases in life expectancy, which will only continue in the future.
Questions to ponder:
How does income relate to life expectancy
How Relavant is life expactancy as indicator of health?
The aim of the video is to explain the relationship between life expectancy and GDP per capita. He explained that people live longer in countries with a high GDP per capita. He also pointed out that there are no examples of high income countries that have short life expectancy, and no examples of low income countries have long life expectancy.
Overall, the video is very insightful and provides intersting and important statistics such as these:
Key Facts
1. Low Income: GDP per capita: 500usd - no life expeectancy above 64
2. Middle income: life expectancy ranges from 50 - 75
3. High Income: GDP per capita: 50,000usd - no life expectancy below 74
Life expectancy & GDP
The graph to the right displays the relationship between life expectancy and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita.
It has been noted that countries with higher GDP have a higher life expectancy.
Not all countries move along the same curve due to the varied determinants of health. Countries that have the same per capita GDP may still have different life expectancies.
As the graph suggests, per capita GDP is not the only determinant, since time (and all other determinants that come along with it) also has a great impact seen by the differences in life expectancies even with the per capita GDP over time.
Furthermore, at low income levels per capita further increases in income are associated with increases in life expectancy, but at high levels of income, increased income has no significant change in life expectancy.
NB: The relationship between life expectancy and per capita income is known as the Preston Curve.
Life expectancy & Income levels notes
Life expectancy & Income levels article
Preventions & Treatment
Why prevention is worth a ton of cure
Treatment
There are 3 key aspects of medical care to which patients have varying degrees of access
1. Health proffesionals
2.Medication
3. Other therapies
These aspects are treatment based. Patient access is dependent on their ability to pay & access to said services. Poorer sections of society are often excluded. This makes them more vulnerable to disease
There are 2 approaches to improving the health of a population:
1. Curative – treatment of disease (adopted by most health systems)
2. Primary – treatment mixed with prevention of disease, and prevention of escalation of disease
Preventation
Considered less costly & a more effective way of containing disease.
Improvements in domestic hygeine can be adopted to minimize infection spreading,
Example: Long time breastfeeding improves childrens resistance to disease
Example: Promotion of contraception to minimize th sprea of HIV & other infections