Population

Question 1

Health, mortality and morbidity be used as…

Answer 1

indicators of a population’s development.

Question 2

How can morbidity be measured?

Answer 2

Morbidity can be measured by disease incidence or prevalence.

Question 3

Mortality rates provide some indication of socioeconomic status of a region, give two examples of this.

Answer 3

Crude death rates are highest in all but Northern Africa - a low income region, but are also high in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Mortality is particularly low in Central America and the Middle East.

Question 4

What is considered to be a better indicator of the socioeconomics of a region? Use an example in your answer?

Answer 4

Infant mortality rate is a better indicator of the socioeconomics of a region.

Infant mortality rates are usually lower in HICs. Countries with the lowest infant mortality rates are all HICs. For example, Slovenia, Singapore and Japan have infant mortality rates of 1.51, 1.54 and 1.88 per 1000 live births respectively.

(More access to better healthcare = less death).

Question 5

What can morbidity rates be used to show?

(two things)

Answer 5

Morbidity rates can be used to show the SEVERITY of a disease in a particular country.

Morbidity rates can also be used as a reflection of the general health of the population; countries with a higher prevalence of disease may be seen a less ‘healthy’, as the proportion of people who are unwell is higher.

Question 6

Describe the difference between of the types of diseases in HICs and LICs.

Answer 6

In general, non-communicable disease are higher in HICs, whereas communicable disease are more prevalent in LICs.

Question 7

What is the mortality rate of a disease dependent on?

Answer 7

A mortality rate of a disease is dependent on the ability to treat morbidity.

Question 8

Fertility rates are lower in HICs than LICs. Give three reasons why.

Answer 8

-Less need for a larger family

-Wider access to contraceptive injections, the injection can cause a delay to the return of your fertility for up to a year.

-Emancipation of women

Question 9

What is the usual age of people who are economically active?

Answer 9

15-65

Question 10

Young dependents are under … and elderly dependents are over …

Answer 10

Young dependents are under 15 and elderly dependents are over 65.

Question 11

What does a high dependency ratio indicate?

Answer 11

A high dependency ratio indicates there are a high proportion of dependents in the population compared to the economically active. High dependency ratio’s usually indicate that there is more PRESSURE on the working population. This is because there are more people to provide for, and less people providing.

Question 12

Using examples, what are the issues of elderly populations?

Answer 12

-There is more welfare spending (i.e. pensions and other benefits). Welfare spending is the biggest source of annually managed expenditure spending in the UK, with pensioner spending the biggest item in the social security budget (accounting for 48.1 per cent of the total in 2023-24).

-Older people usually require more healthcare. This increases pressure and spending on geriatric care in the NHS. This can decrease the quality of healthcare people receive, as there is less time and resources available.

-A lower proportion of people are economically active. This will lead to lower tax revenue. Therefore, less finance is invested into improving services such as education, healthcare etc.

Question 13

What are the issues of having a high proportion of young dependents?

Answer 13

-If fertility rates do not replace the high proportion of young dependents, eventually there will be a large elderly populations, bringing the issues associated with it.

-A LARGER WORKFORCE is required to support the needs of youths, which puts pressure on services (e.g. Large class sizes in school because there are two few teachers). Therefore, the quality of services may decrease.

Question 14

What are the usual patterns for the population pyramids of LICs?

Answer 14

-LICs usually have population pyramids with wide bases, reflecting the high fertility rates.

-There is usually a large decrease in the population between the 0-4 age group and the 5-9 age group, indicating a high infant mortality rate.

-In many LICs, there is a very high dependency ratio (a high proportion of young dependents) due to high fertility rates.

Question 15

Using examples, what are the usual patterns for the population pyramids of HICs?

Answer 15

-HICs usually have a higher proportion of elderly dependents than LICs, due to better healthcare and quality of life. This reduces morbidity. For example, Niger’s age dependency ratio for elderly people was: 5% reported in 2019 (most recent observation). This is a lower value against a global average of 85.1%.

-In some HICs, there may be large proportion of economically active people. This is known as DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND.

-HICs may have an AGEING POPULATION. This causes a high proportion of elderly dependents.

Question 16

In general, life expectancy is higher in HICs that are more developed.

Use an example to support this.

Answer 16

This is demonstrated by Western/Northern Europe, Australia, Canada and Japan having the highest life expectancies (80-85). These countries (aside from Japan) had higher life expectancies in the 40s/50s in comparison to the rest of the world.

Question 17

Why do LICs have the lowest life expectancies?

Answer 17

LICs have the lowest life expectancies. This is most likely due to poorer healthcare, water quality, sanitation etc. causing higher morbidity.

Question 18

LICs have the lowest life expectancies.

Use an example to support this.

Answer 18

Sub-Saharan African countries have the lowest life expectancies. For example, in 2021, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has a life expectancy of 59.19 and Nigeria had a life expecntancy of 52.68. Although this life expectancy has increased significantly since 1945, where may countries in Africa had life expectancies that were under 40.

Question 19

The RATE OF CHANGE of life expectancies is reflective of the RATE OF DEVELOPMENT.

Explain this concept.

Answer 19

HICs were at more stable state of development before LICs. This means that the rate at which the life expectancy has increased is SLOWER in HICs. In Africa, contrastingly, the life expectancy has grown RAPIDLY, but is still low.

Question 20

Giving reasons, explain why the infant mortality rate is higher in less-developed countries.

Answer 20

-There is little to no access to specialist care for babies (especially in countries such as Somalia and Afghanistan). This means that birth complications with newborns cannot be rectified easily and safely. This causes morbidity in many children, which can lead to infant mortality.

-Poor sanitation and poor access to clean drinking water causes infections, illness and dehydration.

-Food insecurity will cause malnutrition and illness, often leading to death.

Question 21

What does the Demographic Transition Model?

Answer 21

The Demographic Transition model shows how the birth rate and death rate change over time, and how this affects the population numbers. In general, birth rates and death rates have both decreased.

Question 22

Describe and explain stage 1 on the DTM

Answer 22

-High fluctuating death rates and birth rates. High death rates due to high levels of disease, pestilence and famine. Also, the birth rate is high as birth control (e.g. Condoms, IUDs) is virtually non-existent.

-Population remains CONSTANT and LOW, as birth rates do not exceed the equally high death rates.

-Population is dependent on food, meaning any limits to food supply (e.g. from natural disasters such as droughts) would significantly decrease the population.

-In general, there are very few communities that are still in stage 1 of the model, aside from tribal communities (e.g. Maasai warriors).

Question 23

Describe and explain stage 2 of the DTM.

Answer 23

-This stage is characterised by a fall in death rates. This is because of major societal developments, for example, the Agricultural Revolution.

-Advancements in healthcare, hygiene, and general living standards lowers the incidence of disease. This causes fewer deaths.

-Furthermore, increased food security also leads to less famines, thereby lowering the death rates.

-Birth rates remain high and do not increase. This leads to a rapid increase in population due to natural increase (the birth rate is higher than the death rate).

-Countries in the Middle East such as Iraq and Yemen fall into this category. Also, sub-Saharan countries such as Niger and Uganda are in this category.

Question 24

Describe and explain stage 3 of the DTM.

Answer 24

In this stage, birth rates start to fall due to cultural and social changes (further societal developments).

This is because of:

The emancipation of women: Women’s rights become more recognised societally; it has become more socially acceptable for women to choose whether they wish to have children, and how many they choose to have (emancipation of women). Women are no longer seen as child bearers, but instead pursue careers. Therefore, reducing the birth rate.

Contraception: Developments in science and the right for women to choose both led to the development of contraceptive methods for birth control. The availability of contraception allow birth rates to fall.

Question 25

Explain why there is a reduced need for a large family in stage three of the DTM.

Answer 25

There is a reduced need for large families. This is because as a society develops, the need for large family is reduced.
In the past, children were assets to a family for labour (e.g. providing work on farms). As society develops, there is a shift in industry causing there to be less need for large families (e.g. living in an urbanised area). Furthermore, there is a lower infant mortality rate, so it is now recognised that there isn’t a need for many children to ensure that some survive (this is due to better maternal services, sanitation and hygiene).

Question 26

Explain how education and change in societal values affects a population in stage 3 of the DTM.

Answer 26

There is increased access to education. This means that there will be higher literacy rates. In particular, higher literacy rates will allow women to pursue careers instead of marrying at an early age for financial stability. Furthermore, society’s view of the ‘ideal family’ changes (it is no longer an expectation to have a large family). Both of these factors cause a decline in birth rates.

Question 27

Explain why food production is unevenly distributed?

Answer 27

Food production is unevenly distributed, with LICs producing the least amount of crops. The richest countries have the largest food supplies, meaning they produce enough food for their population. This production trend varies crop by crop, usually due to environmental limitations in other countries, meaning consequent lower crops.

Question 28

What is food security?

Answer 28

Food security is the concept of having available, accessible, and affordable food that is safe and nutritious, so that many people have a healthy lifestyle.

Question 29

How many people globally experience chronic hunger and why?

Answer 29

1 in 10 people globally experience chronic hunger as they do not have access to sufficient food.

Question 30

How may environmental factors cause food shortages?

Answer 30

-Crops need to be in certain conditions to thrive. They need the right amount of water, sunlight and heat in order to survive. In extreme climates, there may be food shortages because of food cannot grow there.

-Climatic hazards such as floods, droughts, tropical storms, and wildfires can be detrimental to crops and livestock. Annual crops yields can have a significant decrease by these events, causing food shortages.

Question 31

How can economic factors cause food shortages?

Answer 31

-LICs may lack funding for agricultural technology and innovation (e.g. genetically modified crops such as golden rice, equipment such as combine harvesters, equipment to store crops etc). This causes less productivity and thus food shortages.

-In countries with low agricultural productivity (e.g. SSAs), there is still opportunity to import food from other countries where productivity is higher. However, this is expensive, thus making it an unaffordable option for LICs.

Question 32

How political factors cause food shortages?

Use an example.

Answer 32

-Wars and severe political instability can majorly disrupt food supplies in a country. Higher death rates, IDPs (especially agricultural workers) and disruption can make it difficult to source food through growing it or importing it. According to the integrated food security phase application (IPC), half of the population in Gaza (about 1.11 million) experiencing catastrophic food insecurity This is because of Israel’s assault of the Gaza strip which has lead to damaged food warehouses and roads that are used to transport humanitarian aid.

-Global links, e.g. trade agreements, can affect food supplies. Populations may be subject to food shortages if their country has poor diplomatic relations with other countries.

Question 33

Using an example, what are the economic effects of food shortages?

Answer 33

When agricultural yields fail, food prices prices can increase dramatically (as supply significantly decreases). For example, in 2016 maize prices in Malawi were 192% higher than the 5-year average (many crops failed due to extreme climatic event El Nino). When food prices rise, people can no longer afford a variety of food. This leads to widespread malnutrition and famines are common when there are food shortages. Severe malnutrition can causes diseases such as rickets.

Question 34

What is the effect of food shortages where biologically transmitted disease are common?

Answer 34

In areas where biologically transmitted diseases are common, malnutrition promotes acute and chronic infections (e.g. Malaria, measles).

Question 35

Food shortages cause people to eat low quality food. What is the problem of this?

Answer 35

Low quality of food can leave people vulnerable to a range of illnesses if the food is contaminated, such as salmonella and norovirus

Question 36

Strategies to increase food supply. How can access to food supply be increased?

Answer 36

-Increasing a country’s access to foreign markets means they can import food, increasing food security.

-Trading agreements such as a trade bloc (e.g. NAFTA, EU) can be a very beneficial to a country that is struggling to provide enough food for its population.

-Natural Disasters and conflict can causes food security to become dangerously limited. Food aid (especially from oragnistations such as the World Food Programme) can also increase food security

Question 37

Strategies to increase food supply. How can the amount of food supply be increased?

(technology)

Answer 37

Strategies and new technology (e.g. GM crops) can increase the yield and nutritional value of crops. Thus, increasing food security.

Question 38

Strategies to increase food supply. How can the efficiency of food production be increased?

Use an example.

(equipment)

Answer 38

-Better equipment (e.g. combine harvesters) and better managements can produce more crops in less time, helping affordability and availability of food.

-The Green Revolution (mid 20th century) there was an increase use of fertilisers/pesticides, mechanisation, irrigation and development of high yielding varieties (HYVs) in areas such as India. This increased the efficiency of food production, thus leading to an increase in food security.

Question 39

What does Practical Action do?

Answer 39

Practical Action works to show people practical ways to overcome issues such as food insecurity. By increasing efficiency of food practices, the amount of food and its quality is increased. For example, Practical Action have worked to incorporate rain water harvesting in disadvantaged communities to save drinking water and agriculture

Question 40

What does GAFSP do?

Answer 40

GAFSP is a global partnership that supports sustainable agriculture in developing countries. It works to increase the efficiency of smallholder farmers. For example, a GAFSP funded programme in Rwanda increased some yields by 30%. This is done through teaching communities efficient food practices such as crop drying and making compost.

Question 41

Give examples of regions with high crop yields and explain why there is a high yield.

Answer 41

Eastern Asia, North America and Western Europe have consistent high yields, due to the availability of resources, such as nutrients and water. For example, Eastern Asia receives high amounts of rainfall, facilitating in crop growth.

Question 42

Give example of regions with moderate yields explain why there is a moderate yield.

Answer 42

India, South America, Western Africa have moderate yields, but can be at risk of environmental limitations, such as droughts and flooding, especially due to climate change.

Question 43

Give examples of regions with almost no crop growth and explain why this this.

Answer 43

Central Australia, Saharan Africa, Eastern Russia have little if no crop growth to feed the population. This is due to extreme environmental limitations such as droughts and temperatures unsuitable for crop growth.

Question 44

What is population ecology?

Answer 44

Population ecology is the study of how the environment affects population factors, such as size, distribution, density, age-sex composition etc.

Question 45

What is the carrying capacity?

Answer 45

The carrying capacity is the maximum population that can be supported in an environment without the environment being severely degraded.

Question 46

What happens if the carrying capacity is reached?

Answer 46

If the carrying capacity is reached it can have effects on the population as resources are no longer available to support the population. This is thought to lead to an increase in death rates and fall in birth rates until population numbers can be supported again (e.g. famines due to lack of food, causing deaths and lower fertility rates).

Question 47

What is an optimum population?

Answer 47

An optimum population is an environment that supports a population. It is the density of population which with the given resources and skills, produces the maximum economic welfare.

Question 48

What is overpopulation?

Answer 48

Overpopulation is when too many people to be supported by the environment and its resources.

Question 49

What is underpopulation?

Answer 49

Too little people to fully utilise the environment and its resources.

Question 50

Overpopulation and underpopulation are not necessarily concerned with how many people there are but…

Answer 50

rather how many resources there are in order to support people.

Question 51

Explain the sex ratio in the UAE.

(effects of migration on a population)

Answer 51

In 2021 the UAE population including expats, is 9.99 million, of which 69% of the population is male and 31% is female. The total expat population in the UAE has come to 8.84 million, which constitutes to approximately 89% of the population.

Question 52

Using statistics, describe the main causes of death in HICs.

Answer 52

According to the WHO, in HICs, 7 in every 10 deaths are among people aged 70 and older. People predominantly die of chronic disease: cardiovascular disease, cancers, dementia, chronic obstructive lung disease, and diabetes. Lower respiratory infection remain the only leading cause of infectious death. Only 1 in every 100 deaths is among children under 15 years.

Question 53

Using statistics, describe the main causes of death in LICs.

Answer 53

According to the WHO, in LICs, nearly 4 in every 10 deaths are among children under 15 years and only 2 in every 10 deaths are among people aged 70 and older. People predominantly die of infectious disease: lower respiratory diseases, HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis collectively account for almost 1/3 of all deaths in LICs.