T3. Environment, Health and Wellbeing Flashcards
(7 cards)
What is the definitions for health, morbidity and mortality?
- Health = the state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing
- Morbidity = being ill or unhealthy with a disease
- Mortality = refers to death and is measured by death rate
Describe the patterns of health between 2000-2016?
communicable diseases like diarrheal diseases have decreased whereas non communicable diseases like diabetes have increased, this is because hygiene levels have increased with development as well as education. However, there’s also been an increase in unhealthy living due affluance
Add Epidemiological transition
Explain the disease / Environment variables?
Climate:
- Seasonality – seasonal affective disorder (SAD) a form of depression with a seasonal variation
-Temperature – if temps are too high or low it would take longer to spread, Airbourne respiratory infections spread in the cold air like the flu
- Precipitation = higher than average rainfall can cause growth in vectors e.g. ticks carrying Lyme disease
Topography:
- Drainage – flood plains with higher populations cause water to become more contaminated like Cholera
- Relief – standing water is ideal for mosquito breading
- Altitude – high altitude increases change of skin cancer
Air quality:
- Air pollution is now the single largest health threat environmentally, e.g. sulphur dioxide
- Can cause asthma, cancer, pulmonary and heart diseases
- 16% of lung cancer cases come from pollution
- NGO + government programmes + alternative fuels have improved pollution levels
Water Quality:
- 2million deaths annually due to unsafe water consumption
- Diarrhoeal diseases e.g. cholera caused by chemicals and bacteria in water, 2nd leader cause of death in children under 5
- Human sewage is the main pollutant of water e.g. toilet with hole in the ground
- Dams and reservoirs create stagnant water which is perfect for malaria
- millennium development goals, from 2000 to 2017, 1.6 million were given better access to drinking water
Malaria - Biologically transmitted disease?
- Transmitted by mosquitos, according to the WHOs 2024 report there were 263million cases in 2023 and 600,000 died, in 2018 288million contracted it whereas only 405,000 died
- In 2018 sub–Saharan Africa was home to 93% of cases + 94% of deaths.
- Symptoms include headache, vomiting
Links to Physical environment:
- Linked to climate – mosquitoes’ bread mostly between 16-32 degrees
Links to Socio-Economic environment:
- Housing = homes with earth/sand floor, bamboo walls, no windows or poorly fitted
- Sanitary = called ‘malaria hotspots’ e.g. Chennai India are dirty are polluted attract mosquitos
- Occupation = agricultural workers are more exposed to mosquitos, especially living near irrigation units + live outside
- Income = correlation between income + prevention methods, repellents, nets (ITNs), better nourished
- Education
- Distance + accessibility = fewer clinic away from cities + less spent on prevention
- Malaria is often known as the disease of poverty
Impact on health + wellbeing:
- Kills a child somewhere in the world every 2mins
- People who have lived years with malaria develop partial immunity
- Contributes to low birth weight + high infant mortality from mothers with it
Impact on Economic Wellbeing:
- Costs to Indvidual’s/ families = travel to treatment clinics, purchase drugs, lost income as off work, burial expenses
- Costs for the government = building + maintaining healthcare facilities, loss of tax + tourism
- Estimated in central Africa public healthcare contributes to 40% of expenditure
- Costs globally, $15-18billion annually
Mitigation:
- Insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs), indoor residue spraying (IRS), mosquito coils that are burned emit repellent but also emit other pollutants
- Anti-malarial drugs + vaccines to vulnerable people + monitor the spreading of mosquitos
Management Strategies:
- initial 2016 WHO roll back malaria scheme to reduce mortality by 90% + eliminate in 30 nations, but more aggressive scheme in 2018 launched as they believe nobody should die from diseases that are preventable + diagnosed.
Non - Communicable Disease - CHD
Highest rates in eastern Europe + central Asia
- Links to physical environment:
- Air quality – increased exposure to Airbourne pollutants from industry – less risk in rural areas
- Climate – extreme cold and heat put strain on cardiovascular systems
- Relief – relief requires physical effort increasing fitness and decreasing risk
Links to social – economic environment:
- Deprivation – higher deprivation = higher mortality e.g. Glasgow’s mortality rates are 3 times higher than Hampshires
- Tabacco use – causes blood becomes sticky + more likely to clot
- Alcohol use – rises blood sugar level and cholesterol making the heart work harder
- Poor nutrition – lack of balanced diet increases risk
- Obesity + infrequent exercise – physical activity improves general health, 35% of mortality is due to inactivity
- Urbanisation – lack of green spaces, crowded living and discourages exercise
Impacts on health + well – being = increased risk of heart attack but statins can be taken to thin blood
Impacts of economic wellbeing = costs lots, loss of money as unable to attend work, annually it costs 9billion in relation to heart disease
Mitigation:
- Health education – increase understanding + promote healthy choices
- Policy and legislation = taxes on Tabacco, foods with high sugar content and alcohol, improving access to exercise e.g. cycle paths, school meals e.g. Jamie Olivier
- Medical treatment = aspirin to thin blood, statins, stents, beta blockers that block hormones effecting heartbeat
Add international Agencies + NGOs
