Read this section on social epidemiology and variations in rates of health and illness among high- and low-income nations. How is illness connected to larger social challenges? What are the major health concerns where you live?
Social epidemiology is the study of the causes and distribution of diseases. Social epidemiology can reveal how social problems are connected to the health of different populations. These epidemiological studies show that the health problems of high-income nations differ from those of low-income nations, but also that diseases and their diagnosis are changing. Cardiovascular disease, for example, is now both the most prevalent disease and the disease most likely to be fatal in lower-income countries. Globally, 70 percent of cardiovascular disease cases and deaths are due to modifiable risks.
Some theorists differentiate among three types of countries: core nations, semi-peripheral nations, and peripheral nations. Core nations are those we consider highly developed or industrialized; semi-peripheral nations are often called developing or newly industrialized, and peripheral nations are relatively undeveloped. While the most pervasive issue in the U.S. healthcare system is affordable access to healthcare, other core countries have different issues, and semi-peripheral and peripheral nations are faced with a host of additional concerns. Reviewing global health status offers insight into the various ways that politics and wealth shape access to healthcare, and it shows which populations are most affected by health disparities.
Obesity, which is on the rise in high-income nations, has been linked to many diseases, including cardiovascular problems, musculoskeletal problems, diabetes, and respiratory issues. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, obesity rates are rising in all countries, with the greatest gains being made in the highest-income countries. The United States has the highest obesity rate at 42 percent; some of these people are considered severely obese, which occurs in nine percent of U.S. adults.
Wallace Huffman and his fellow researchers contend that several factors are contributing to the rise in obesity in developed countries:
Obesity and weight issues have significant societal costs, including lower life expectancies and higher shared healthcare costs.
While ischemic heart disease is the single most prevalent cause of death in higher-income countries, cancers of all types combine to be a higher overall cause of death. Cancer accounts for twice as many deaths as cardiovascular disease in higher-income countries.
In peripheral nations with low per capita income, the cost of healthcare is not the most pressing concern. Rather, low-income countries must manage such problems as infectious diseases, high infant mortality rates, scarce medical personnel, and inadequate water and sewer systems. Due to such health concerns, low-income nations have higher infant mortality rates and lower average life spans.
One of the biggest contributors to medical issues in low-income countries is the lack of access to clean water and basic sanitation resources. According to a 2014 UNICEF report, almost half of the developing world’s population lacks improved sanitation facilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) tracks health-related data for 193 countries and organizes them by region. In their 2011 World Health Statistics report, they document the following statistics:
The availability of doctors and nurses in low-income countries is one-tenth that of nations with a high income. Challenges in access to medical education and access to patients exacerbate this issue for would-be medical professionals in low-income countries.
Source: Tonja R. Conerly, Kathleen Holmes, Asha Lal Tamang; OpenStax, https://openstax.org/books/introduction-sociology-3e/pages/19-2-global-health
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