Chapter 4 - Optimizing Human Capital: Good Health PDF

Chapter 4 - Optimizing Human Capital: Good Health Friday, September 13, 2024 2:28 PM The Global Burden of Disease We are each born with a different potential for a healthy life ○ The burden of disease is not shared equally § Social location plays an important role in this...

Chapter 4 - Optimizing Human Capital: Good Health Friday, September 13, 2024 2:28 PM The Global Burden of Disease We are each born with a different potential for a healthy life ○ The burden of disease is not shared equally § Social location plays an important role in this ultimate life chance § In general, people in lower socio-economic status and poorer regions of the w However, this dependents on various factors such as relationships, loneliness How Our Lifestyles Harm Us: Non-Communicable Disease Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of death, killing 40 million people year ○ This accounts for 70% of all deaths globally § Alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and total fat consumption have the high-income countries § Upper middle-income countries have the highest rates of obesity among adu The world’s biggest killer: cardio-vascular disease ○ CVD, heart diseases, and stroke account for one-third of deaths worldwide (Roth et § The rate of CVD generally increases with improvements in the socio-demogra Obesity is a major global health challenge ○ In developing countries, more people are overweight than underweight—though b undernourished Discrimination in Health Care Indigenous peoples and other minority groups suffer discrimination in every institutional education, political representation, and the economy all over the world ○ In the USA, we see discrimination against these groups in all spheres. For example, as China has developed, there have been improvements in education, healt life chances ○ However, health indicators show improvements, but they have not been consistent minority ethnic groups in that country Anomie in the 21st Century: Mental Health Concerns Depression is the single largest contributor to global disability Some mental illnesses have biological roots independent of social environment Mental illness in combination with alienation and anomie; lack of a supportive social stru contribute to suicide The canaries in the coal mine: deaths of despair ○ Drug overdoses, alcohol related deaths, and suicide rates account for the rise in mo world are less healthy. s, etc. rly highest prevalence in ults t al. 2017) aphic status of a country both may be sphere: health, th, and many aspects of t between Han and ucture and culture can ortality  Depression is the single largest contributor to global disability Some mental illnesses have biological roots independent of social environment Mental illness in combination with alienation and anomie; lack of a supportive social stru contribute to suicide The canaries in the coal mine: deaths of despair ○ Drug overdoses, alcohol related deaths, and suicide rates account for the rise in mo ○ These are “deaths of despair” § Suicide and accidental death from self-harm are the third leading cause of de 10–19 globally Almost universally, males are more likely to commit suicide than females ○ Females are more likely to attempt suicide Teens and adolescent vulnerability: The iGeneration ○ Born between 1995 and 2007, Twenge (2017) calls this generation the “iGen” ○ Teens are spending more time alone in their rooms and on social media ○ Many of the correlates of adolescent suicide reflect underlying problems of anomie ○ Social media also makes it easier for individuals to bully others online which can lea behaviors Teens and adolescent vulnerability: trauma-induced stressors ○ Include extreme events in the life of an individual such as homelessness or abuse ○ Enhancing resilience is a way to pre-plan to mitigate psychological trauma after dis ○ Building pre-disaster resilience is important for both developing and developed cou Infectious Outbreak, Epidemic, Pandemic Urbanization, violent conflict, travel, trade, climate change, limited access to health care; of infectious outbreak ○ Globalization and its effects facilitate the spread of infectious pathogens that would and had less impact The older zoonoses, such as chicken pox, are still problematic but more worrisome are ne ○ More infectious diseases are jumping across species from one animal to another, in Most epidemic diseases began as zoonotic diseases ○ The deadliest contemporary virus is HIV ○ Over 1 billion illnesses and 1 million deaths every year, 17% of infectious disease, re diseases Zika took the world by surprise when it began to spread out of Africa and Asia ○ Climate change, urbanization, and poverty all accelerated the spread of Zika Children at Risk at Work Children are the most vulnerable global citizens ○ Many do not have a fair chance at life simply for being born at the wrong place and ○ Children at the “bottom of the pyramid” bear special attention ○ If we are to eliminate the worst forms of poverty, we must improve the lives of chil 11% of the child population are classified as child laborers Agricultural laborers, particularly children, suffer high rates of injury ○ Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States ucture and culture can ortality eath for adolescents e ad to life-threatening saster events untries ; each heightens the risk d have remained localized ew zoonoses ncluding humans esult from vector borne d wrong time ldren  ○ Many do not have a fair chance at life simply for being born at the wrong place and ○ Children at the “bottom of the pyramid” bear special attention ○ If we are to eliminate the worst forms of poverty, we must improve the lives of chil 11% of the child population are classified as child laborers Agricultural laborers, particularly children, suffer high rates of injury ○ Farming is one of the most dangerous occupations in the United States ○ “Walking down the grain” is one of the most dangerous jobs Many people think that boycotting products made by child labor will end the practice ○ This will only drive child labor further underground ○ Policies that promote fair trade practices are suggested Making Health Care Work Global health regime shifting emphasis from a reactive posture a proactive posture ○ Improving health outcomes requires a coordinated global strategy, including: § Delivering health care in remote areas § Transferring knowledge to action on the ground § Infrastructure § Vaccines § Confronting antimicrobial resistance Coordinated Action Ensuring that everyone has a chance to fulfill their potential in health requires a global st ○ An example of one such coordinated action is United to Combat NTDs § In 2012, civil groups and government agencies signed onto the London Decla 10 of the 17 NTDs □ “Diseases of inequality” Funding global health ○ How health care is funded determines who gets health care and the care they can g ○ Transparency is critical in all aspects of health-related activity § Because health care programs and efforts are disjointed, it is difficult to dete over-funding and where the gaps are □ It is virtually impossible to determine the exact amount spent on health Funding global health ○ Given the large sums of public money, more attention needs to be paid to how prio determined § Too often these decisions are made based on political and special interests, r and promise ○ Devising and implementing plans for universal access to health care must address b delivery of services Promoting mental health care ○ International human rights covenants require domestic mental health policies and of WHO members have mental health specific policies and only one-half have ment § In many cases, they are not in keeping with requirements of international law § Treatment is unavailable in many countries and inaccessible in many more du d wrong time ldren trategy aration pledging to control get ermine where there is h care orities for funding are rather than the most need both financing and laws, but only two-thirds tal health laws ws ue to cost  delivery of services Promoting mental health care ○ International human rights covenants require domestic mental health policies and of WHO members have mental health specific policies and only one-half have ment § In many cases, they are not in keeping with requirements of international law § Treatment is unavailable in many countries and inaccessible in many more du Monitoring, reporting, and mapping health ○ All aspects of health need to be continuously monitored at the local level and inclu networks § Discovering an emerging disease or an outbreak of a known one is critical to containing it □ Mapping is also essential ○ Doctors Without Borders § OpenStreetMap Team Healthier eating ○ While busy lifestyles may prohibit three home cooked meals a day, increasing the n and fast-food meals can offer a reasonable alternative § Street vendors of locally produced ready to eat traditional fare are a much he ultra-processed snacks of the multinational food corporations ○ Monitoring the food industry promotes better health § The British Food Standards Association Establishing health as a human right ○ Ethnic and racial minorities bear more than their fair share of disadvantage in healt § The barriers to good health are similar from country to country § While poverty is an important determinant and needs to be addressed, there health care delivery that impact health directly resulting in worse outcomes f ethnic and racial minorities laws, but only two-thirds tal health laws ws ue to cost uded in global information combatting and nutritional value of snack ealthier alternative to the th and health care e are many features of for the indigenous and for