Health Indicators (DP IB Geography)
Revision Note
Written by: Grace Bower
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Global Patterns in Health Indicators
Health indicators describe and measure world health
They show the differences in health and health inequality across the world
The indicators are useful for showing rates of life expectancy and the difference in life expectancy between LICs and HICs
Life expectancy is higher in countries where good quality healthcare, sanitation, clean water and good hygiene practices exist
Map showing global life expectancy in 2021
Health-adjusted life expectancy (HALE)
HALE is the length of time a person will live, unaffected by sickness or disease:
It is how long a person lives in good health
It considers those years in which a person may spend in ill health or injured
HALE calculates the average healthy years of people in an area using morbidity and mortality statistics
The World Health Organisation analyses patterns and trends and updates the HALE figures every two years
HALE is higher in countries with quality healthcare and health policies aimed at decreasing disease severity and chronic conditions
HALE is also higher in countries with high education rates
The Sullivan Method is used to work out HALE:
It is calculated by:
The likelihood of disability/inability to perform activities – life expectancy
Multistate Life Expectancy Tables contribute to HALE:
These show how people may develop/recover from certain illnesses
The Americas have the highest HALE, whilst Africa has the lowest
Infant Mortality
Infant Mortality is the number of children who die before the age of 1 (per 1000 living births)
This can indicate the maternal health levels in a country
Infant mortality rates are lower in HICs and higher in LICs
Infant deaths can be caused by malnutrition, premature birth and diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and pneumonia
The highest infant mortality rates are in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of southern Asia 200 years ago
The infant mortality rate was high as a result of poverty, disease, and famine
The global infant mortality rate is decreasing
In 2020, the average across the world was 4.3%
Map showing global infant mortality rate in 2021
Maternal Mortality
Maternal mortality is the yearly death rate of women as a result of/exacerbated by pregnancy or childbirth (or within 42 days of a pregnancy termination)
The ratio of maternal mortality is calculated by:
Maternal deaths ÷ live births x 100,000
Maternal mortality is higher in LICs and lower in HICs
Higher maternal mortality rates occur in much of Subsaharan Africa, southern Asia and South America
Historically, childbirth was incredibly dangerous
As healthcare and hygiene have improved, maternal mortality has gone down
Map showing global maternal mortality rates in 2020
Access to Sanitation
Access to clean/safe water and sanitation is often used to measure the general health of a population
Poor sanitation and dirty water result in waterborne diseases like cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea and dysentery
A triple threat occurs from poor sanitation, unsafe water and poor hygiene
LICs have higher death rates caused by unsafe water, as a result of:
Poverty
Poor infrastructure
Political issues
Climate change and natural disasters
More deaths from unsafe water occur in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Map showing the deaths attributed to unsafe water sources in 2019
Doctor/Patient ratio
The doctor-to-patient ratio describes how many doctors there are for every 1000 people
This shows whether people have adequate access to healthcare services, medical professionals and infrastructure like surgeries, clinics and medical education centres
HICs tend to have a higher doctor-to-patient ratio, whereas in LICs the ratio is much lower
There is a much lower doctor-to-patient ratio in much of Africa, Southern Asia and parts of South America
The highest doctor-patient ratios are mainly in European countries, with a few anomalies like Chile, Georgia, Israel and Cuba
Map showing the number of doctors per 1000 people in 2019
Strengths and Weaknesses of Health Indicators
Health Indicator | Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|---|
HALE | Better than life expectancy, which measures all years in equal health Good for showing the health of the population, rather than just how long they live for Highlights specific groups e.g. gender and race have categories Regular updates of figures | It is very complicated It doesn’t measure the disability of a person. The DALY indicator helps to support this Some data is unreliable |
Infant Mortality | It helps to indicate levels of development, e.g. female education, sanitation and maternal healthcare Useful for guiding policymakers on development | Only shows below the age of one Doesn’t show how many deaths have occurred Only shows live births; it doesn’t include children who died during birth It doesn’t show variations within a country May not indicate socio-economic issues, but political issues instead, e.g. China's One Child Policy |
Maternal mortality | Shows level of development, e.g. maternal healthcare, education for mothers | Higher figures in LICs may be due to higher birth rates It is difficult to measure as healthcare systems may be less advanced Even in developed countries, some are poorly categorised or not reported |
Access to sanitation | Shows the disease prevalence in water Indicates the level of development a country may have, which can influence policy-making | May not show variations within a country Does not indicate education levels; water may be safe but knowledge about hygiene is poor Rapidly developing figures, as development improves, may need constant updates |
Doctor/patient ratio | Gives information about the state of healthcare (people and infrastructure) Supports other indicators, e.g. a higher doctor-patient ratio will result in lower infant mortality and general death rates | This is quantitative. It does not show the healthcare quality or the skills of professionals Doesn’t indicate whether there is enough money for professional healthcare to function well Figures can differ between urban and rural areas, skewing the overall density of doctors |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Ensure you know each health indicator's strengths and weaknesses. You might be asked to discuss their effectiveness in describing patterns in global health!
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