The big idea: Health indicators are the numbers geographers use to measure how healthy a population is and to compare places.
The headline ones are life expectancy, infant mortality, maternal mortality, morbidity (how much disease there is) and calorie intake / under-nutrition.
These indicators vary with development — and the pattern of disease changes as a country gets richer, from infectious diseases of poverty towards chronic diseases of affluence.
Key terms for measuring health
- Life expectancy — the average number of years a newborn is expected to live; rises with development.
- Infant mortality — deaths of children under 1 per 1,000 live births; a sensitive measure of health care and poverty.
- Maternal mortality — deaths of mothers from pregnancy/childbirth per 100,000 live births.
- Morbidity — the amount or rate of disease in a population (illness, not death).
- Disease of affluence — a chronic disease linked to wealth and lifestyle (obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease).
- Disease of poverty — an infectious disease linked to deprivation (malaria, cholera, malnutrition-related illness).
Affluence vs poverty diseases: Diseases of poverty are mostly infectious and hit low-income places — malaria, cholera, TB, illnesses of poor water and diet.
Diseases of affluence are mostly chronic / lifestyle and rise as countries get richer — obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease. As a country develops, its disease pattern shifts from one to the other (the epidemiological transition).
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How this is tested: A choropleth world map of a health indicator — type-2 diabetes or obesity rates shaded by region — is the classic stimulus here. The 1-mark reads ask you to Identify or State the region in the highest band, read off the percentage band for one place, count how many areas fall in a band, or Estimate a percentage change. Read the key first and quote the band, never a made-up exact figure.
Read the key first. Which region is shaded darkest (the highest band)?
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Using the diabetes map above: (a) identify the region in the highest band; (b) state the band for sub-Saharan Africa.
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| Region | 2000 (%) | 2030 projection (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 1.2 | 2.8 |
| South Asia | 4.5 | 9.0 |
| Middle East | 6.0 | 13.5 |
| Europe | 4.0 | 6.5 |
| North America | 7.5 | 11.0 |
Read the key, then the figure: On a choropleth map, the answer is the band from the key (e.g. '3-5%'), not a made-up exact figure. For a percentage change, do (new - old) / old x 100 — read both values straight off the table.
Using the type-2-diabetes table above: (a) name the region with the highest projected 2030 rate; (b) state Europe's projected 2030 rate; (c) calculate the percentage increase in the Middle East's rate from 2000 to 2030.
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The pattern of disease in a place depends on its level of development. Poorer places carry a heavier burden of infectious diseases of poverty (weak health care, unsafe water, under-nutrition); as places get richer, lifestyle changes bring a rising burden of chronic diseases of affluence. This shift is the epidemiological transition.
| Feature | Diseases of poverty | Diseases of affluence |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Mostly infectious | Mostly chronic / lifestyle |
| Linked to | Poverty, poor water, under-nutrition | Wealth, diet, sedentary lifestyle |
| Examples | Malaria, cholera, TB | Obesity, type-2 diabetes, heart disease |
| Typical place | Low-income countries | High- and middle-income countries |
| Trend with development | Falls as a country develops | Rises as a country develops |
Why diseases of affluence rise as wealth grows
- Diet shift — cheap, energy-dense fast food and more sugar/saturated fat raise obesity and type-2 diabetes.
- Sedentary lifestyle — desk jobs and car travel cut daily exercise, so weight and heart-disease risk climb.
- Longer lives — fewer people die young of infections, so more live long enough to develop chronic disease.
Real disease patterns: Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa is a classic disease of poverty — warm, wet conditions plus weak health systems make it a leading killer of children. The 2010 Haiti cholera outbreak killed thousands after the earthquake wrecked water and sanitation — disease following deprivation.
By contrast, rising US obesity (over a third of adults) and the surge in type-2 diabetes across the Middle East and South Asia show diseases of affluence climbing as diets and lifestyles change with wealth.
As a middle-income country grows wealthier, suggest two reasons why its rate of diseases of affluence may rise, and develop each one.
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Always give the mechanism: Don't just name a reason - explain how it changes health. Rising wealth -> energy-dense diet -> excess calories -> obesity -> type-2 diabetes.
Health indicators vary with development: Maternal and infant mortality are far higher in low-income countries - weak health care, poor diet, unsafe water and remoteness from clinics all raise the risk. As countries develop, these fall while life expectancy rises, and the disease burden shifts towards ageing-related chronic disease.
Maternal mortality is much higher in low-income countries than in high-income ones. Outline one reason for this and develop how it raises the death rate.
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How this is tested - the [6] long answer: Paper 1 Option F uses Suggest [6] and Explain [6] long answers, marked 2+2+2 or 3+3. You give two or three points, each a valid reason or consequence developed with applied food/health knowledge.
Top answers: a clear point, a developed mechanism, and a real example or indicator - not a list of bare reasons.
Explain two ways an ageing population's disease burden creates consequences for society.
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