QUESTIONS

According to Chapter 4, what are the health-related differences between more, less, and least developed nations?

Define and discuss each example of more, less, and least developed nations, citing 2–3 examples of countries that fit each of these levels of development.

In your discussion, share specific details regarding how a more, less, and/or least developed nation may look in terms of its capacity to affect health and illness.

Respond to two classmates:

There are many health-related differences between more, less, and least developed nations. The more developed nations are obviously at an advantage. They have lower mortality rates and higher life expectancy. They usually have higher healthcare spending per capita and higher access to diagnostics and treatment options. Therefore, these nations have more experience in diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, and cancer because of their usual lifestyles. For instance, countries such as Japan, Italy, France, Germany, Denmark, and the United States. Rates from Chapter 4 show that these more developed countries have the lowest rates of infant mortality and life expectancy. However, less developed countries have it worse where they often face struggles in the healthcare system because of limited facilities, equipment, and access. They have lower life expectancy and higher mortality rates due to infectious diseases, maternal issues and lack of healthcare services. Countries such as Mexico, China, and the Philippines undertake with limited resources and funding for treatments. They are also more susceptible to pandemics, epidemics, and natural disasters. As for least developed nations, they face the most challenging health disparities out of three. With their lack of general healthcare and resources; such as sanitation, clean water, or electricity, their rates of life expectancy fall pretty low. Main countries that encounter these struggles are Haiti, Ethiopia, and Somalia. They have no option but to rely on international aid and support if possible. Although, global health is increasingly getting worse as we evolve in today’s society. Referring to the article “Where Do People of The World Die From,” it was stated that child deaths in rich countries are now moderately rare, while the poorest regions today have child mortality rates similar to the UK and Sweden in the first half of the 20th Century, and are continuing to catch up.

Chapter 4 stated that in order to make international comparisons the world is divided into three groups: more developed nations, the least developed nations, and the less developed nations. This division explains the economic status of the different nations. These nations are defined by their gross national income (GNI) per capita. GNI calculates the total income earned by the nation’s people and businesses, including investment income, regardless of where it was earned. It also covers money received from abroad such as foreign investment and economic development aid (Team 2023). The most developed nations include the USA, Japan, Italy, Germany, and Denmark. These nations have a diverse economy and the people living there have a longer life expectancy. Less developed nations have low per capita income, widespread poverty, a high unemployment rate, and agricultural superiority. Less developed nations include Mexico, China, the Philippines, Thailand, Bolivia, and India. The least developed nations are countries that have high levels of poverty, resources and structural frailty, and high susceptibility to extrinsic economic factors, natural disasters, pestilence, and climate change. Nations that are least developed include Haiti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sierra Leone, and Afghanistan. Chapter 4, table 4.2 showed the leading causes of death around the world the more developed nations and less developed nations both had coronary heart disease and stroke as the two leading causes of people dying. Heart disease is considered a lifestyle ailment usually caused by a combination of factors like lack of exercise, eating unhealthy food, and smoking. It’s often used interchangeably with cardiovascular disease (CVD), although CVD technically includes conditions of both the heart and blood vessels. It’s also often referred to as “Western diseases” or “diseases of affluence” as it’s reasoned that its predisposing lifestyle habits could only be afforded by people from wealthy, industrialized nations (Teh 2022). The least developed nations leading causes of death were lower respiratory infections and diarrheal diseases. This is because malnutrition plays a big part in these nations. Malnutrition lowers the body’s ability to protect itself, which makes that individual susceptible to all forms of illness and this also contributes to an increase in both infant and maternal mortality. These underdeveloped nations suffer from malnutrition because of the lack of access to resources.