Infectious vs chronic diseases and life expectancy

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Infectious diseases

Infectious diseases are illnesses caused by pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses. Some are communicable, meaning they can spread between people.

• Pathogens can enter the body through air, contaminated food, insect bites, or direct contact, depending on the disease.

How does the prevention of infectious diseases differ from the prevention of non-communicable diseases?

• Infectious disease prevention focuses on reducing exposure to pathogens and preventing their transmission through measures such as vaccination, hygiene, and infection control.

• Non-communicable disease prevention often focuses on reducing risk factors such as smoking, physical inactivity, and unhealthy eating.

A layered approach

involves using multiple preventive measures together to reduce the risk of infection.

• For example, during COVID-19, measures included vaccination, wearing masks, improving ventilation, and staying home when sick.

• combining measures provides greater greater protection.

Chronic Disease

Develop or persist over a long period and are often non-communicable, meaning they cannot spread between people. Their development can be influenced by genetic, environmental, and lifestyle risk factors.

How do the patterns of death from COVID-19 and cardiovascular disease (CVD) differ?

• COVID-19: Deaths occurred in noticeable waves, with large increases during outbreaks followed by decreases as transmission and other conditions changed.

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD): Deaths occur more consistently over time because CVD is a chronic disease rather than an infectious disease that spreads through outbreaks.

This demonstrates why infectious and chronic diseases require different prevention strategies.

Why are chronic diseases often more difficult to manage than infectious diseases?

Chronic diseases usually develop over time and require ongoing treatment or management rather than a single short-term intervention.

• They can also affect multiple organ systems and may be influenced by several risk factors, such as genetics, physical inactivity, smoking, and diet.

Systemic Disease

A disease that affects multiple organs or organ systems, influencing how different parts of the body function.

Lifestyle Choices (Health Behaviours)

Conscious decisions and behaviours that increase or reduce a person's risk of disease or injury.

What is life expectancy, and what factors are used to estimate it?

Life expectancy is the statistical average number of years a person or group is expected to live.

• It is estimated using population mortality patterns and can vary based on factors such as age, sex, and geographic location.

How has life expectancy in Canada changed between 1920 and 2011?

Life expectancy in Canada increased substantially for both men and women between 1920 and 2011.

Throughout this period, women generally had a higher life expectancy than men.

What were the major health threats in the 1920s?

The major health threats in the 1920s were infectious diseases, such as cholera, tuberculosis, and pneumonia.

These diseases were especially dangerous because of:

1. Poor hygiene and sanitation: Contaminated water, overcrowding, and limited understanding of germs.

2. Limited medical interventions: Lack of effective antibiotics and vaccines.

3. Increased urbanization and trade: Allowed infectious diseases to spread more easily.

What are the three major health threats in the 2020s?

1. Chronic diseases: Conditions such as heart disease, cancer, and stroke are major causes of death. Longer lifespans also increase the number of people living with chronic diseases.

2. Climate change: Air pollution, extreme weather, and natural disasters threaten health, safety, and access to resources.

3. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR): Microorganisms become resistant to medications, making infections harder to treat and threatening human health, animal health, and food production.

health promotion

Health promotion is the process of empowering people to increase control over their health and the factors that influence it.

It involves improving health knowledge, encouraging healthy behaviours, and coordinating efforts across different sectors of society.

• For example, promoting regular physical activity and healthy eating can help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.

C - directly addresses negative feelings that come from body image