Death rates and Infant mortality rates

Reasons of changes in death rates

Infant mortality rate

Total number of deaths of children before their 1st birthday per 1,000 live births

Death rates

The raw number of deaths per 10,000 population per year.

What is the death rate in the UK in 2024

9.485

What is the infant mortality rate in 2024

3.251

The 5 reasons for the change in Death Rates

• Smoking and diet

• Improved nutrition

• Medical improvement

• Public Health Measure

• other social change

Reasons for the change in Death Rates

how has smoking and diet affected death rates (Haper)

The biggest fall in death rates in recent decades has come not from medical improvements but a decrease in smokers.

In the 21st century this was replaced with obesity. Death rates because of obesity have kept low due to medical drugs and therapies.

Reasons for the change in Death Rates

How has Improved nutrition affected death rates (Mckeowm (1972))

Improved nutrition accounts for up to ½ the reduction of death rates. Better nutrition the more resistance to infection. However women receive a smaller share of family food yet they live for longer (than males).

Reasons for the change in Death Rates

How does medical improvements affects the death rates

After the 1950s, improved medical knowledge, techniques and organisation, helped reduce death rates. Advances include:

• introduction to antibiotics

• Immunisation

• Blood transfusion

• MRI scans and medical technology

More recently, improved medication by pass surgery and other developments have decreased the death rates from heart disease by 1/3.

Reasons for the change in Death Rates

How have public health measures affected death rates?

In the 20th century more effective government with necessary power to lead pass and enforce laws led to a range of improvements in public health and quality of the environment e.g improvement to housing.

Clean Air Act - reduces air pollution (in 1952 there were 4,000 deaths per 5 days from air pollution).

Reasons for the change in Death Rates

How have other social changes affected death rates?

• Decrease of dangerous manual occupations.Changes in employment

  -less traditional male jobs

  -Health and safety act

  -Flexible working

• Smaller families reduced the rate of transmission of infection.

• Greater public knowledge of the causes of illness lifestyle changes.

• High income allowing healthier life styles