Global health Midterm Exam Review

Why study global health? Reason 1

Understand progress already made in global health and what has improved

Why study global health? Reason 2

Understand the challenges that still remain

Why study global health? Reason 3

Understand that diseases are not limited by national boundaries

Why study global health? Reason 4

Understand disparities among groups and countries

Why study global health? Reason 5

Understand the relationship between health and development

Why study global health? Reason 6

Understand why different actors must work together

Why study global health? Reason 7

Understand major changes in global health policy and international assistance

Why study global health? Reason 8

Understand emerging issues such as AI social media and the relationship between religion and wellbeing

Why can the United States not ignore global health?

Diseases cross borders and global health affects everyone through travel trade migration shared risks and international cooperation

What is one infectious disease eradicated worldwide?

Smallpox

What is the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent according to the lecture?

Tuberculosis

What did the introductory lecture say about global population?

The world population grew from 6.1 billion in 2000 to 7.7 billion in 2019 and about 8.3 billion in 2026

What is the course's Christian motivation for global health?

All people bear God's image and should be treated with dignity and care

Why does the lecture connect Christian faith with medical care?

Healing was central to Jesus' ministry and Christians are called to care for people who are sick and vulnerable

What does Matthew 25 teach about caring for the sick?

Serving people in need is treated as serving Christ

What does the course say are its two most important learning goals?

A deeper understanding of God and the world and a deeper understanding of one's part in God's work in the world

What are two theological errors about Jesus' return identified in the lecture?

Thinking Jesus only takes people away from the world rather than renewing creation and thinking Jesus only becomes Lord when he returns rather than being Lord now

What is the historical Christian motivation for medical missions?

The belief that medical knowledge should be shared with people who are suffering and that faith requires practical care for present needs

What is health according to the WHO's 1948 definition?

A state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

What additional dimension was included in the amended WHO health definition shown in class?

Spiritual well-being

What four relationships are central to the lecture's biblical understanding of health?

Relationship with God with self with other people and with creation

What is shalom in the lecture's understanding of health?

Peace safety wellbeing and flourishing in harmonious relationships with God self others and creation

What is public health according to C E A Winslow?

The science and art of preventing disease prolonging life and promoting health through organized community efforts

What is global health?

An area of study research and practice that prioritizes improving health and achieving health equity for all people worldwide

What is a key difference between public health and global health?

Public health emphasizes organized community efforts while global health explicitly emphasizes worldwide health improvement and equity

What were the ten great public health achievements in the United States from 1900 to 2000?

Vaccination motor-vehicle safety safer workplaces control of infectious diseases lower coronary heart disease and stroke deaths safer food healthier mothers and babies family planning water fluoridation and recognition of tobacco as a health hazard

What has historically had a major effect on a country's overall health status beyond medical treatment?

Improved living conditions including nutrition sanitation housing education and income

What are examples of global health actors?

Governments international organizations NGOs community organizations health systems researchers and faith-based organizations

What is the WHO?

The World Health Organization which coordinates international public health work and provides guidance and technical support

What are Sustainable Development Goals?

A set of global goals adopted by the United Nations to improve human wellbeing and promote sustainable development

What is the health relevance of the SDGs?

Health is connected to poverty education gender equality clean water sanitation environment and other development goals

What is morbidity?

Sickness or any departure from psychological or physiological wellbeing

What is mortality?

Death

What is disability?

A temporary or long-term reduction in a person's capacity to function

What is prevalence?

The number or proportion of people who have a health condition in a defined population at a particular time or over a specified period

What is incidence?

The rate at which new cases of a disease occur in a population over a specified period

How can incidence and prevalence be remembered?

Incidence is the flow of new cases into the pool while prevalence is the pool of existing cases

What does incidence measure?

The risk of developing a disease in a defined population

What does prevalence measure?

The existing burden of a disease in a defined population

What can make prevalence rise even if incidence does not rise?

People living longer with a condition or fewer people recovering can increase the number of existing cases

What is primary prevention?

Intervening before a health problem occurs to prevent it

What is secondary prevention?

Screening or early detection to identify disease before signs and symptoms appear

What is tertiary prevention?

Managing diagnosed disease or preventing its progression and complications

What is an example of primary prevention for hypertension?

Health education about reducing salt maintaining a healthy weight and exercising regularly

What is an example of secondary prevention for hypertension?

Routine blood pressure screening during health visits or community events

What is an example of tertiary prevention for hypertension?

Lifestyle changes and medication after diagnosis to reduce the risk of heart disease stroke and kidney failure

What are communicable diseases?

Diseases caused by infectious agents that spread directly or indirectly between people and animals

What are examples of communicable diseases from the slides?

HIV malaria tuberculosis COVID-19 and bacterial or viral pneumonia

What are noncommunicable diseases?

Diseases that are not spread by an infectious agent

What are examples of noncommunicable diseases from the slides?

Hypertension diabetes cancers COPD and depression

What are injuries in global health?

Health harms such as road traffic injuries falls violence and injuries related to disasters

What are determinants of health?

Interconnected factors that influence an individual's or community's health status

What are examples of health determinants?

Personal and genetic features socioeconomic status culture environment education health behaviors childhood development access to care and government policy

What are social determinants of health?

The conditions in which people are born grow live work and age

What are the three principles of action from the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health?

Improve daily living conditions tackle inequitable distributions of power money and resources and measure the problem while building knowledge and awareness

How can education affect health?

Education can improve disease prevention and management and is associated with better health outcomes for parents and children

How can poverty affect health?

It can limit access to safe housing food water sanitation education and health services while increasing exposure to risks

How can the environment affect health?

Air pollution unsafe water poor sanitation and unsafe housing or workplaces can increase illness and injury

What are commercial determinants of health?

Private-sector strategies and practices that promote products or choices detrimental to health

What are three broad areas of commercial determinants of health?

Unhealthy commodities harmful business and political practices and global economic forces that enable harmful practices

What are four channels through which corporate influence can affect health?

Marketing lobbying corporate social responsibility strategies and extensive supply chains

How can marketing affect health?

It can make unhealthy products more desirable and acceptable

How can lobbying affect health?

It can obstruct public policies intended to protect health

How can commercial food practices affect population health?

Cheap convenient energy-dense foods can contribute to obesity and companies may resist public health changes

What is life expectancy at birth?

The average number of years a newborn is expected to live if current age-specific mortality patterns continue

What is neonatal mortality?

Deaths among live-born infants during the first 28 days of life usually expressed per 1000 live births

What is infant mortality?

Deaths among children younger than one year usually expressed per 1000 live births

What is under-five or child mortality?

Deaths among children before their fifth birthday usually expressed per 1000 live births

What is the maternal mortality ratio?

The number of maternal deaths related to pregnancy or childbirth per 100000 live births

Why are mortality indicators useful?

They help compare health status across places and populations and monitor changes over time

What is the burden of disease?

A combined way of describing health loss due to illness premature death and disability in a population

What is health-adjusted life expectancy or HALE?

The number of years a person can expect to live in good health accounting for mortality and disability

How is HALE estimated?

Years lived in ill health are weighted by severity and subtracted from overall life expectancy

What is a disability-adjusted life year or DALY?

The sum of years of life lost due to premature death and years lived with disability

What are the two components of DALYs?

Years of life lost due to premature death and years lived with disability

How do you calculate years of life lost or YLL?

Subtract the age at death from the expected life expectancy at that age

How are years lived with disability or YLD calculated in the lecture?

Multiply the number of people living with a condition by the disability weight and duration

What is a disability weight?

A value representing the magnitude of health loss associated with a health condition

What does a disability weight of 0 mean?

A state equivalent to full health

What does a disability weight of 1 mean?

A state equivalent to death

What does a high DALY total indicate?

A greater amount of health loss due to premature death and disability

How are DALYs used in health policy?

They compare disease burden and help assess where health interventions may prevent the most health loss

What is one major criticism of DALYs?

They can combine measuring disease burden with deciding how resources should be allocated

What is another criticism of DALYs?

Disability weights may differ across cultures and may not represent local experience equally well

What are other limitations of DALYs?

They may not account well for co-morbid conditions treatment side effects stillbirths or equity concerns

What alternative to using DALYs alone is described in the slides?

Use one measure to describe disease burden based on actual morbidity and mortality and a separate measure of need or resources to guide funding

What is the general global trend in life expectancy and child mortality described in the slides?

People are living longer in much of the world and mortality rates especially for children under five have declined

What has happened to the burden of disease globally as life expectancy rises?

Noncommunicable diseases predominate and more people may live years with disability

What are World Bank country income groups based on in the slides?

Gross national income per person per year

What were the 2025 low-income country thresholds in the slides?

Less than 1135 dollars gross national income per person per year

What were the 2025 lower-middle-income country thresholds in the slides?

1136 to 4495 dollars gross national income per person per year

What were the 2025 upper-middle-income country thresholds in the slides?

4496 to 13935 dollars gross national income per person per year

What was the 2025 high-income country threshold in the slides?

Greater than 13935 dollars gross national income per person per year

What are Group 1 causes of disease burden?

Communicable diseases and maternal neonatal and nutritional conditions

What are Group 2 causes of disease burden?

Noncommunicable diseases

What are Group 3 causes of disease burden?

Injuries

What pattern of disease burden is common in low-income countries according to the slides?

Group 1 causes such as infectious and nutritional conditions account for a large share

What pattern of disease burden is common in high-income countries according to the slides?

Noncommunicable conditions predominate and disability from conditions such as back and neck pain and depression is important

What are common risk factors for death and DALYs in high-income countries?

Behavioral risk factors

What are common risk factors for death and DALYs in low-income countries?

Nutritional problems unsafe water and sanitation indoor and ambient air pollution and tobacco smoking