Implications of poverty on global health
Poverty has been identified to exist in most if not all countries around the world. Inequality between the poor and the wealthy has been growing and at an alarming rate and inadvertently putting a strain on global health issues. A report by Shah (2009) indicates that eighty percent of the world population is dependent on less than ten dollars a day (Par2).
Infant mortality rates plague most nations. The fact that a pregnant mother cannot access the proper diet and viable health facilities makes many children end up not reaching the age of five. A study conducted by UNEP (2006) shows that twenty five thousand children die each day when they contract easily preventable diseases and complications.
These deaths are mainly concentrated in the poorest regions mainly sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia accounting for approximately seven and a half million deaths in2006.Little progress has been shown to exist if one is to compare the late nineties and into the twenty first century but a lot still needs to be done to avert this catastrophe. Children need to be given the right type of healthcare and food security to diminish this trend.
Malnutrition is another factor that has been attributed to poverty. With most people living below the poverty line (living below $1.25 a day) most families find it difficult if not impossible to meet their daily food requirements and in turn ill health is prevalent.
This is another indicator that poverty eradication measures need to be effected .This has not taken place. Instead most poverty stricken countries opt for food aid a solution that is both temporal and ineffective. In the end starving citizenry end up thronging an already over extended health system that is not able to cater for their needs (Chan, 2003, par4).
A viable health system with proper equipment and qualified personnel is difficult to set up for most countries. This has negatively impacted health globally.
Viable systems are only available to the wealthy while the poor are forced to contend with scarce facilities and them being the majority end up not accessing the right quality of health care. 1.4 billion people live below the poverty line according to Shah (2009), with this in mind one can only realize the enormity of the situation if this people need to access the right kind of health care (par3).
The poor bear the biggest burden when it comes to ignorance and inaccessibility of the right information. This in turn means they end up losing out on health issues that are pertinent in maintaining their health. In instances of tobacco use this has been on the rise with figures on the rise to about thirteen hundred million smokers presently. In cases of tobacco related complications most countries are forced to put up viable health systems that would be able to cater for this.
With the poor not being able to access this health systems one would expect that they would be able easily acquire the right information be it the ingredients of the cigarette or the complications that arise from its use. It is therefore necessary that the governments take up necessary steps so as to reverse this poverty and inequality problems. This will help a great deal in improving the global health issues (Chan, 2003, par3).
Research methodology available to medical anthropologists
There exist different methods that a researcher may use. First are Cross sectional studies. This involves taking a small part of a population or a cross section of the population and finding out how a certain phenomenon affects as at that time of that study. It is not expensive to undertake and allows the researcher to instigate contact with the respondents. This method can be used where one wants to find out an attitude of people in a certain area (Research methodology for global impact fellows, 2001, par2).
Longitudinal studies on the other hand involve the researcher following the subject of their study for days, months or even years for results. Most of this research are considered observational and at that do not manipulate variables being studied.
Other research methodologies as shown by the research methodology for global impact fellows (2001) include undertaking sampling. In this category there are random sampling where one uses a random generator to choose participants in the sampled group .There is also systematic sampling where one uses a given nth variable to locate the samples.
Convenience sampling involves systematic looking for certain characteristics in a participant that are both accessible and suited for the research (Frater, J. (2010, p4).Interviews and surveys are also carried out in this method. For example searching for participants who are well versed in a certain community’s culture and traditions one may opt for convenience sampling
References
Chan, M., (2003). Health, poverty and human rights. Web.
Frater, J. (2010). Characterization of the immune response in AIDS. Immunology.
Research methodology for global impact fellows, (2001). Unite For Sight. Web.
Shah A. (2009). Poverty and facts. Web.
Shah A. (2009). Today over 21,000 children died around the world. Web.