Analyzing the Health Determinants

¶ … China has been the fastest growing economy in the world. The country's government has managed to achieve rapid economic development with an average growth rate of about 10% in the last two decades (based on the Gross Domestic Product). However, the rapid growth of the economy has come at a cost. The country's economic growth has largely been propelled by its expanding manufacturing sector, meaning that many more factories and industries have been built, resulting in environmental problems. The increase in the number of factories has resulted in an increase in indoor and outdoor pollution around the country, subjecting the country's citizens to different health risks (Kan, n.d). Some of the health risks associated with increased air pollution that have become more pronounced in China include; increased premature mortality, hospital admissions and respiratory problems. According to the World Health Organization outdoor air pollution was linked to over three hundred thousand deaths annually in China as of 2003 (Chen et al., 2004).

Question 2

Increase in outdoor air pollution in China and in other rapidly industrializing countries has increased global public health concerns on health-associated behaviors. Even though recently enacted legislations address several pertinent issues when it comes to air pollution in the country, the long-term effect of these legislations and how strongly they will be enforced remains to be seen. As stated earlier, exposure to poor air quality has led to several health effects, including increased respiratory problems, heart problems and mortality rates. The country's constantly worsening air pollution problem has attracted global attention. Different global and local players have enacted guidelines to control air pollution. The government of the People's Republic of China and the WHO have both provided guidelines to control emission levels and thus reduce the exposure of the country's residents to outdoor air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and particulate matter. However, what remains to be understood is how bad the air quality is around China and what will be the short- and long-term effects of the current levels of air pollution on human health. What is clear is that millions of Chinese people regularly engage in outdoor activities, meaning that they are regularly exposed to some kind of air pollutants.

Question 3

The issue of air pollution will affect different members of society differently. Vulnerable members of the society, such as the poor, children and the elderly will be the worst affected. Children are often first exposed at pregnancy based on whether or not the parents are exposed. The exposures then continue throughout childhood and adolescence. One's socioeconomic status (SES) is also a factor that determines his or her level of exposure. Socioeconomic status has been found to be an important determinant of health outcomes leading to the integration of assessment models that take SES factors into account. One's socioeconomic status determines the kind of environment where one will be living and working, meaning that one's SES determines whether he or she will be more or less exposed to an environment that is potentially harmful (Lu et al., 2015).

Question 4