Social Vulnerability and Health Population Geography

Population Geography

Social Vulnerability and Health

Section 1

Social vulnerability is when a specific community shows various social aspects like high poverty levels, poor vehicle accessibility, and crowded households, which may impact the prevention of human suffering or loss of finances when a disaster strikes.

a. Socioeconomic status – below poverty, income, unemployed, no high school diploma

b. Household composition & disability – 65 years and above, 17 years or below, civilian with a disability, single-parent households

c. Minority status and language – minority does not speak fluent English

d. Housing type and transportation – group quarters, crowding, mobile homes, no vehicle, multi-unit structures

CDC uses these four themes since they contain numerous variables crucial in identifying vulnerabilities. These are key social factors that determine the well-being of an individual and community. These variables are crucial in data collection to determine community well-being and the effects of homelessness.

Section 2

The overall SVI for McDonough County is average. The central and northeast parts have higher SVI, while it is lowest in the western parts of the county. Overall, the county's SVI is average.

The overall SVI for Keokuk County is 50-50, where half of the county ranks high while the other half is rated low. SVI is lowest on the eastern side, while it is higher in the western parts of the county.

St. Louis County's overall SVI is mixed, with the majority of the areas ranking high or medium. However, the county is generally ranked high in most places from north to south and east to west.

McDonough County has a high SVI on socioeconomic status, which translates to low income, high poverty levels, and fewer high school diplomas. It also ranks high on household composition/disability, which means there are many older people and single parents. The county ranks low on ethnicity and language, which signifies fewer people of color. The SVI for housing and transportation is average, showing a group of vulnerable people.

In Keokuk County, socioeconomic SVI is higher, showing many people with low income, fewer high school diplomas, and high poverty rates. The household composition or disability SVI is evenly distributed, which means many vulnerable people are in this theme. The Race/ethnicity/language SVI is low, which shows low people of color are vulnerable in the county. The SVI for Housing type/transportation is also low, which shows that most people have decent housing and transportation.

St. Louis County ranks high in most socioeconomic areas, indicating that most people live in poverty, have low income, and lack a high school diploma. The county also ranks high in most parts of household composition/disability, which signifies many single parents, elderly and young below 17. St. Louis county ranks high on race, ethnicity, and language, which means many people are likely to be vulnerable to being in the minority or having poor English language. On housing type/transportation, the county is ranked high in many areas, which means majorities of the population are vulnerable due to poor housing and accessibility.

There are both similarities and differences in SVI for the three counties.

McDonough and Keokuk counties have the most similarities in the overall SVI and the themes. However, St. Louis County is different as it ranks high in almost all the themes. The differences occur due to population gaps and St. Louis County's economic activities.

Step 3

This report explores the concepts derived from the process above on social relationships among the counties. First, social vulnerability is when a specific community shows various social aspects like high poverty levels, poor vehicle accessibility, and crowded households, which may impact the prevention of human suffering or loss of finances when a disaster strikes. Various factors affect the vulnerabilities in the counties. According to CDC, social vulnerability is caused by negative aspects of communities brought by external forces on human health. These external forces include natural and man-made disasters and outbreaks of diseases. Measures to reduce these vulnerabilities can lessen human suffering and economic loss. However, this is achievable through collaborative initiatives. For instance, through a partnership with other agencies, CDC calculates the social vulnerability index using 15 variables from the US census to assist local authorities in categorizing communities that require support and help before, during, and after disasters.

In keeping with these disasters, CDC uses four broad themes to collect information broken down into different variables, as shown below. These are derived from the statistics that depict the commonality of shared disaster contexts hence providing an efficient platform to respond to the challenges.

e. Socioeconomic status – below poverty, income, unemployed, no high school diploma

f. Household composition & disability – 65 years and above, 17 years or below, civilian with a disability, single-parent households

g. Minority status & language – minority, does not speak fluent English

h. Housing type & transportation – group quarters, crowding, mobile homes, no vehicle, multi-unit structures

CDC uses these four themes since they contain numerous variables crucial in identifying vulnerabilities. These are critical social factors that determine the well-being of an individual and community. These variables are crucial in collecting data to determine the well-being of a community. Further, the addition of the homelessness variable is recommended as they are also vulnerable in case of a disaster. CDC should also include health insurance as one of the variables.

The overall SVI for McDonough County is average. The central and northeast parts have higher SVI, while it is lowest in the western parts of the county. Overall, the county's SVI is average. The overall SVI for Keokuk County is 50-50, where half of the county ranks high while the other half is rated low. SVI is lowest on the eastern side, while it is higher in the western parts of the county. St. Louis County's overall SVI is mixed, with the majority of the areas ranking high or medium. However, the county is generally ranked high in most places from north to south and east to west. This indicates that St. Louis County is ranked higher than the others. This is because St. Louis County is the largest county in Missouri and the most urban and, as such, has a higher and more diverse population.

McDonough County has a high SVI on socioeconomic status, which translates to low income, high poverty levels, and fewer high school diplomas. It also ranks high on household composition/disability, which means there are many older people and single parents. The county ranks low on ethnicity and language, which signifies fewer people of color. The SVI for housing and transportation is average, depicting a group of vulnerable people. In Keokuk County, socioeconomic SVI is higher, showing many people with low income, fewer high school diplomas, and high poverty rates. The household composition or disability SVI is evenly distributed, which means many vulnerable people are encompassed in this context. The Race/ethnicity/language SVI is low, which shows low people of color are vulnerable in the county. The SVI for Housing type/transportation is also low, which shows that most people have decent housing and transportation.

Regarding socioeconomics, St. Louis County ranks high in most areas indicating that most people live in poverty, have low income, and lack a high school diploma. The county also ranks high in most parts of household composition/disability, which signifies many single parents, elderly and young below 17. St. Louis county ranks high on race/ethnicity/language, which means many people are likely to be vulnerable to being in the minority or having poor English language. On housing type/transportation, the county is ranked high in many areas, which means most of the population is vulnerable due to poor housing and accessibility.