Economic Activity - Health & Life
Geography: Edexcel A Level, topic 5.1.3
The Social Implications of Economic Activity - Health
Economic activity affects many different aspects of society. Inequality in pay and different types of employment affect people's quality of life, including their health.
Morbidity and longevity
- Someone's income and type of employment can affect their health.
- We often measure health in terms of:
- Morbidity - degree of ill-health.
- Longevity - a longer life expectancy for a given age of person.
Impact of primary economic activity
- Someone's location of work and type of employment can affect morbidity and longevity.
- People in primary employment have a higher risk of poorer health and mortality.
- Workers in primary employment may be exposed to carcinogens (which cause cancer) and substances like asbestos (which is now banned). This exposure can cause ill health.
- Additionally, extracting resources may have negative externalities (negative spillover effects), which can cause ill health to the surrounding population.
Food deserts
- Food deserts are places that have a higher incidence of fast-food outlets. There is also usually less fresh food available.
- These food deserts have higher rates of morbidity and are associated with low-income regions.
- High streets without supermarkets selling fresh food and with lots of Chicken Cottages may lead people to eat more unhealthy food. This can reduce their quality and length of life.
Food deserts - New Orleans
- New Orleans was ranked as the top food desert in the USA. A very high % of the population lives in poverty and lots of grocery stores were destroyed and not replaced after Hurricane Katrina.
The Social Implications of Economic Activity - Life Expectancy
Economic activity affects many different aspects of society. Inequality in pay and different types of employment affect people's quality of life, including people's life expectancy and longevity:
Regional differences in longevity
- Life expectancy is the average age to which a person is expected to live on the day that they are born.
- Longevity varies across regions.
- The 2011 UK census showed that people in the south of the UK had higher life expectancies than Northern areas.
- A 65-year-old male in Harrow (London) was expected to live six years longer than a 65-year-old male in Glasgow.
Life expectancy in the UK
- Life expectancy in the UK (as of 2018) is 77 years for men and 82 years for women.
Factors determining life expectancy
- Key factors that influence life expectancy are:
- Gender (women on average live longer than men).
- Income (people with higher incomes tend to live longer).
- Occupation (primary economic activity is associated with shorter life expectancy).
- Education (higher education is associated with longer life expectancy).
- Access to healthcare.
- Lifestyle choices (smoking and obesity are associated with a shorter life expectancy).
Test yourself on Economic Activity - Health & Life
Where was ranked as the top food desert in the USA?
People from where in the UK are likely to have higher life expectancy?
How much longer is a 65-year-old male from Harrow expected to live than a 65-year old male from Glasgow?