Factors, which contribute to low healthy expectancy in developing countries - Essay Example

Individuals in developing world compared to those in developed nations have to deal with a double tragedy of both low life expectancy and poor health. A number of factors can influence the number of years an individual expects to live in good health. Notable factors considered to be influencing healthy life expectancy in developing countries include but not limited to variations in social and economic conditions, medical advances, lifestyle and access to medical services. Healthy expectancy is important in measuring the “quality” and “quantity” of individuals in society in life dimension.

Developing countries have a long way to go in terms of improving the overall healthy life expectancy compared to their counterparts in the developed world. Most developing countries are still grappling with several challenges when it comes to public health and as such majority of individuals both the young and the aged succumb to a number of preventable diseases day by day (Mathers, et al.) This means that both the life expectancy and health expectancy is still low in developing world compared to the developed world. . They end up living in slums with poor housing conditions.

Such a situation exposes majority of individuals to health risks such as communicable disease and other preventable diseases such as cholera, and diarrhea. Poverty has also exposed a number of individuals in developing countries to diseases associated with malnutrition. A number of families may end up feeding on carbohydrates only, which is not healthy for the body considering that individuals have to feed on a balance diet. Malnutrition consequently weakens the immune system of different individuals thus making them vulnerable to diseases.

In other words, health expectancy deteriorates with the reduction in social class. Lack of resources in health and educations is another major cause of low health expectancy in developing countries (Knott). It is undoubtedly that most governments in developing countries do not allocate adequate financial resources for public health and education provisions in health matters. This can be attributed to limited resources, corruption and mismanagement of public funds at various levels of the government.

For instance, most of hospitals and dispensaries are understaffed and above all lack the necessary tools and apparatus thus jeopardizing the role of medical practitioners in carrying out effective tests and diagnosis procedures on the patients. Additionally, there is no adequate funds allocation for public health education to the common public. The public needs adequate knowledge and skills on how to manage preventable diseases and live a healthy lifestyle. Children in developing countries succumb to preventable diseases such as measles, yellow fevers, or small pox due to lack of adequate knowledge of these