5 health indicators and analysis - - Research Paper Example

Health indicators are units of measure that capture aspects of health or health system performance with an aim of evaluating or quantifying the achievement of goals (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, n.d). The aspects captured include prevalence of specified diseases and conditions as well as various determinants of health, such as income, or critical dimensions of the health care system, such as how often patients return to hospital for more care after they are treated. The state of indicators is demonstrated by observing trends affecting groups of people over a geographical area, while focusing on key domains of health.

Five health indicators from three different countries will be analyzed to reveal three-income stratifications high, medium, and low income. The five health indicators are the following; death rate, Infant mortality rate, Life expectancy at birth years, literacy and HIV/AIDS adult prevalence rate. The countries are Switzerland, Mexico, and Somalia, which were selected to illustrate the disparity existing because of their income status.Death rate can be describe as the average number of deaths in a year per 1000 population and indicates the current mortality impact on population growth.

Per Index Mundi, the death rate in Mexico is 4.9/1000 population at midyear, followed by Switzerland at 8.8, and Somalia at 14.55 (Index Mundi, 2011). The most probable causes of this 14.55 high incidence of death in Somalia can be attributed to lack of sanitation, poor access to medical services, and poor diet. On the other hand, the low death rate seen in Mexico can be associated with proper sanitation, easy access to advance medical care, and healthy feeding habits.The lowest infant mortality rate of the three countries stands at 4.

03/1000 births followed by Mexico’s 16.77, and the highest being Somalias 103.72 (Central Intelligence Agency, n.d b). The comparison of the infancy mortality rate between the three countries raises concern, as the number of fatalities among infants in Somalia is alarming. This demonstrates the need for Mexico and Somalia to invest in more in infant and maternal health, and run programs such as vaccination to aid in reducing infant mortality. The average years lived by a group of individuals born in the same year describes the life expectancy at birth, in which Switzerland’s is relatively high.

Since Switzerland is considered a higher income country, they can invest more preventive on health care and health education, which improves the life expectancy of the population. However, Mexico life expectancy is 76.6 and only 5 year less in comparison to Switzerland but Somalia, which is 30 years less than that Switzerland (Central Intelligence Agency, n.d c).According to Index Mundi, literacy levels are also observed at an all time high in Switzerland with 99%, followed by Mexicos 86.1% and the least being Somalias 37.8%. However, considering that there exists no standardized measure of literacy, the ability to read and write is crucial since low levels of literacy can hinder economic development of a country.

HIV/Aids adult prevalence rate in the three countries lies at 0.3% in Mexico, 0.4% in Switzerland, and 0.7% in Somalia. Proper measures and public education contribute to low prevalence of HIV/AIDS among citizens while lack of such measures leads to increased prevalence rates (Central Intelligence Agency, n.d a).In conclusion, there is the need to address health disparities demonstrated by eliminating impeding factors in order to facilitate development and provide access to health care. Addressing the above indicators will determine the health of the population, quality of life, fertility, and economic development.

ReferencesAustralian Institute of Health and Welfare. (n.d.). Health Indicators. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/health-indicators/Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d. a).The world factbook: Somalia. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/so.htmlCentral Intelligence Agency. (n.d. b).The world factbook: Mexico. Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/mx.htmlCentral Intelligence Agency. (n.d. c).The world factbook: Switzerland.

Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sz.htmlIndex Mundi, (2011). Historical data graphs per year. Retrieved from http://www.indexmundi.com/g/g.aspx?c=mx&c=so&c=sz&v=26&v=29&v=30&v=32&v=39