International Comparison of Data
International Comparison of Data
Health indicators are defined by health scientists as quantitative features used to define health status of a population. Health indicators have direct influences on the health of a community and the indicators are used to characterize the health quality of the community. The United States and most of the European countries have favorable health indicators compared to other developed counties. The research paper is going to compare the health indicators of three countries including United States, Denmark and Ethiopia. Health indicators are used by the governments and other health agencies in guiding the healthy policy of a country.
The utilization rate of immunization services in the three countries according to the World Health Organization in 2007 differs. 91 percent of children under the age of one year in the U.S received measles immunization therapy. 89 percent of a similar group in Denmark received the vaccine. 62 percent of Ethiopian children below the age of one year received measles vaccination. Infant immunization is a basic way used by the health agencies in the prevention of infant mortality. Measles is a deadly virus which infects children, and its pathogenesis extends to adulthood with following mental problems. Children below the age of one are supposed to get immunized against the virus, failure to which they remain to be susceptible to the infection.
Measles causes increased infant mortality rate, and it results in deterioration of the quality of health. The population of Ethiopia, with 62 percent immunization utilization rate experience higher infant mortality rate compared to the United States and Denmark. The two have higher vaccination rates than the standard rates set by the World Health Organization? Immunization utility rates also reflex on the maternity care status of the population. The percentage of mothers In Ethiopia who seek maternity care is lower compared to the other two countries. Lower maternity care leads to higher fetal fatality rates and increased risk congenital anomalies.
The main top cause of death in the United States is ischemic heart disease (14.8%). Similarly, the primary causes of death in Denmark are ischemic heart disease (9.4%) and diabetes. On the other hand, the main causes of death in Ethiopia are lower respiratory infections. Most developed countries have been able to manage infectious diseases. However, third world countries still struggle with the communicable diseases. Cardiovascular diseases and other lifestyle disorders cause most deaths in U.S and Denmark due to their sedentary lifestyle. However, infectious diseases remain to be a problem in Ethiopia.
Accessibility to clean drinking water and hygiene determine the quality of health of a population. The United States and Denmark have 100 percent of their people with access to safe water and sanitation. About t 55 percent of Ethiopians have access to this important basic need. Dirty water is a vector to millions of disease agents. Lack of access to clean water leads to the wrong health of a population. Poor sanitation may be the reason for the higher mortalities experienced in Ethiopia due to infectious diseases. Inadequate water supply in Ethiopia explains why diarrheal diseases are among the leading causes of death in the country.
References
Callaghan, W. M. (2014). Geographic variation of reproductive health indicators and outcomes in the United States: place matters. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 211(3), 278-284.
Unicef, & World Health Organization. (2014). Progress on sanitation and drinking water: 2014 update. World Health Organization.
Miniño, A. M. (2013). Death in the United States, 2011 (pp. 1-8). US Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics.
Haileamlak, A. (2014). Editorial: Minimizing Preventable Deaths: The Should Be Focus In Ethiopian Health System. Ethiopian journal of health sciences, 24(2), 100.
