Development and Disease

Developed Countries and Disease

• Developed countries have a higher prevalence for noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
• Type 2 diabetes in particular is very high in developed nations.
• These diseases are linked closely to obesity.
• In developed countries there is a higher availability of processed and unhealthy food.
• Economic development means that people can afford surpluses of food, leading to obesity.
• The countries with the lowest estimated rates of diabetes around the world are in Africa, thanks in part to their prevalence of other diseases and lower life expectancy.
• Advanced research and medicine lowers the rate of other diseases in the developed world.
• 

Less Developed Countries and Disease

• Less developed countries have a higher prevalence for communicable diseases.
• These are influenced by the lack of sanitation, water and medicine.
• Most undeveloped areas are found in the tropics where diseases such as malaria thrive.
• These countries are less likely to suffer from diseases such as diabetes due to the lack of food security and low life expectancy.
• Undeveloped countries usually don't have strict laws against resource extraction and manufacturing, both of which have health impacts on the local population.
• 

Rising Standards of Living and Disease

• Access to clean water, sanitation and healthy food lowers the risk of catching a disease.
• Malnutrition lowers the body's immune system and makes people susceptible to disease. Food security means that people are less likely to die from malnutrition.
• Medicine becomes more accessible with development, meaning that diseases can be treated and prevented.
• Development usually means that there is a lower birth rate. This reduces the chance that a mother will become infected or die during childbirth.
•