”If we want to understand the most important global health issues and what can be done to address them, we must understand what factors have the most influence on health status as well as how health status is measured” (Skolnick, 2020).
A health indicator is a measure designed to summarize information about a given priority topic in global population health. These health indicators “provide comparable and actionable information across different geographic, organizational or administrative boundaries and/or can track progress over time” (CIHI, 2020). Health indicators help countries monitor the health of their populations and track how well their local health systems function. Measured health indicators in Thailand include:
1. Infant Mortality Rate (under 1 year): 8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (Macrotrends, 2020)
2. Life Expectancy at Birth: 76. 9years (UNDP, 2020)
3. Maternal Mortality Ratio: 37 deaths/100,000 live births (Macrotrends, 2020)
4. Neonatal Mortality Rate (under 28 days): 5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (TWB, 2020)
5. Child Mortality Rate (under 5 years): 9.5 deaths/1,000 live births (UNDP, 2020).
How do these health indicators compare to that of the United States?
(Graphs were created using https://ourworldindata.org/grapher)
1. Infant Mortality Rate:
2. Life Expectancy at Birth:
3. Maternal Mortality Ratio:
4. Neonatal Mortality Rate:
5. Child Mortality Rate:
The leading cause of death in Thailand: Ischemic heart disease
24.3% of all deaths (Healthdata, 2020).
According to the Bangkok Heart Hospital,
"The main factor causing the disease is food, as people have changed their eating behavior. They are eating high fat and high carbohydrate foods, exercising less and experiencing high stress".
(Retrieved from https://ww2.bangkokhospital.com)
Obesity, smoking, and atherosclerosis are considered the primary culprits in heart disease.
The introduction of foreign fast-food chains to the Thai market is believed to have increased obesity among the population. Also, the widespread use of palm and coconut oil in cooking street food is of particular concern in Thailand (Wee, 2017).
Risk factors that potentially affect the health of the Thai population:
It is important to consider the many determinants of health: genetics, behavior, environmental and physical influences, medical care and social factors (Skolnik, 2020). All of these areas contain risk factors that apply to the Thai population. I have highlighted a few of these risk factors below.
Environmental influences: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; water scarcity; deforestation; hazardous waste disposal (CIA, 2020)
Behavioral risks: alcohol use; tobacco use; unhealthy diet; physical inactivity; unsafe-sex (Health Data, 2020)
Medical Care: An average of two people die every hour from multi-drug resistant bacterial infections in Thailand. That death rate is much higher than in Europe. In Thailand, antibiotics are freely available in pharmacies without a prescription and even in convenience stores. Unregulated use of antibiotics on livestock is also a large risk factor (Yee, 2016).
References:
Bangkok Heart Hospital. (2020). Retrieved from https://ww2.bangkokhospital.com/hearthospital/en/heart-health-info/heart-disease-and-treatment/112/full_detail/disease
CDC. (2020). NCHHSTP Social determinants of health. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/socialdeterminants/faq.html
Darya Minovi, Alex Court, and Joe DiVito. (2013). Thailand. Retrieved from http://thailandmnch.blogs.wm.edu/determinants-of-health/social-determinants/
Heliyon. (2019). Heart failure and social determinants of health in Thailand: An integrative review. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844018354744
IHME. (2020). How long do people Live. Retrieved from http://www.healthdata.org/thailand
Macrotrends. (2020). Thailand infant mortality rate 1950-2020. Retrieved from https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/THA/thailand/infant-mortality-rate
Skolnik, Richard. (2020). Global Health 101 (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett
United Nations. (2019). Thailand human development indicators. Retrieved from http://hdr.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/THA
Wee. (2017). Leading causes of death in Thailand. Retrieved from https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/leading-causes-of-death-in-thailand.html
World Bank Group. (2020). Mortality rate, neonatal, Thailand. Retrieved from https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.DYN.NMRT?locations=TH